It happened.
On Thursday, March 30th, a grand jury in Manhattan voted to indict former President Donald Trump. Yes, you heard that right.
The charges stem from an alleged “hush-money” payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Prosecutors have been investigating whether President Trump falsified business records related to this payment, which is a serious offense that can result in up to four years in state prison.
Now, this is historic. President Trump is the first former president in American history to face criminal charges. It’s a somber moment for our nation..
Here’s how it happened.
2006
Trump meets Stormy Daniels at a celebrity golf tournament.
Allegedly, Trump promised to help Daniels get on his hit NBC show, “The Apprentice,” so he invited her to his hotel room for sex.
Despite the time that passed, Trump and Daniels continued their communication. In 2011, Daniels gave an “explosive full interview” to InTouch magazine, spilling all the juicy details of their affair. She described their conversations and future plans, including more interactions between them.
2016
In 2016, Trump clinched the Republican nomination for president.
Just days before the general election, his lawyer, Michael Cohen, sent $130,000 to Stormy Daniels’ lawyers in exchange for her vow to keep mum about the purported 2006 fling with Trump.
Federal prosecutors alleged that Trump may have directed the “falsification” of documents concerning that payment, which was deemed an illegal and unreported donation to the Trump campaign. In connection with the non-disclosure agreement, Daniels and Trump allegedly used fake names.
Cohen was repaid by Trump and the Trump Organization through “legal fees,” prosecutors claim.
Trump won the presidency on November 8, 2016, and was sworn in on January 20, 2017. In January 2018, the Wall Street Journal reported on the payment.
Trump denied the affair and was sued by Daniels. She accused Cohen of using bullying tactics to make her sign a prior statement denying the affair.
2019
Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer, pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations and lying to Congress about the timing of a failed plan to build a Trump Tower in Moscow.
Cohen said that Trump, as president, reimbursed him for the hush-money payment made to Stormy Daniels. Prosecutors referred to Trump as “Individual-1.”
As Trump lost the 2020 presidential election, the Manhattan district attorney’s office began intensifying their investigation into a possible case against him. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and referred to the investigations as “witch hunts.”
2023
In January of this year, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg formed a grand jury to weigh whether to indict Trump.
Since then, a number of witnesses have met with prosecutors, including former Trump advisors Hope Hicks and Kellyanne Conway. Prosecutors have also met with Daniels herself, and Trump’s former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, the prosecution’s key witness, has visited the DA’s office and the grand jury multiple times.
Cohen has been an important witness for the prosecution and stated that his “goal is to tell the truth.” Trump was asked to testify before the grand jury but declined the invitation.
TRUMP MOBILIZES HIS SUPPORTERS
In the lead-up to the grand jury’s final witnesses scheduled to testify on March 20, former President Trump announced that he would voluntarily surrender to authorities if he were to be indicted.
Despite the looming possibility of an indictment, Trump continued to rally his supporters, denouncing the allegations as a “fairy tale” propagated by a “corrupt & highly political” Manhattan district attorney’s office.
Trump called for his supporters to take action, urging them to “protest” and “take our nation back!” in response to what he saw as illegal leaks from the prosecution. Although the date that Trump cited for his potential arrest has come and gone, the focus remains on the Manhattan district attorney’s office and the possibility of charges being brought against the former president.
TRUMP INDICTED
After weeks of speculation, the Manhattan grand jury has finally voted to indict former President Donald Trump on Thursday, March 30, despite the fact that angry Trump supporters flooded prosecutors with threats and racial slurs.
Sources close to the case had previously suggested that the jurors might delay the indictment until mid-April, but that was not the case. Instead, the indictment came swiftly and decisively, sending shockwaves through the nation.
Of course, Trump denied any wrongdoing and immediately attacked the investigation, claiming that the indictment was nothing more than a politically motivated attempt to “Get Trump.” In a statement, he accused Democrats of lying, cheating, and stealing in their quest to take down a completely innocent man.
“This is an act of blatant Election Interference,” Trump fumed. “Never before in our Nation’s history has anything like this been done. But I will fight this with everything I’ve got. I am the innocent victim of a rigged and corrupt system, and I will not rest until justice is served.”