curated by Vee Hua 華婷婷
As the first president in the history of the United States to be charged and later indicted by a grand jury, former President Donald Trump now faces 34 felony counts of falsifying records. Though he was indicted on Thursday, March 30, the exact details were unsealed on Tuesday, April 5, when he appeared before acting New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan and was arraigned in a New York court. He is slated for an in-person pretrial hearing on Dec. 4.
The charges were brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who previously chose not to pursue such charges. According to CBS News, "The Manhattan District Attorney's Office alleges Trump orchestrated a 'catch and kill' scheme to suppress damaging information before the 2016 election. Prosecutors say the scheme involved falsifying business records to conceal three payments, including $130,000 that Trump attorney Michael Cohen paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels."
The case's statement of facts, presented by the People of the State of New York, states that the defendant, Trump, orchestrated a scheme between August 2015 and December 2017 to influence the 2016 presidential election by "identifying and purchasing negative information about him to suppress its publication and benefit the Defendant's electoral prospects." It notes that the unlawful scheme was executed through the violation of election laws, including "false entries in the business records of various entities in New York," as well as taking "steps that mischaracterized, for tax purposes, the true nature of payments made in furtherance of the scheme."
Following a not-guilty plea to all counts, Trump returned home to Florida and gave a speech to cheering crowds. He and his supporters have continued to call the prosecution a politically motivated "witch hunt."
Trump is presently a candidate for the Republican nomination for the 2024 presidency, and some research suggests that his indictment may deepen divides within the United States, as well as galvanize both his supporter base and his opposition. Furthermore, Republicans across the board — including Trump supporters, former Vice President Mike Pence, and even notable politicians running for the Republican nomination — either supported him or rebuked Bragg's actions.
The Emerald is looking for new writers and video or photojournalists to help cover a number of specific focus areas of importance to us. Please email interim Managing Editor Vee Hua at Editor@SeattleEmerald.org if you have an interest in writing on any of these topics:
Pitches can pertain to news stories, opinion pieces, arts and culture, video features, and more. Please send along an introductory letter, your resume, and three related samples of your work.
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