Donald Trump Indictment: A grand Manhattan jury has indicted former United States President Donald Trump for paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels making him the first ex-US president to be charged with a crime, reported Reuters. The next course of action will be his surrender or arrest if he does not voluntarily puts himself in.
The Hush Money Case
Adult film star Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, said that she received money in exchange for keeping silent about a sexual encounter she had with Donald Trump in 2006.
Daniels alleged that she had consensual sex with Trump, months after Melania Trump gave birth to the couple's son, Barron, reported USA Today. However, the former Republican President has denied the affair.
Then, in October 2016, Trump’s then-attorney Michael Cohen made a wire transfer of $130,000 to Daniels' attorney after she said she was willing to go on record about the alleged affair with Trump.
As per a Reuters report, Cohen has said he coordinated with Trump on the payments to Daniels and to a second woman, former Playboy model Karen McDougal who also said she had a sexual relationship with him. Notably, Trump denied having affairs with either woman.
Trump, however, later in 2018 acknowledged reimbursing Cohen for the payment, which he called a "simple private transaction," mentioned Reuters.
Cohen pleaded guilty to a campaign-finance violation in 2018 and served over a year in prison. Federal prosecutors said he acted at Trump's direction, the report added.
What Happens After Indictment?
Trump has been indicted but the exact charges will be known later. Once confirmed, he could be arrested, However, the Washington Post reported, the prosecutors are most likely to reach out to Trump’s lawyers for his surrender.
He had posted on social media on March 18 that he would be arrested.
As per the report, a spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney on Thursday said that the office had contacted Trump’s attorney to coordinate his surrender for arraignment ‘on an indictment’.
The report cited a Trump adviser as saying that the former president is expected to surrender on Tuesday, April 4.
If Trump refuses to surrender, prosecutors would need to go to officials in Florida, where Trump resides, and ask for permission to extradite him to New York.
What Happens If Trump Gets Arrested?
Once arrested, police or other law enforcement officials process the indicted behind closed doors, taking mug shots and fingerprints.
It will be followed by an arraignment hearing in a Manhattan courtroom. At the arraignment, a judge would determine:
- whether Trump would need to pay bail or adhere to certain restrictions pending a trial
- whether he could be released with no bail or restrictions, which is known as being released on personal recognizance, the Washington Post said in its report.
Can Trump Still Run For President In 2024?
As the indictment is for a former US President, it will also be the first time for a candidate to run for Presidentship while charged with a crime.
Trump will be able to contest and if elected, govern from prison as the US President, TIME said citing legal experts.
“There is no constitutional bar on a felon running for office,” says Richard Hasen, an election law professor at UCLA Law School, as quoted by TIME.
He added, “And given that the U.S. Constitution sets presidential qualifications, it is not clear that states could add to them, such as by barring felons from running for office.”