Donald Trump Indictment: Former US president Donald Trump is once again making headlines as he has managed to shake up the history of American politics. Trump has become the first ex-US president to be indicted over hush payments to adult film actress Stephanie Clifford, who is also known as Stormy Daniels. In latest updates, it has come to light that Trump is expected to turn himself in on Tuesday, April 4.
A Manhattan grand jury in New York has indicted Trump on criminal charges, as per various media reports. The specific charges are not known as they are sealed. However, the investigation mostly centered around the payments he made to Clifford during his 2016 presidential campaign with the purpose of allegedly silencing her claims of an extramarital sexual encounter.
Trump has been repeatedly denying all charges and any wrongdoing and has also claimed the investigation to be politically motivated.
What is an Indictment?
If a person is getting indicted, it means that he/she has been charged with one or more claims. The indictment is not made public until the charging document is filed in court. According to an AP report, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office has said that Trump’s lawyer was contacted to coordinate his surrender and arraignment.
What will happen next once Trump is in custody?
Trump has earlier said that in case he is indicted, he would follow “normal procedure”. So it is expected that he might surrender next week. Once he surrenders, the authorities will reportedly first take his fingerprints and mugshot as part of protocol. He could also be detained for hours until all procedural work is completed.
In case of high profile cases, the police are usually on high alert as there are chances of protests. And considering the history of Trump supporters, unrest could follow soon enough. US media reports say that the defence lawyers believe that it is unlikely for Trump to be paraded into the courtroom with handcuffs.
New York state law says that if any business record is falsified, then the act is considered to be a “low-level felony” which could lead Trump into prison for at least four years.