It has become routine for him. Donald Trump appears on Monday, March 25, before a judge at the Manhattan criminal court, who must agree on a new date for his historic trial in the Stormy Daniels affair. That same day, the real estate mogul must provide guarantees of payment of fines amounting to nearly half a billion dollars.
Despite the lawsuits piling up against him, in mid-March Donald Trump obtained the number of delegates necessary to secure the nomination of the Republican Party.
Attempted ballot manipulation, assault on the Capitol, classified documents found at his home... France 24 takes stock of the main cases involving the 77-year-old former president.
The attempted manipulation of the vote in Georgia
On January 3, 2021, the Washington Post released the recording of a telephone call between Donald Trump and Brad Raffensperger, the Secretary of State of Georgia. During this call, Donald Trump asked the manager to "find" the approximately 12,000 ballots in his name that he lacks to win this key presidential state. Brad Raffensperger refusing to comply, the ex-president threatens him with legal action if he does not find the votes he needs.
The broadcast of this telephone call leads to the opening of an investigation. On August 14, 2023, Georgia justice indicted Donald Trump and 18 other people for their allegedly unlawful attempts to reverse the result of the 2020 election in that state. No trial date has yet been set.
Even if Donald Trump is elected president in November, he will not be able to pardon himself or get charges dropped for crimes committed in the state of Georgia, which has its own criminal justice system, independent of the federal system. .
The role of the ex-president in the attack on the Capitol in Washington
On January 6, 2021, a crowd of Donald Trump supporters stormed the headquarters of the US Congress. The scenes of violence and chaos shock America and the world. At least five people died during the attack and 140 police officers were injured.
More than two and a half years after the events, on July 18, 2023, Donald Trump announced that he had received a letter from special prosecutor Jack Smith informing him that he was personally targeted by a federal investigation into attempts to reverse the results of the presidential election of 2020, and in particular the assault on the Capitol.
On August 1, 2023, Donald Trump was charged with "conspiracy against the American state", obstruction of an official procedure and violation of electoral rights. According to the indictment, the Republican "was determined to remain in power despite his defeat." He is accused of making false statements about the election, inciting his supporters to go to the Capitol and helping to organize the assault. The indictment is the most serious ever brought against a former US head of state.
Initially scheduled for March 4, 2024, the federal trial in Washington was postponed, after Donald Trump invoked criminal immunity as ex-president. The Supreme Court agreed to take up the question and set the debates for April 25, before a decision expected in June, or even July, the procedure being suspended until then.
See alsoA year after the assault on the Capitol, resentment persists among Trump supporters
Negligent handling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago
On August 8, 2022, the luxurious residence of the ex-president in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, was searched by the federal police (FBI), where around thirty boxes, with documents ranging "from confidential to top secret ", are found. However, the law obliges all presidents to transmit all classified documents in their possession to the National Archives when leaving office.
On June 8, 2023, the ex-president was indicted by federal courts, accused of endangering the security of the United States. He is facing 37 charges, including "withholding information relating to national security" and "obstructing justice".
Indicted at the end of July on additional charges, he completely denies all the accusations. The trial is scheduled to begin on May 20, 2024, but will likely be postponed for several months due to possible overlaps with other criminal proceedings against the ex-president. On March 14, 2024, his lawyers requested that the charges be dropped before a Florida court, which refused.
Also read: American presidents and their found archives: malice, negligence or hypocrisy?
The Stormy Daniels affair
On January 12, 2018, the Wall Street Journal revealed that Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's lawyer, paid $130,000 to pornographic actress Stormy Daniels to buy her silence about an alleged affair with the candidate, just before the election. presidential election of 2016.
Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, claims that she had an extramarital affair with the real estate mogul ten years earlier, which the person denies.
What is the #StormyDaniels affair, for which former US President Donald #Trump is indicted?
A look back at the origins of this historic indictment, a first for a former president of the #UnitedStates 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/c35f5igEel
— FRANCE 24 Français (@France24_fr) March 31, 2023
On March 31, 2023, Donald Trump was criminally charged for his role in the affair. He admits to having reimbursed Michael Cohen. While such payments are not illegal per se, the deal with Stormy Daniels could amount to a campaign expense. However, the sum does not appear in the candidate's accounts and was, on the contrary, entered as "legal expenses" in his company's documents. The judge is scheduled to rule on March 25, 2024 on the trial date and Donald Trump's request to dismiss the indictment.
Sexual assault, tax fraud... Other convictions
In 2019, E. Jean Carroll, a former journalist, accused the former President of the United States of having raped her thirty years earlier in a book. She sued him in civil court in November, accusing him of defaming her for calling her rape accusations a "complete lie". Three years later, in November 2022, she filed a rape lawsuit against Donald Trump, an action possible thanks to a new New York State law allowing victims of sexual assault to launch a civil action, even if There is limitation period in criminal matters. On May 9, 2023, Donald Trump was found guilty of sexual assault – not rape – and was ordered to pay five million dollars in damages to the plaintiff. The victim filed a new complaint at the end of June for defamation. On January 26, 2024, he was ordered to pay $83.3 million in compensation to the author.
E. Jean Carroll leaves the Manhattan court on the last day of the trial against Donald Trump, May 8, 2023 in New York. © David Dee Delgado, Reuters
On January 13, the Trump Organization, the former president's family business, was sentenced to a "maximum" fine of $1.6 million for financial and tax fraud, notably with the aim of hiding compensation from the tax services. financial statements of certain senior executives. On March 25, 2024, Donald Trump must provide a guarantee that he will pay nearly half a billion dollars in fines to which he was sentenced in civil proceedings, along with his sons Eric and Don Jr.
*This article was updated after first publication on August 16, 2023.
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