Trump indicted: How serious are the charges against him and what’s next in the case?

As thousands of people formally accused of a crime do every day, donald trump He arrived at the Manhattan court and underwent the usual procedure for a defendant. He extended his hands to register his fingerprints and looked at the camera that photographed him to put a face on his judicial file. But his appearance was not like any other.

LOOK: Donald Trump is accused of falsifying information to hide crimes

The former president of the United States – the first to face criminal charges – was followed by aerial cameras as he left his Trump Tower residence on his way to court in New York City. Already in the place, journalists from all over the world were waiting for him ready to record the historic image of the ex-president entering to turn himself in. A show at the level of an unprecedented and extraordinary event for the country.

“It seems so surreal. Wow, they’re going to arrest me. I can’t believe this is happening in America. WIZARD!”He posted on his Truth Social network, using the acronym for “Make America Great Again,” the slogan of his 2016 election campaign.

Sitting solemnly in court, Trump heard the indictment on 34 counts of felony falsifying accounting records. Manhattan prosecutor Alvin Bragg said the former president orchestrated an illegal scheme that issued “three payments to people who claimed to have negative information” about himself. The developments occurred in the context of the 2016 campaign, which finally ended with the victory of the Republican magnate.

The former president, who is seeking his party’s nomination to return to the White House in 2024, pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Outside, the New York police were prepared for protests from Trump supporters, many of whom had echoed on social networks a speech that the tycoon repeats over and over again: that he is the victim of a witch hunt and that this and the other three ongoing investigations against him are politically motivated. Despite security precautions, there were no large demonstrations in support of the former president.

Trump appeared in Manhattan court. (Photo: AFP) (SETH WENIG /)

Very specific charges

Although the investigation was known to revolve mainly around porn actress Stormy Daniels, who prosecutors say received $130,000 for failing to disclose a sexual encounter with Trump, the surprise was in the details about payments to two other people to keep quiet. .

The 34 charges against Trump are linked to a series of checks issued to Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, to reimburse him for his role in the payments to Daniels. The lawyer paid the adult film actress through “a front company”, according to what he himself revealed after pleading guilty and serving a sentence, an amount that “exceeds the limit of contributions to federal campaigns,” Bragg said. .

According to the prosecution, Trump issued 11 checks to Cohen “for fraudulent purposes”, which were processed by his organization and “disguised as payments for legal services” provided by the lawyer but which were “fictitious”.

The other ‘silenced’ were Karen McDougal, 1988 playboy girl, who received $150,000 for her silence about an alleged sexual relationship with Trump and a former Trump Tower doorman “who claimed to have a story about a child Trump had out of wedlock. ”. He was paid $30,000.

María Puerta Riera, political scientist and doctor in Social Sciences, highlights that of all the investigations facing Trump, this is the case that represents the least risk for the former president, since the charges contemplate a maximum sentence of four years.

“The problem is that here we are talking about falsification of commercial records and this is serious. We all know that in this country there is a rigorous monitoring of income and expenses because you have to pay taxes. In addition, many experts have pointed out that this is not a case that is going to be litigated with witnesses or opinions, but that everything is recorded on paper. We are talking about very concrete facts”, he tells El Comercio.

Despite the media coverage of the day, the expert asks not to forget that an accusation against Trump has recently been formalized, which does not imply that a conviction is guaranteed. “It is not a case that is going to imply danger for the former president as it may be the case of the classified documents that were found in his fall, but, above all, the case of Georgia because there is not only a violation of the electoral law and the laws of the state, but there are recordings and that is more delicate”, he adds.

The problem of his speech

An important factor regarding the impact of the case on the campaign for the White House is the attitude that Trump takes from now on. Although the former president remained impassive in court and only broke his silence to plead not guilty, the judge warned him to refrain from inflammatory rhetoric that could cause civil unrest.

Puerta points out that at this moment the magnate’s lawyers are focusing on fixing the mess his client gets them into every time he speaks. He recalls that when they emerged from the indictment proceedings, Trump’s lawyers were outside trying to explain without much success why the former president shared an image of himself with a baseball bat and the prosecutor.

“That is going to be the problem that not only the president’s defense team is going to face, but also his campaign because that speech has very good results with his base, but in reality at this moment the jury is not going to be his base, his jury. It’s going to be a set of individuals in Manhattan who are going to decide whether or not he committed these crimes. For me, the most difficult thing will be to make him understand that this is serious, that they are talking about an institutionality here even when he rejects the charges and the accusation.“, considers.

Meanwhile, given the unprecedented nature of the case, it is expected that Trump follow your usual strategy in litigation, which is to delay proceedings as long as possible. For now, the ex-president is back in Florida, where he will continue his campaign, hoping to further strengthen his relationship with his faithful electorate.

“The former president has been taking advantage of the situation. Since Trump said he already knew he was going to be charged, we have seen a sustained fundraising campaign that, according to his team, has raised several million dollars.”, concludes Door.

Donald Trump greets his supporters upon arriving at Manhattan Federal Court to be charged. (Photo: AFP) (BRYAN R. SMITH /)

Source: Elcomercio