A New York grand jury voted in favor of it Charges against ex-President Donald Trump. It is the first time in American history that a former president has been criminally indicted.
The charges were not made public, but a grand jury is investigating hush money payments made to two women who claimed to have had sex with Trump before he was in the White House.
Trump’s lawyers confirmed the move and vowed to fight it. And Trump shared a statement criticizing what he called “political persecution and electoral interference at the highest level in history.”
Here’s a look at USA TODAY’s coverage and what you need to know about the historic indictment.
Live updates: Grand jury indicts Donald Trump in New York
The Manhattan Attorney’s Office confirmed this Trump’s lawyers were notified late Thursday.
“Tonight we contacted Mr. Trump’s attorney to coordinate his surrender … for indictment on a Supreme Court indictment that remains classified,” said a spokesman for the District Attorney Alvin Bragg. “Guidance will be given in selecting the date of indictment.”
– Bart Jansen, Josh Meyer and Kevin Johnson
Live Updates: Grand jury indicts Donald Trump in New York, first criminal indictment of a former president
What is an indictment? Will Trump go to jail? what we know
A Accusation is not the same as arrest; It is a formal charge of a crime, while an arrest occurs when a person is taken into custody.
Glenn Kirschner, a former prosecutor, previously said USA TODAY that authorities often negotiate the surrender of a high-profile defendant like Trump in order to avoid the spectacle of a “criminal walk,” where the person is paraded in front of the media as they enter the courthouse or police station.
“There will be no reason to handcuff him and take him to police headquarters for booking,” Kirschner said. “As part of the booking process, a mug shot, fingerprints and a lot of paperwork are still filled out. So we’re going to see a mugshot of a former President of the United States, but I don’t think we’re going to see a perpetrator.”
– Ella Lee, Sarah Elbeshbishi, and Josh Meyer
Trump indictment: Donald Trump is the first former president to be prosecuted. what we know
How to proceed after the indictment against Trump
Trump is being treated—at least to some extent—like any other defendant in the criminal justice system.
To underscore the unprecedented nature of the case, given such lifetime protections are afforded to former presidents, Trump is expected to be escorted through the process by his Secret Service detail.
Bring Trump to the courthouse could be an entirely different matter.
Given his particular stature, Trump’s first appearance could be a relatively quiet event, with prosecutors and police going to extra lengths to protect him from the kind of “perp walk” that authorities sometimes force other defendants to perform. That means a march – often in handcuffs – past the New York media crowds. In some cases, some defendants have chosen to be detained in this way in order to testify about their arrest and the charges against them.
– Josh Meyer
A mug shot of Donald Trump? fingerprints? How to proceed after the indictment against Trump
How did Michael Cohen arrange hush payments to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal?
The charges against Trump were not disclosed, but Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg investigated hush money payments totaling $280,000 to silence two women who claimed to have had sex with Trump ahead of the 2016 election .
Legal experts have said The New York law charges could include a misdemeanor of falsifying business records, allegedly collecting attorneys’ fees for payments related to a felony, and violating campaign finance for benefiting Trump’s presidential campaign.
– Bart Jansen
Trump accused: How did Michael Cohen arrange hush payments to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal?
Former Trump Organization executive Allen Weisselberg cuts ties with lawyers
Former Trump CFO Allen Weisselberg cut ties with the defenders At the urging of the former president’s office, amid growing concerns, attorneys were willing to entertain overtures from Manhattan prosecutors seeking executive cooperation in their investigation into Donald Trump, two people familiar with the matter said Thursday.
– Kevin Johnson, Josh Meyer, David Jackson
Trump manager: Former Trump Organization executive Allen Weisselberg cuts ties with lawyers
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What does Trump impeachment mean? Important facts
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