We know that Donald Trump has been indicted

The New York Witch Hunt Will Backfire Massively on Joe Biden: After Trump’s Indictment by a New York Grand Jury

Former President Donald Trump’s indictment by a New York grand jury has thrust the nation into uncharted political, legal and historical waters, and raised a slew of questions about how the criminal case will unfold.

The Manhattan District Attorney began an investigation into a payment made by President Trump’s personal lawyer to Daniels in late October of 2016 to keep her from talking about an alleged affair. Trump has denied the affair.

The decision will send ripples across the country, as this is the first time that a presidential candidate has faced criminal charges, and the American political system hasn’t seen such a situation before.

There is a language in Montanaro. Well, he’s obviously going to try to use it and fire up his base even more than he already has. He’s already doing that. In a statement this evening, he attacked the prosecutor, the New York district attorney – Alvin Bragg, a Democrat – called the indictment political persecution, blatant election interference and a witch hunt that will backfire on Democrats. You know, Trump clearly also has the backing of Republicans on Capitol Hill. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, for example, tonight called the indictment an unprecedented abuse of power. Jim Jordan, House Judiciary Chairman, issued a one-word statement. It was outrageous. So there you go.

“I believe this Witch-Hunt will backfire massively on Joe Biden,” the former president said. The American people know what the Radical Left Democrats are doing. Everyone can see it. Our Party and movement are united and strong enough that we will defeat the Democrats, and then we will throw the other Democrats out of office so that we can make America great again.

The Trump Indictment: Why Did He Come Weaving? How Did He Get What He Wanted, When He Did He Want To?

Habba said that Trump is the victim of a corrupt and distorted version of the American justice system. He will be vindicated.

Trump was caught off guard by the grand jury’s decision to indict him, according to a person who spoke directly with him While the former president was bracing for an indictment last week, he began to believe news reports that a potential indictment was weeks – or more – away.

That alone makes it historic. Trump’s criminal case is having an impact on the presidential race in the new year as he vows to stay in the race despite being charged with a crime.

It is not without risk that the decision to bring charges is made. Trump’s lawyers could challenge whether campaign finance laws would apply as a crime to make the case a felony, for instance.

Trump’s Republican allies – as well as his 2024 GOP rivals – have condemned the Manhattan district attorney’s office over the looming indictment, and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has vowed to launch an investigation into the matter.

“Outrageous,” tweeted House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio, one of the Republican committee chairmen who has demanded Bragg testify before Congress about the Trump investigation.

Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, called the indictment “completely unprecedented” and said it is “a catastrophic escalation in the weaponization of the justice system.”

We have a judge. We have jurors. There is appeals. So I think in the end, justice will be done. If he’s guilty it will show up. If not, I think that will be shown as well.

Michael Cohen, the former personal attorney of Donald Trump, and the prosecutor of a case that Donald Trump paid to silence Daniels in the 2016 presidential campaign

In his plea, Cohen outlined the scheme: In the final month of the 2016 presidential campaign, he paid $130,000 to silence Daniels, who claimed she had an affair with Donald Trump.

The grand jury has been examining hush-money payments that Trump’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, made in 2016 to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in exchange for her not going public with allegations she had an affair with Trump.

Trump has denied having had an affair with Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, although he has admitted reimbursing Cohen for money paid to her.

Cohen hailed Bragg for giving Trump the chance to testify in the trial and met with the Manhattan district attorney’s office.

The investigation began under then-District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. in 2018 and quickly grew to become a broad probe of Trump business practices. Trump had eight years of tax returns. Trump fought the request all the way to the Supreme Court, twice, but on both occasions the high court sided with the DA, clearing the way for him to obtain the records in early 2021.

The two lead prosecutors on the case quit. One wrote in his resignation letter, “a decision made in good faith may nevertheless be wrong. I believe that your decision not to prosecute Donald Trump now, and on the existing record, is misguided and completely contrary to the public interest.”

Michael Cohen was one of the witnesses Bragg presented to the grand jury. Earlier this month, Trump himself was invited to testify — seen as a final step before an indictment. The former president said it was a political witch-hunting effort to topple the leading candidate in the Republican Party.

Legal experts think the criminal case Bragg is likely to bring could be difficult to prove in court. While Cohen was convicted under federal law, New York state statutes might be an awkward fit for the alleged crimes.

Mark Pomerantz was one of the people who helped lead the office’s probe into the actions of Trump and they found that he had broken the law.

“The money wasn’t for legal services at all,” Pomerantz said last month. That’s how the payments were documented. So the documentation of the reimbursement involved the creation of false business records, which is a crime under New York law.”

“He’s showing me all around and pointing to different paintings,” Cohen said. “He said to me not to worry, Michael.” The January and February reimbursement checks will arrive in a few weeks. They were FedEx’d from New York. And it takes a while for that to get through the White House system.’

“As he promised, I received the first check for the reimbursement of $70,000 not long thereafter,” Cohen said, referring to the payment that combined two monthly installments.

An Investigation of Trump’s Indictment: The Response to the Public Affairs / Biden Witch Hunt at the New York Criminal Courts Building

The summer season. The former president has been talking about this possibility for some time. Now that the indictment has occurred, what is his official response?

Trump’s social media response is much more heated. Political persecution and election interference at the highest level in history is what he writes about. I believe this witch hunt will backfire massively on Joe Biden. The American people realize exactly what the radical left Democrats are doing here.

BERNSTEIN: So typically, a defendant is notified and makes arrangements to surrender to authorities. We don’t know when that will be. It usually takes a number of days, but nothing usual about this case. Procedure calls for a defendant to turn themselves in, usually early in the morning, to the Criminal Courts Building in Lower Manhattan to get fingerprinted and processed and then to walk to the courtroom, usually in handcuffs. We don’t know what will happen this time. We assume that Trump will plead not guilty when he faces the judge.

SUMMERS: And of course, this is a developing story. We’re looking forward to hearing more from you and our other reporters and correspondents covering this over the next few days. NPR’s Andrea Bernstein, thank you.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be finished and can be revised in the future. Availability and accuracy may be different. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

The New York Grand Jury’s Indictment of the Former Vice President Donald Trump: Is It a Class E Class-E Misdemeanor?

FloorIDO: We’ve been speaking with former U.S. attorney and law professor Kim Wehle about the New York grand jury’s decision to indict former President Donald Trump. Thank you.

WEHLE: No, I’m not, especially given that we’ve been sort of hand-wringing over it for many days now. And in a way, it’s good to have it actually happen. In due course, we will see the actual terms of the indictment. Because until we see that, it’s very hard to really do a fair analysis of it, I think.

FLORIDO: Yeah, I noted that we don’t yet know the specific charges that he faces, but you know the legal code. What charges may the former president be facing?

Wehle. It seems that people are expecting a violation of New York Penal Code, Section 175.10, which is a violation of the first degree for dishonest business records. It is against the law to fudge business records. If that was done with an intent to commit another crime, it’s a felony. I think there is a possibility that Michael Cohen would be the one to be convicted for keeping Ms. Daniels quiet about their meeting before the election. When there was no actual legal services provided, Donald Trump paid Michael Cohen back in $35,000 installments. The question is why you wouldn’t tell people what the 2016 presidential election would look like, even if the charge isn’t quite high as some people would want it to be.

Wehle. Well, it’s a Class E felony under Manhattan – New York law, so I believe it’s up to four years in prison. I think it is, that’s how far down the line it is. We need to overcome a lot of hurdles. You know, there is due process attached to Mr. Trump. It’s important to distinguish between political stakes and legal stakes, since there are a lot of procedural, evidentiary and Constitutional protections in place, to make sure that that question is fairly adjudicated.

There is a person named FlaorIDO. This case is being brought by the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg. His predecessor looked into these alleged hush-money payments also, but did not pursue charges, which raises a question, I think, about the strength of this case. What do you think?

Wehle. At that point, according to reports, Cy Vance was looking into if Donald Trump would be included in the indictment and conviction of the Trump Organization for tax fraud and other crimes. And Mr. Bragg took some heat politically for not pursuing that, so, I mean, you could argue, you know, he was less aggressive on one, more aggressive on the other. All of this is about who voted for Donald Trump and who voted against him, because he was indicted by a grand jury in Manhattan. It will be other voters of Manhattan that will decide if he’s guilty or not, after the trial.

FLORIDO: We have about 20 seconds left. Can you walk us in about 15 seconds, since we don’t know when these charges will be formally announced?

Wehle. Well, he – I mean, he will either be arrested or would show up for an arraignment, and then he would enter a plea. You know, I worked on the Whitewater investigation many years ago. When Bill Clinton was before a grand jury, there were a lot of sort of special circumstances…

That was given to him. I think Donald Trump will get the respect of the office that any former president would have, if he accepts them.

All this plays into Trump’s air of grievance, really, that he’s used to propel his political fortunes – you know, that the left is out for him; that, in turn, also his supporters, they’re out to get; that the system is rigged; and that this indictment and investigation in New York, nothing more than a politically motivated attempt to derail his presidential campaign.

And to Trump’s messaging, two-thirds of people overall think that the charges in New York are not that serious, and 6 in 10 say the investigation is politically motivated. The decision is not something done by a prosecutor or a judge, but by a grand jury. And remember, a grand jury hears evidence from a prosecutor, then decides whether there’s enough there to file criminal charges against a suspect. A jury of his peers appears to be in on it if it’s a conspiracy.

Not really. Gerald Ford controversially pardoned Richard Nixon, but he never faced charges. You have to go all the way back to 1872 in order to find the president who was arrested. President Grant was arrested for speeding with his horse-drawn carriage in D.C. But, you know, let’s not overlook the fact that Trump is now the first former American president to face criminal charges.

Trump vs. Bragg: What Stephanie Clifford has to say about a recent Manhattan district attorney’s investigation into the tampering case

It’s a big wild card when our poll found that many people want to preserve democracy as one of the most important issues facing the country. That is true of voters who are persuadable. Independents, for example, ranked preserving democracy second behind the economy. It’s known that Trump’s brand has been bad for him in the last few elections, and he’s at risk with independents. Majorities don’t think he’s a good president and they believe he shouldn’t be.

It was very difficult to say. because 80% of them say they have a favorable opinion of Trump. Three-quarters say they want him to be president, and there are not any Republicans who are really making a sustained effort against him.

FlaorIDO: This is a story that is evolving. We’re looking forward to hearing more from you over the next few days, Domenico. Thanks to you, Domenico Montanaro.

What Daniels has said: For her part, Daniels, also known as Stephanie Clifford, met in March with prosecutors from the Manhattan district attorney’s office probing the payment, according to a tweet sent by her attorney, who said Daniels had “responded to questions and has agreed to make herself available as a witness, or for further inquiry if needed.”

Herthen-attorney said that the book was meant to prove her story about having sex with Trump is true, because she wrote a tell-all book about it.

Following the news of the indictment, the former president continued attacks on Bragg and other Democrats, as well as denying any wrongdoing.

How Will The Former President Respond to an Indictment? The First Attorney’s Office Report on Donald Trump & the Preliminary Election Campaign

The former president was asked to surrender in New York on Friday, but his defense said more time was needed, so he is expected in court on Tuesday.

As for the former president’s initial court appearance, it’ll look, in some ways, like that of any other defendant, and in others, look very different.

First appearances are usually public proceedings. If an arrest of a defendant is not needed, arrangements are made with them or their lawyers for a voluntary surrender to law enforcement. People who are in court for the first time are booked and finger-printed. A plea is expected to be entered if a first appearance is also an arraignment.

That’s one of many big questions here. A number of congressional Republicans are siding with Trump, attacking Bragg and accusing the district attorney of being a witch hunt.

According to sources close to Donald Trump, his team will roll out surrogates to hit Democrats, the investigation and Bragg as they work to shape the public narrative in the wake of the indictment.

The political consequences of the indictment – along with any other potential charges that may come his way — must be set aside when we consider the importance of reestablishing accountability. The grand jury has made an important contribution to the politics of today by holding Donald Trump to account and determining if that is possible, once and for all.

In Georgia and D.C., Trump is under criminal investigation for trying to change the outcome of the 2020 race. Each time he failed to face consequences for breaching rules meant to safeguard America’s electoral system, he escalated his behavior, to the point of attempting a coup. Escaping conviction in his second impeachment, for trying to overthrow the democratic system he was sworn to protect, he now treats Jan. 6 as something heroic, honoring rioters at his most recent campaign rally.

Donald J. Ford and the 1974 September 8 Indictment: Resolving Nixon’s Case for Corrupt Practices in American Public Processes

Editor’s Note: Julian Zelizer, a CNN political analyst, is a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University. He is the author and editor of 25 books, including the New York Times best-seller, “Myth America: Historians Take on the Biggest Lies and Legends About Our Past” (Basic Books). You can follow him on social media. The views of this commentary are of his own. View more opinion on CNN.

As the nation awaits the details of the charges — with questions swirling about his scheduled arraignment on Tuesday — the implications of the decision are starting to sink in.

Accountability is the first element of the indictment. September 8, 1974 was a turning point in American politics. Just one month after Richard Nixon announced his resignation, then-President Gerald Ford pardoned the former president for any crimes that he may have committed while in office.

Ford issued the controversial pardon in an effort to heal the nation and move past Watergate at a time when the US was reeling from stagflation and turmoil overseas as a result of Vietnam. But Ford’s strategy didn’t work. The pardon made suspicions of corruption worse.

By avoiding the attempt to hold Nixon accountable, Ford circumvented the judicial process, and the nation never tested what could be done about presidents or former presidents who were accused of violating the law.

This issue was brought up with President Bill Clinton. In 1997, the Supreme Court ruled that sitting presidents were immune to civil law litigation arising from events that took place before they entered office. In 1998, the House impeached him for perjury and obstruction of justice over his response to an affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky, but the Senate rejected both charges. After the exoneration, Clinton reached a deal with a special prosecutor that he wouldn’t face prosecution after lying about the affair while in office.

We were not sure if we could hold a president to account after he left the White House. The issue was not simply a legal question, but one that concerned the will of prosecutors and juries.

Regardless, Trump understands how to weaponize moments of danger to his advantage, and we’ve already seen Republicans rally to his side, as they did during both impeachments. Former Vice President Mike Pence called the indictment an “outrage,” while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, potentially Trump’s biggest rival in 2024, publicly stated that the prosecution’s action was “un-American.”

They have taken an important first step by reversing some of the damage that Ford inflicted on the body politic when he refused to allow the legal process to play out with a former president who had engaged in immense wrongdoing and abused his power. We will be trapped by perils of an imperial presidency if the nation fails to continue with the process of reestablishing important standard of accountability.