A New York grand jury has indicted former President Donald Trump for his role in covering up hush money paid to a porn star, Stormy Daniels.
The Manhattan District Court unsealed 34 felony counts against Ex-president Trump.
The 13-page document, solidifying Trump’s status as the first US president to face criminal charges in history, includes the most recent information in a hush-money investigation conducted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Here are three key takeaways from Trump’s historic indictment:
Holding Powerful Politicians Accountable
Trump’s prosecution indicates that “no one is above the law.” Moreover, the rich and powerful must be accountable to preserve law and order in the country.
“No one is above the law, and everyone has the right to a trial to prove innocence. Hopefully, the former PresidentPresident will peacefully respect the system, which grants him that right,” said former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in a tweet.
On the other hand, the Democrats are calling for the powerful to be held accountable, while the Republicans criticise the abuse of the legal system.
On the other hand, many echoed Trump’s claims that the prosecution was intended to derail the Republican leader’s bid for reelection in 2024.
Charges Go Beyond Hush Money Payment to Stormy Daniels
Former President Trump was charged with payments made to a porn star, Stormy Daniels, shortly before the 2016 presidential election, which made him the first US ex-president to be charged with the crime.
The payment was made for the porn star to buy her silence amid the 2016 presidential election in which Trump was one of the candidates.
However, the charges went beyond the Stormy Daniels payment and revealed 34 felony charges of falsifying business records.
Nevertheless, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office released much more extensive allegations against the former President, charging him with “repeated and fraudulently” fabricating records to hide “damaging information from the voting public”.
Among the purportedly repressed stories were his romance with former Playboy model Karen McDougal and a doorman who claimed to be aware of a child fathered outside of marriage, Aljazeera reported.
No repeat of the January 6 insurrection
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the Manhattan Criminal Court to support the prosecution of Trump.
Supporters and foes of the ex-president faced off in front of the Court but soon ended peacefully, despite continuing worries about political violence in the wake of the 2021 Capitol attack.
On January 6, 2021, following the defeat of Donald Trump, his supporters attacked the US Capitol building in Washington, seeking to keep Trump in power by preventing a joint session of Congress from counting the electoral college votes.
Trump was charged with inciting his fans before the incident. He also used social media to ask his supporters to speak out to support him before his arraignment on Tuesday.
“The far & away leading Republican candidate and former president of the United States of America will be arrested,” he wrote in all caps on Truth Social on March 18. “Protest, take our nation back!”
However, no significant violence was reported.
