Ex-President Donald Trump Indicted by Manhattan Grand Jury

The charges on which the former president was indicted were not immediately clear, though the grand jury has been hearing evidence relating to hush-money payments made in 2016 during his first run for president.

Former President Donald Trump has been indicted.

The felony indictment has been signed and is officially filed, a source with knowledge of the case confirmed. The document remains sealed for now.

The charges on which the former president was indicted were not immediately clear, though the grand jury has been hearing evidence relating to hush-money payments made in 2016 during his first run for president.

The historic indictment makes Trump the first former U.S. President to be charged with a crime.
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Trump remains the subject of multiple ongoing investigations, including for his alleged role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

“President Trump has been indicted. He did not commit any crime.  We will vigorously fight this political prosecution in Court,” his attorneys Joe Tacopina and Susan Necheles said in a statement.

Trump’s defense team is now likely coordinating with the Secret Service and the Manhattan DA’s Office to arrange his surrender, said Harry Sandick, a partner at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler.

“This is not the kind of case where there would be concern, I don’t think, about the defendant fleeing,” Sandick said.

Trump took to social media Thursday evening, responding to news of his indictment with a blistering statement attacking both Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and President Joe Biden.

“This is Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest levels in history,” he wrote. “The Democrats have lied, cheated and stolen on 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.”

Trump will be required to surrender to the Manhattan DA’s Office, where he will be processed like anyone else, Sandick said. That includes having his fingerprints taken and posing for a mug shot.

He will then appear before Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, enter a plea, and the schedule will be set.

Sandick said under New York’s bail laws Trump would likely be released on his own recognizance, though it was possible prosecutors could attempt to secure some sort of bail package.

“I think he would be allowed to continue to live in his home,” Sandick said. “If that’s in Florida right now I don’t think there’s any requirement that he not live there, or have to move back to New York.”

While the charges Trump faces remain unknown, Sandick said there are two issues he’s thinking about.

“I think one issue is assuming that they’ve charged it as a felony, they’ll need to prove that this was done with the intent to defraud and that this was done with the intent to commit another crime,” he said. “That may prove challenging, in a case where the false record was not used to get a bank loan, just used within the private business records of his company.”

“A second issue is that intent to defraud in furtherance of another crime,” Sandick added.

There’s a factual issue we won’t know until the trial. What is the government’s case? Who are the witnesses, how much of the case turns on the credibility of Michael Cohen? So those will be some interesting questions if the case ultimately proceeds to trial.”

While no firm date has been set, Trump’s defense team said the surrender would be sometime next week.

“This evening we contacted Mr. Trump’s attorney to coordinate his surrender to the Manhattan D.A.’s Office for arraignment on a Supreme Court indictment, which remains under seal,” a spokesperson said. “Guidance will be provided when the arraignment date is selected.”