China News Network, March 3 (Wang Xinran, Chen Caixia) Trump will create American history again!
On March 3, local time, the Manhattan Grand Jury voted to indict former US President Trump for the "hush money" case. That would make Trump the first former president in U.S. history to face criminal charges.
The indictment could be released in the coming days, and prosecutors will ask Trump to appear in court. Trump's lawyer, Joe Tachopina, said Trump is expected to turn himself in to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office early next week. Another lawyer, Susan Necheles, revealed that Trump will appear in court in New York next Tuesday (April 4, local time) for arraignment.
Infographic: Former US President Trump.
What will happen next?
"Democrats are obsessed with Trump, they lie, they cheat, they steal, but what they're doing now is the unthinkable, prosecuting a completely innocent person!"
Trump responded angrily to the prosecution decision, calling it the highest level of "witch hunt and election interference" in history.
So, what's next?
1. Manhattan District Attorney Prague will announce specific charges in the coming days.
2. If Trump "turns himself in," he will be photographed and fingerprinted in court.
3. There will be challenges in convicting Trump or sending him to jail:
On the one hand, Trump's former personal lawyer, Cohen, is the prosecution's primary witness, and Trump's lawyers can attack his credibility through Cohen's criminal record.
On the other hand, there is no precedent for a lawsuit against a former president, and it will be difficult for prosecutors to combine two charges of falsifying business records and violating state election laws, and the court may dismiss or limit the charges.
The case caused by the peach news
Trump has become the "male protagonist" of this big drama in the United States, and it starts with a peachy news.
Before voting in the 2016 presidential election, Trump's lawyer, Michael Cohen, paid adult film actor Stormie Daniels $13,10 in hush money to ask Daniels not to play up an affair with Trump <> years ago during the election — even though Trump had previously denied the scandal.
In 2018, U.S. federal prosecutors charged Cohen with paying Daniels for allegedly committing "campaign treasury crimes." Cohen said that he paid "hush money" under Trump's instructions, and then he was sentenced to 3 years in prison and disbarred from his lawyer on various charges such as tax fraud, bank fraud, and paying "hush money".
In January 2023, after nearly five years of investigation into Trump, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office assembled a grand jury to hear evidence about the case.
Trump supporters protest in front of a New York City criminal court on March 2023, 3.
In March, Cohen testified before a grand jury that Trump instructed him to pay hush money in order to "influence the 3 presidential election."
Earlier, Trump's lawyers said the former president would follow normal procedures — typically, defendants either turn themselves in or be arrested. If they face more serious felony charges, they will also be handcuffed, then photographed and fingerprinted.
Trump's lawyer said in an interview with CNBC that Trump would turn himself in if charged, or prosecutors would extradite him from his current state of Florida to New York. Ironically, it will be the governor of Florida, Trump's biggest rival, DeSantis, who will approve the extradition at that time.
A preview with other intentions
In fact, this news about Trump is not the latest big news.
On March 3, Trump announced on his self-created social media: "Republican candidate, former president of the United States, will be arrested next Tuesday (March 18, local time)." ”
Notably, at the time of Trump's posting, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office had not communicated with Trump and his legal team about the arrest, and the grand jury had not publicly announced any time frame regarding the case. Trump is so anxious about "spoilers", perhaps with other intentions.
Trump has many supporters, and the Associated Press notes that his move may be intended to provoke the anger of supporters. For now, the Trump campaign has sent out fundraising requests to its supporters.
Trump has called on his followers on social media to protest, raising fears of political violence. This is reminiscent of the Capitol riot — on January 2021, 1, Trump's repeated appeals, his supporters stormed the Capitol to "smash, loot, and burn."
Infographic: On January 2021, 1, the US Capitol was set on fire.
Now, however, his supporters have reacted lukewarmly to Trump's renewed appeal, with even some of his most ardent supporters saying Trump's idea is a "waste of time."
The Capitol Hill riot two years ago led to the arrest of about 1000,<> people, many of whom bore high legal fees and expressed regret and remorse for their actions in court. This may have discouraged the idea of some people starting a massive riot again.
One Trump supporter said: "We have had enough to continue to fight the government, after all, there are no billionaires to pay the bills for us." ”
Still, some supporters posted inflammatory remarks in chat groups or social media platforms calling for armed protests and blocking possible arrests.
Infographic: U.S. House of Representatives Speaker McCarthy.
After the indictment was announced, Republican House Speaker McCarthy tweeted criticism of Prague, the prosecutor in the case, saying that his attempt to interfere in the presidential election "has caused irreparable damage to our country... He weaponized our sacred justice system against President Donald Trump. The American people will not tolerate such injustice, and the House will hold Alvin Bragg and his unprecedented abuse of power accountable. ”
Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said the Manhattan Grand Jury's indictment of former President Trump was "outrageous." Pence said the indictment is nothing more than a political lawsuit for millions of Americans. He noted that accusing the former president was "an injury to the country" and would only further divide the population.
The dilemma of disrupting the electoral landscape
CNN pointed out that the farce about Trump has once again pulled Republicans back to the "familiar dilemma" - for years, they have often been forced to pay for Trump's "controversy".
The "hush money case" is one of several that Trump is investigating. In addition, he faces investigations into the Mar-a-Lago confidential documents case, the Georgia election violation case and the "Capitol Hill riot." But in each case, Trump has denied any wrongdoing of his own.
The New York Times said that investigations into Trump tend to make him more popular among supporters, and Trump's prosecution may have a similar effect.
Twitter CEO Elon Musk previously believed that if Trump was sued, he would instead win "by a landslide."
Republican strategist Adolf Franco said Trump's indictment would help his electoral prospects in the primaries because other candidates would have to defend him.
Infographic: Former US President Trump.
Despite the allegations, Trump has pledged to continue his campaign for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential election. The prosecution of the candidate with the highest support in the Republican Party now marks that the 2024 US election will be more difficult to predict.
CNN pointed out that the prosecution of a former president is unprecedented in the United States, and the United States will face serious challenges:
First, the historical tradition of peaceful transfer of power in the United States may be broken. Trump, who has rooted his campaign in narratives of witch hunting, has promised "retaliation" against his opponents if re-elected.
Second, the U.S. justice system will face dangerous and unknown moments. For now, Trump is already seeking to describe possible charges against him by the Justice Department as "politically motivated weaponization of justice."
Third, the political divisions that result from putting a former president on trial may not be in the broader national interest of the United States and will lead to further divisions in society.
Fourth, in the face of Trump's repeated active counterattacks, other politicians and media are facing increasing pressure.
Trump's lawyer, Alina Haba, called Trump's indictment "a corruption of the U.S. justice system." She has previously said it could cause chaos if Trump is indicted.
"Our country is in a precarious period." She said. (End)