Donald Trump has been indicted by the New York prosecutor's office for paying porn star Stormy Daniels $ 130.000 to silence her about their relationship. Donald Trump thus becomes the first former president to be indicted in American history.
The grand jury's decision, after days in which Trump himself fanned the flames speculating his imminent arrest, came when no one expected it anymore as jurors would have to consider other cases and then take a break until the end of April . It is a fact that is set to have unprecedented repercussions on US policy as well as influence the race for the White House for 2024, although it will not stop Trump's run it seems. The Donald immediately reacted by attacking: "It is a political persecution and electoral interference", "a witch hunt that will backfire on Biden", "re-elect me and you will be avenged".
Indicted Trump will appear on Tuesday: will he avoid arrest?
The grand jury vote came as a surprise as jurors were expected to consider other cases during the day and then take time off until the end of April. The decision also took Trump's staff by surprise while the former president in these hours in Mar-a-Lago is evaluating his next moves. The precise charges against him have not yet been publicly disclosed by the New York court. CNN, citing two sources familiar with the case, informs that the former president faces more than 30 charges of corporate fraud in the investigation by the Manhattan prosecutor's office.
What will happen now and when Trump is called to present himself to the prosecutor's office is not yet clear: the details must be defined by the Secret Service with the New York authorities, even if the former president's lawyer has ensured that his client it will arise spontaneously and will undergo the necessary procedures, from fingerprints to photos. In that case he should be spared the humiliation of arrest. One of his lawyers, Susan R. Necheles, quoted by the New York Times, said that Trump could hand himself over to the Manhattan authorities next Tuesday for the formalization of the charges against him.
New York police alerted, demonstrations feared
The New York police have been on alert for days for possible demonstrations and protests given that the former president, recalling a rhetoric similar to that of the assault on Congress, has invited his supporters to take to the streets and be heard. The fear of assaults such as that of the January 6 in the US Congress they have pushed the New York police forces to strengthen security measures and online controls, where there are those who have been shouting civil war in defense of Trump for days. “No one is above the law. This indictment is just the beginning, ”said Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer who later became his main accuser. The Republicans are already crying foul despite not knowing the precise charges: they speak of an "outrageous" decision. Eric Trump, the former president's son, defines the indictment as an attack on a political rival. His reference is to the Democrats and to Alvin Bragg, the first African-American prosecutor in Manhattan. Silence in the house of Democrats, just as no comment comes from Joe Biden's White House. The indictment following the story of the porn star is just one of the investigations open against Trump, whose legal situation could become more complicated as the vote approaches. Between the open investigations there are those on the January 6 uprising, those on vote interference in Georgia and those on secret papers found in Mar-a-Lago. Support for Trump came from the speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy from the former president's archenemy, Ron DeSantis in the running for the presidency. Even former Vice President Mike Pence commented that "Accusing a former president is a disservice to the country that will further divide Americans."
