Trump, Indicted

The indictment of the former president is unprecedented, as well as legally and politically complicated.

It is completely unprecedented and has many consequences. For the first time in almost 250 years of Republican history, a former president of the United States will have to answer to criminal charges before a jury. Not only is this a former president, but a current presidential candidate. The controversial former U.S. President Donald Trump, who is leading in the polls to be the Republican Party presidential nominee in the 2024 elections, was indicted last Thursday by a grand jury in New York for attempting to buy the silence of an adult film actress in relation to an affair in 2006, shortly after his marriage to the former first lady, Melania Trump.*

The indictment impacted the United States political arena at full speed, given that such an accusation is unprecedented. An impenetrable halo of respectability usually surrounds former presidents of this nation. To invoke a criminal justice proceeding against a former president is a red line that has never been crossed in American political culture.

Even though the precise details of the indictment are still unclear, it is known to be linked to the $130,000 payment that Trump made to adult film actress Stormy Details to prevent her from selling her story to the tabloids. The money was delivered by Trump lawyer Michael Cohen to be later reimbursed by the president. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office will probably allege that the payment to Cohen constituted a wrongful contribution to the Trump campaign in 2016, since Daniel’s revelations would have jeopardized his presidential ambitions. It is also expected that the District Attorney’s Office will bring additional charges related to the real estate magnate’s business affairs. The former president will be arraigned in court Tuesday before Judge Juan Manuel Merchan, who is of Colombian origin.

The indictment is complicated for various reasons. First, it is complicated because as mentioned, criminal charges against a president are unprecedented. The United States is entering into uncharted territory, both legally and politically. Second, the case is complicated because the process will undoubtedly become a legal spectacle that will dominate American media outlets in the coming months. The former president will insist that this is political persecution. Finally, the matter is complicated because, according to well-known American legal experts, the case is unlikely to be straightforward for the district attorney. If the district attorney cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump committed a serious crime, an acquittal could turn against the prosecution, with political repercussions for the 2024 presidential election.

Equality before the law is the most sacred ideal of the United States democracy. No one is above the law based on this principle, which is held in the highest esteem. That is why, despite the unprecedented nature of this situation, the most important thing is that comprehensive justice is applied without political motivation. If the former president committed a serious crime, he must be punished. If the opposite is true, then he must be acquitted. A justice system that acts fairly in exceptional circumstances is a justice system that citizens can trust under ordinary conditions.

*Editor’s note: The grand jury’s indictment of Donald Trump was sealed, and the specific charges were not disclosed at the time this original article was published.