China News Network, April 4 (Reporter He Luman Gantian) "The only crime I committed was to fearlessly defend our country and not let those who tried to destroy it destroy it. On the evening of the 5th local time, after being arraigned at the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York, former US President Trump returned to Mar-a-Lago in Florida and delivered a speech.

He undoubtedly made history by becoming the first former president to face criminal charges and plunging the United States into uncharted legal waters.

Wang Zhidong, a senior lawyer in Chicago, pointed out in an interview with Chinanews.com that this has had an indelible impact on US politics and criminal justice. Trump's indictment has further divided American society.

On April 4, local time, in the Manhattan courthouse in New York, former US President Trump and his legal team sat in the dock.

Trump spoke at Mar-a-Lago Estate

Supporters chant "America"

In remarks at Mar-a-Lago, Trump said he "never thought that such a thing would happen in the United States."

"The only crime I committed was to fearlessly defend our country and not let those who tried to destroy it spoil it." Trump said.

As the former president walked into the microphone, his supporters chanted "America."

Image source: Screenshot of CNN report

Trump also mentioned the 2020 presidential election and current President Joe Biden, claiming that "our country is heading to hell."

Earlier, speaking to supporters after being summoned in New York, Trump criticized the allegations against him. Trump said he was "going through a fake investigation" and that "it turned out to be a hoax."

"As you know, we are conducting a fake investigation. That's it...... We're winning – actually, we're doing well today because it turned out to be a hoax. Trump said.

Faces 34 charges

Maximum sentence or up to 136 years?

On the 4th local time, Trump went to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and was arrested by the police before appearing in court. In the afternoon, Trump heard the charges against him in Manhattan criminal court.

In court, Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records and paying "hush money" to two women near the end of the 2016 presidential campaign.

According to CNN, Trump answered "yes" to multiple questions posed by the judge. When asked by the court if he understood the judge's request, Trump replied "I do."

The New York Post said that Trump's felony charges mean that the maximum sentence he faces may reach 136 years.

In this regard, senior Chicago lawyer Wang Zhidong pointed out that this is only a theoretical calculation, but in fact, even if Trump is convicted, he will serve about one year in prison, not more than two years.

On April 4, local time, former US President Trump arrived at the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York to be arraigned on the "hush money" case. Photo by China News Agency reporter Liao Pan

Shortly before the court arraignment, Trump turned in and registered himself, fingerprinted like any criminal defendant. However, in respect of his former presidential status, he was not handcuffed.

Wang Zhidong pointed out that once Trump leaves biometrics as a criminal suspect, the relevant information will be recorded forever in the FBI's file system.

When Trump appeared in court, court judges allegedly read out the charges against him one after another. Wang Zhidong said: "For many criminal suspects, this will be a great psychological shock. ”

After the trial, Trump's lawyer, Todd Blanche, said outside the courtroom that his client was "frustrated" and "upset." Blanche accused prosecutors in the case of turning a "political issue" into a "political prosecution."

Regarding the accusations against Trump, Blanche said: "We have to fight, fight hard. ”

Political framing or acting according to law

Why did the investigation take 5 years?

This case, which has affected the entire United States, dates back to 2016.

That year, Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen paid $13,2018 in "hush money" to American adult film actor Stormie Daniels to stop him from openly having an affair with Trump during the election. In 3, Cohen said he paid Daniels at Trump's behest, and he was subsequently sentenced to <> years in prison for tax fraud and paying "hush money."

Infographic: Stormy Daniels.

But it was not until March 2023, 3, that the Manhattan grand jury voted to indict Trump for the "hush money" case. Why did the investigation of this case last for nearly 30 years? Why did the grand jury decide to file a lawsuit at this time?

Wang Zhidong pointed out that in the United States, because some cases may involve joint investigations by local law enforcement agencies, it is common for criminal investigations to take several years. In addition, Trump's case is particularly special, according to the practice of the US Department of Justice, when Trump is still in the presidency, he cannot be prosecuted. "It is almost 'unthinkable' to sue Trump before he loses the 2020 election." Wang Zhidong said.

On the timing of the lawsuit, Wang Zhidong said that in the eyes of Trump's supporters, the relevant allegations are actually "political frame-ups" against Trump, aiming to serve the political purpose of influencing the 2024 election. The far right wing of the Republican Party has vigorously promoted this conspiracy theory, saying that prosecutors colluded with Democrats to intend to prosecute at this time.

But from the prosecutor's point of view, law enforcement is law enforcement and has nothing to do with political motives. After a lengthy investigation, a grand jury vote, and repeated inquiries, the prosecution decided to prosecute at this time, believing that it now had enough evidence and that no one was above the law.

unprecedented

Three outcomes will Trump face?

"Regardless of the outcome of the arraignment, it is an established fact that Trump became the first former president in US history to face criminal charges, which will have an indelible impact on American politics and criminal justice." Wang Zhidong said.

Politically speaking, the objective effect of Trump's prosecution is to further divide American society.

Wang Zhidong believes that Trump has a large number of supporters, and this group has now been "agitated", believing that prosecutors deliberately use the sesame trivial matter as a cover to engage in political actions. Even if Trump is convicted in the future, this part of the population will not think that he really committed a crime.

For some of the more traditional, neutral Republicans, they will feel that Trump has disgraced the Republican Party and further separated from Trump. In order to maintain the separation of politics and justice, many Democrats have expressed almost no opinion and have shown a posture of "complete avoidance".

On November 2022, 11, local time, former US President Trump delivered a speech at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, officially announcing that he will participate in the 15 US presidential election.

Wang Zhidong pointed out that at the level of criminal justice, no current or former president has ever been criminally prosecuted in the history of the United States, and Trump's case is indeed unprecedented.

Now, Trump has completed the steps of being subpoenaed and returned to Mar-a-Lago Estate. Wang Zhidong analyzed that after being arraigned, Trump may face three situations:

First, Trump's lawyers will defend themselves based on the evidence provided by the prosecution, and even present more evidence and motions to prove that the prosecution has insufficient evidence and request that the case be withdrawn.

Second, the prosecution and the defence reached an agreement. That is, the suspect confesses one of several charges, or the lesser one, and closes the case in this way. From a criminal justice point of view, this situation is mostly the case, but Wang Zhidong pointed out that it is more special for Trump's case, and he has always said that he will not plead guilty.

Third, if the motion submitted by the defence to the court to withdraw is not granted, or if the prosecution and defence fail to reach an agreement before trial, then only litigation can be entered. At that point, it will be up to the jury to decide whether the suspect will be convicted.

In the United States, the bar for a criminal offender to be convicted is high. Only when no one has any reasonable doubt about their crime will the person be convicted. When convicting, a full consensus of 12 members of the jury is required. In the United States, it is not easy for any criminal offender to be convicted.

"How long will it take for the case to evolve? Will the prosecution and defense make a transaction? Can the final trial convict Trump? These are all issues that deserve attention, and they are what we are looking at. Wang Zhidong said. (Intern Wang Xinran also contributed to this article) (end)