“Trump indicted” was splashed across the front pages of major US newspapers such as the Washington Post and the New York Times in capital letters early on Friday. The Republican is the first former US president to face criminal charges. The case involves money that Trump allegedly paid to former porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election campaign. US policy” that could prove to be a crucial test for the deeply divided country.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has yet to release any more detailed information about the criminal charges, the document still “sealed”, it said on Thursday. The deliberations of the 23-person grand jury are secret. A decision was not expected until the end of April. According to CNN, the charge could total 30 counts.
Accusations against Donald Trump
Donald Trump is the first former US president to be impeached. He is accused of miscalculating secret money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels.
“Insane” and “Scum”
Trump called the allegations “political harassment and election interference” in a statement released on Thursday, saying he was the victim of a “witch hunt” by “far-left Democrats”. “Impeachment of a perfectly innocent person is an act of flagrant election interference,” Trump said. He called on his followers to donate. “With his support, we will write the next great chapter in America’s history – and 2024 will forever be remembered as the year we saved our republic,” he said. Recipients are asked for donations equal to or greater than 24 dollars (about 22 euros). There is a similar headline on the Trump campaign’s Internet site.
IMAGO/ZUMA Wire/Vanessa Carvalho Trump also has opponents
At a recent event, Trump berated officials that the New York District Attorney was “investigating something against me, under the aegis of the ‘Department of Justice’ in Washington, which is not a felony, is not a misdemeanor, is not a case,” Trump said. he said. Behind him were “radical left-wing lunatics”. The plaintiffs described Trump as “scum”.
Trump wants to run for the White House again in 2024. A trial and possible conviction that could land the Republican several years in prison could politically damage his plans to run for president again – in terms of support from his party and the Republican base. In purely legal terms, on the other hand, Trump could theoretically also be considered a convicted felon in the 2024 presidential election.
Outraged Republican Leaders
Several Republicans reacted with outrage to the accusations and saw them as an attack on democracy. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy attacked New York State Attorney Alvin Bragg.
“While he routinely releases violent criminals to terrorize the public, he has used our hallowed legal system against President Donald Trump,” McCarthy wrote on Twitter. McCarthy is considered a Trump ally.
call protests
Radical Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene called for protests. “I’m going to New York on Tuesday,” tweeted the ardent Trump supporter. “We must protest the unconstitutional witch hunt!” Within the framework of constitutional rights, Trump will be supported and “against tyrants” will protest. “See you Tuesday.” Greene is on the far right in his party, spreads conspiracy theories and regularly agitates against minorities.
Even Trump’s biggest domestic competitor, Ron DeSantis, criticized the approach: “When the legal system is used as a weapon to further a political agenda, the rule of law is turned on its head.” “scandal”.
For Democrats, “no one is above the law”
Several US Democrats also reacted to the accusations against Trump and emphasized the equality of all US citizens before the law. “No one is above the law,” former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi wrote Friday night (local time) on Twitter. She hopes Trump respects the legal system.
Chuck Schumer, the Democratic Senate Majority Leader, also commented on Twitter. Trump is subject to the same laws as any American, he wrote. The judiciary and a jury heard the case, but not the politicians. “There must be no political interference, intimidation or outside interference in the case.” The indictment of a former president is a “grave moment” for the nation, wrote House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. The rule of law is fundamental to democracy.
The current US president, Joe Biden, is silent on the accusations against his predecessor, Donald Trump, for now. In response to repeated requests from reporters, Biden said in Washington on Friday that he would not comment on the matter.
What’s happening on Tuesday?
According to his lawyer, Susan Necheles, Trump is likely to appear in court on charges as early as Tuesday. “We hope it happens on Tuesday,” the defense attorney said on Friday. According to Fox News and NY1, the appointment is set for 2:15 pm (8:15 pm CEST) at the Manhattan courthouse. By then, at the latest, the public will also be officially informed about the details of the allegations.
Media such as the “New York Times” and the “Washington Post” wondered in advance how this could work. According to the plan, Trump must face the court. Judge Juan Merchan, whom Trump accused of hating him on Friday, is responsible. Merchan was “handpicked” by promoter Alvin Bragg and his colleagues. Merchan led a tax fraud case against the Trump Organization and its longtime chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg.
Trump accused Merchan of acting dishonestly at the time. Weisselberg had pleaded guilty before the actual trial and was eventually sentenced to five months in prison for tax crimes.
ORF analysis: accusations against Trump
For the first time in US history, a former president has been indicted. Former President Donald Trump has been accused of paying a bribe to a porn actress. ORF correspondent Thomas Langpaul reports in detail from Washington.
The “New York Times” speculated on Friday under the headline “This will happen if Donald Trump is arrested” about the course of events on Tuesday. Trump is expected to go through “standard procedure”, fingerprints, photo etc. The question is whether he will appear in court in handcuffs. Anyway, according to the North American newspaper, the procedure for a former president is “anything but routine”. If he turns himself in, he will be spared from prison.
“test case” in many ways
Finally, a big question is the political fallout, not just in view of the 2024 presidential election, in which Trump wants to run again, but for the entire country. The indictment is “a historic development that will rock the 2024 presidential race,” wrote the New York Times. The Washington Post called the accusation a “test case” for new procedures, such as after the Capitol invasion by Trump supporters on January 6, 2021.