Trump Indicted Over Hush Money By NY Grand Jury, 1st US President To Face Criminal Charges

On Thursday, a New York grand jury indicted Donald Trump over hush money payments made to a porn star during his 2016 campaign, making him the first former US president to face criminal charges.

Reuters

The historic indictment of the 76-year-old Republican -- who denies all wrongdoing in connection with the payments made ahead of the election that sent him to the White House -- is certain to upend the current presidential race in which Trump hopes to regain office.

Legacy of the ex-president

And it will forever mark the legacy of the former leader, who survived two impeachments and kept prosecutors at bay over everything from the US Capitol riot to missing classified files -- only to land in court over a sex scandal involving Stormy Daniels, a 44-year-old adult movie actress.

Reuters

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office confirmed that it had contacted Trump's lawyers Thursday evening to "coordinate his surrender" for arraignment in New York -- with the felony charges against him to be revealed at that point.

Trump terms indictment 'political persecution'

Trump slammed the indictment as "political persecution and election interference," raging against prosecutors and his Democratic opponents and vowing that it would backfire on his successor, President Joe Biden.

Surrendering for arraignment -- which Trump's lawyers have said he would do if indicted -- would normally involve him being fingerprinted and photographed, potentially even handcuffed.

Reuters

In the Republican camp, Trump's allies and sons denounced what they see as a vendetta aimed at derailing his 2024 campaign -- while his expected challenger for the party nomination, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, slammed the indictment as "un-American."

Kevin McCarthy, the top Republican in the House of Representatives, said the indictment had "irreparably damaged" the country.

But the top Democrat Adam Schiff -- lead prosecutor of Trump's first impeachment in 2019 -- called it "a sobering and unprecedented development."

An attorney for Daniels welcomed the news as proof that "no one is above the law."

Overall calm amidst possibility of protests

On March 18, Trump had declared he expected to be arrested within days over the payment to Daniels -- who received $130,000 weeks before the election that brought Trump to power, to stop her from going public about a tryst she claims they had a decade earlier.

In predicting his indictment, Trump also issued a call for demonstrations and dark warnings that it could lead to "potential death & destruction" that "could be catastrophic for our Country."

His statement set New York on edge for possible protests, but the prospect of a quick indictment had receded as the grand jury panel continued to hear witnesses -- until Thursday.

A media scrum quickly gathered Thursday outside the district attorney's office, along with a handful of anti-Trump protesters -- but the situation was calm overall.

Trump's election chances in 2024

Trump, who is seen to be the frontrunner to be the Republican nominee in the 2024 election, has branded all of the investigations political persecution.

The impact of an indictment on his election chances is unpredictable, with critics and adversaries alike voicing concerns about the legal merits of the hush money case.

Reuters

Detractors worry that if Trump were cleared, it could make it easier to dismiss as a "witch hunt" any future indictment in arguably more serious affairs -- such as Trump's efforts to overturn Georgia's election results.

(With inputs from AFP)

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