Former U.S. President Trump is expected to appear in a Manhattan court on the afternoon of the 4th for his criminal prosecution for allegedly paying hush money to a porn star during his 2016 presidential campaign. CNN, finishing the QA look at once.
●What is the charge against Trump?
CNN previously reported that Trump faced more than 30 charges related to commercial fraud, and the specific content of the indictment has not been made public. Trump is expected to appear in Manhattan Criminal Court on the afternoon of the 4th.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, which has been investigating Trump since he was still in the White House, found that Trump’s then-personal attorney, Michael Cohen, arranged for $130,000 in late October just days before polling day in the 2016 presidential election. The “hush money” paid to the porn star “Stormy Daniels” (Stormy Daniels) in exchange for her not talking about an extramarital affair with Trump in 2006. Trump denies this.
●What crimes may Trump be prosecuted for?
Prosecutors are targeting the hush money paid to Daniels and the reimbursement to Cohen by Trump’s family business, the Trump Organization.
According to court documents from Cohen’s previous federal criminal indictment, executives at the Trump Organization authorized a $420,000 payment to him, covering the $130,000 he paid Daniels, taxes, and dividends to him. The Trump Organization reimbursed the money as “legal fees” on its internal books. Trump has denied knowledge of the money.
It is not illegal to pay hush money. Before prosecuting Trump, prosecutors weighed whether to sue Trump for the reimbursement business records that the “Trump Organization” falsified to Cohen. “Falsifying business records” is a misdemeanor in New York.
Prosecutors are also considering charging Trump with “first-degree falsification of business records.” In this case, the falsification of business records is for the purpose of carrying out another crime, or assisting/concealing another crime.
In Trump’s case, that would be a violation of campaign finance law. This is a class E felony, and if convicted, he could face a minimum of 1 year and a maximum of 4 years in prison. Prosecutors must prove that Trump had criminal intent for the case to stand.
●The New York State People’s Government sued Trump
The judge presiding over the trial signed an order on March 30, agreeing to the request of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to release the sealed grand jury indictment.
At the top of the order is the name of the case: “The People of the State of New York against Donald J. Trump” (The People of the State of New York against Donald J. Trump).
In the order, Judge Juan Merchan wrote that the dismissal of the indictment was “in the public interest and an appropriate exercise of the court’s discretion,” according to the document.
● How does Trump respond?
Trump was caught off guard by the grand jury’s decision to indict him, according to people who spoke directly to Trump. When Trump heard last week that he might be indicted, he thought it might take weeks, if not longer, as the news said.
After the news of the indictment came out, Trump again denied the crime and continued to attack the prosecutor Bai Airong and other Democrats.
“I believe this witch hunt will have a serious backlash against Joe Biden,” he said in a March 30 statement.
“The American people fully understand what the Radical Left Democrats are doing. Everyone sees it. So our actions, our party – united and strong – will first defeat Irving White, then Joe Biden, and then we will take these Throw crooked Democrats out of office one by one, so we can make America great again!”
Trump’s aides and allies are worried that he may be tried in Manhattan, worrying that the Democratic leaning of the district’s voters will prevent Trump from getting a fair trial.
However, Trump’s defense lawyers have not requested a change in the venue of the trial at this time, and will not move until the indictment is made public.
●What is waiting for Trump?
Trump’s lawyer said that Trump was initially asked to go to New York to surrender on March 31, but his defense lawyers said more time was needed, so Trump was scheduled to appear in court on April 4.
The defendant’s first court appearance is usually a public proceeding. If arrest is not required, arrangements will be made for the defendant or lawyer to surrender to law enforcement. The defendant’s first court appearance is usually registered and fingerprinted. If the first court appearance is also arraigned, it is expected that a plea will be filed.
After Trump is indicted, he will go through specific procedures like other defendants, but his status as a former president and his status as a candidate for the White House will undoubtedly require additional security and execution considerations.
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