Donald Trump is the first ex-president in US history to face criminal charges. This was announced by the district attorney's office in Manhattan on Thursday evening. Trump's lawyer was contacted to coordinate his transfer to New York for indictment, it said. The indictment is still sealed. The exact charges and details are still unclear. The case is about hush money payments to a porn actress. Trump spoke of "political persecution and electoral interference at the highest level in history". Various Republicans also reacted with outrage and called the unprecedented step scandalous.
Shortly before his election as president in 2016, Trump had paid hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels - this could conflict with campaign finance rules. The prosecutor's office in New York had been investigating the matter for years and finally appointed a so-called grand jury, which now voted to indict Trump in the matter.
According to his attorney Susan Necheles, the indictment is to take place next week. "We expect it to take place on Tuesday," Necheles told the AFP news agency by email on Friday night. Trump's lawyers had previously signaled that the 76-year-old would likely turn himself in if indicted. When indictments are filed, the person concerned is presented with the allegations made against him in accordance with US criminal procedure law, and he usually then makes a statement. A judge then decides whether he will be held in custody or released on bail.
A trial and a potential conviction that could see the Republican face several years in prison could politically jeopardize Trump's plans to run again for the presidency - in terms of support for his party and the Republican base. In purely legal terms, on the other hand, Trump could theoretically also stand as a convicted criminal in the 2024 presidential election, as legal experts emphasize. Trump had publicly announced his presidential bid several months ago.
The 76-year-old reacted outraged to the accusation. "This is political persecution and electoral interference at the highest level in history," the Republican said in a written statement. Trump accused the Democrats of trying to harm him politically since his first presidential bid for the 2016 election and of harassing him with various investigations during his tenure. "The Democrats have lied, cheated and stolen in their obsession to 'get' Trump, but now they have done the unthinkable - impeaching a completely innocent person in an act of blatant electoral interference," Trump said. "This has never happened in the history of our country." All of this will fall back on President Joe Biden and his Democrats.
Trump spoke of an attack on the country. It is also an attack on the "once" free elections, the US is now a "Third World country" and a nation in decline, wrote the Republican on the network Truth Social, which he co-founded.
The ex-president had already claimed a few days ago that his arrest in the case was imminent - and called on his supporters to protest. New York then prepared for possible demonstrations and increased security around the courthouse in downtown Manhattan. So far, there have been no major protests. That could possibly follow.
Various Republicans reacted with outrage to the charges and saw them as an attack on democracy. Many of them attacked New York Attorney Alvin Bragg. For example, Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy tweeted about Bragg: "While he routinely releases violent criminals to terrorize the public, he has instrumentalized our sacred legal system against President Donald Trump." McCarthy is considered a Trump ally.
But even former companions, who have since distanced themselves from Trump and are considered possible competitors in the party's internal presidential race for the 2024 election, have criticized the approach. "When the legal system is used as a weapon to advance a political agenda, the rule of law is turned on its head," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wrote on Twitter. It is expected that DeSantis will also run as a presidential candidate. Next to Trump, he is considered the most promising candidate from the ranks of the Republicans.
Trump's former deputy, ex-Vice President Mike Pence, who is also said to have ambitions for a presidential bid, also described the indictment as a "scandal". Pence told CNN: "This will only serve to further divide this country."
Note: This article has been continuously updated due to the situation.
