Donald Trump has become the first former U.S. president to be charged in a criminal investigation.
“This is significant for the 2024 presidential race, for respect for the rule of law, the legal judicial process,” said Dr. Meena Bose, director of Hofstra University’s Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency, of the unknowns following Trump’s indictment. “We’re in kind of uncharted territory, and this is important in American politics.”
Trump has been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury, but he could still potentially be a candidate in the 2024 presidential election.
The long-running investigation began when Trump was still in office. In 2020, the Manhattan district attorney opened a criminal investigation to determine whether the Trump Organization committed financial fraud. In December, two of Trump’s organizations were found guilty of 17 charges including tax fraud.
Legal and presidential experts are concerned about the ramifications of the historic indictment, with Trump apparently facing more than 30 charges related to business fraud.
In a letter to Republicans, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is defending the office's decision to indict Trump, accusing the GOP of “unlawful political interference” that is “baseless and inflammatory.” Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis called the indictment “un-American,” saying he won’t assist in extradition.
On Friday, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Republican, sidestepped questions on what a Trump indictment means for the New York GOP. Instead, he focused his criticism on Bragg.
“We’re talking about peoples’ property rights, their property rights,” Blakeman said. “Their rights to freedom and I think Alvin Bragg is infringing on that for purely political purposes.”
Nassau Police have set up a free speech zone near Hofstra University and are planning for a small pro-Trump gathering.
During the investigation, Trump verbally attacked Bragg calling him a “racist,” an “animal,” and a “radical left prosecutor.” In a statement, Trump said, “This is political persecution and election interference at the highest level in history.”
The indictment relates to a hush money payment to pornographic actress Stormy Daniels, who tried to sell her story of an affair with Trump prior to the 2016 presidential election. On March 18, Trump called for protests in anticipation of his indictment, leading to fears of an event like the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
Trump is expected to be arraigned on Tuesday, April 4, around 2:15 p.m., to be booked, photographed, and fingerprinted. Joe Tacopina, a personal attorney who began representing Trump early this year, said the former president will turn himself in on the afternoon of April 4. The Secret Service has limited involvement in coordinating security arrangements, but they will enforce distance requirements to make sure Trump is separated from others.
“What it points to is the importance of the rule of law for all Americans — public officials and the general public,” Bose said. “We really kind of have to see what comes next, but it’s important for, I think, people to follow this closely and to maintain calm, civil discourse and respect for the rule of law.”
The charges have not yet been unsealed.
