Trump Indictment

By: Ryann Rodney

Donald Trump, the former President of the United States, was indicted in Manhattan on Thursday, marking him as the first former or current president to be charged with a crime.

The indictment, which has been years in the making, stemmed from Trump's use of campaign funds to pay off adult film star Stormy Daniels for an affair that occurred a decade earlier. Although hush money payments are not inherently illegal, Trump's use of his campaign funds for this purpose constitutes a crime. Additionally, he committed a crime by falsifying business documents to his political “fixer,” Micheal Cohen, in order to disguise the payments to Daniels. While the specific charges against the former President are not yet known, the public knows that he faces over 30 counts related to business fraud and campaign fraud. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday.

The case, known as The People of the State of New York against Donald J. Trump, has created significant political turmoil across parties. Democrats are relieved that the justice system is taking action, while Republicans and Independents do not believe that the indictment came from a place of justice or neutrality. They instead view it as a malicious attempt to prevent Trump from running in 2024 or to severely damage his chances of winning. With the nation already in a political frenzy, the indictment of the Former President only adds chaos that has built and toppled over numerous times.