YEREVAN, MARCH 31, ARTSAKHPRESS. Donald Trump was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury on Thursday, becoming the first former US president to face criminal charges.
The details of the case against him have not yet been released.
However, sources told CNN that Trump is facing more than 30 counts related to business fraud.
A grand jury has voted to indict him after investigating a $130,000 pay-out to Stormy Daniels in an attempt to buy her silence over an alleged affair, the BBC reports.
Trump, 76, denies wrongdoing.
The office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who has been pursuing the investigation, confirmed that it had contacted Trump’s attorney to “co-ordinate his surrender” on unspecified charges.
The ex-president, who lives in Florida, is expected to fly to New York on Monday and be arraigned in court on Tuesday, two sources familiar with the matter told CBS News, the BBC’s US partner.
The charges in the indictment will be read to him at the hearing, which is set to last about 10-15 minutes.
In 2016, adult film star Stormy Daniels contacted media outlets offering to sell her account of what she said was an adulterous affair she had with Donald Trump in 2006 – the year after he married his current wife, Melania.
Trump’s team got wind of this, and his lawyer Michael Cohen paid $130,000 to Daniels to keep quiet. This is not illegal.
However, when Trump reimbursed his lawyer, the record for the payment says it was for legal fees. Prosecutors say this amounts to Trump falsifying business records, which is a misdemeanor – a criminal offence – in New York.
Prosecutors could also potentially allege that this breaks election law, because his attempt to hide his payments to Daniels were motivated by not wanting voters to know he had an affair with her.
Covering up a crime by falsifying records would be a felony, which is a more serious charge.
Meanwhile, top congressional Republicans are rallying behind Trump.
But Democrats welcomed the indictment, arguing it showed no-one was above the law.
In an appearance on Fox News with Sean Hannity, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham called the indictment of former President Donald Trump “legal voodoo,” and “bulls**t.”
“This is literally legal voodoo, this is political persecution, this is a combination of political hatred and selective prosecution on steroids,” Graham said.
Police are outside the front gate of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence a few hours after he was indicted.
Meanwhile, on the nearby bridge, a few dozen people are showing support for the former president, waving Trump and MAGA flags.
Former Vice President Mike Pence called the grand jury indictment of Donald Trump an “outrage.”
In a statement, Trump lashed out at the Manhattan district attorney. He called the prosecutor a “disgrace”, and accused him of “doing Joe Biden’s dirty work”.
“The Democrats have lied, cheated and stolen in their obsession with trying to ‘Get Trump,’ but now they’ve done the unthinkable – indicting a completely innocent person in an act of blatant Election Interference,” he said.
Trump has repeatedly slammed the investigation in his hometown of New York as a political “witch hunt” led by his opponents.
The criminal case could shape the 2024 presidential race. Trump is currently the front-runner among all declared and potential contenders for the Republican White House nomination.
But there is nothing in US law that prevents a candidate who is found guilty of a crime from campaigning for, and serving as, president – even from prison.
