Jury indicts Donald Trump, ex-US president could turn himself in

The events underlying Donald Trump's indictment in New York - hush money payments to a porn star who claimed to have had a sexual encounter with him - took place nearly seven years ago.

But any potential trial is still at minimum more than a year away, legal experts said, raising the possibility that the former US president could face a jury in a Manhattan courtroom during or even after the 2024 presidential campaign, as he seeks a return to the White House.

A grand jury has voted to indict Trump, after months of hearing evidence about a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels in the waning days of the 2016 election campaign. The money was intended to buy her silence about the encounter she says they had years before.

The charges were not clear, though legal analysts have said it is likely Trump will be prosecuted for falsifying business records on charges of hiding the true nature of the payments.

While the White House did not comment, Democrats said Trump was not immune from the rule of law.

"I encourage both Mr. Trump’s critics and supporters to let the process proceed peacefully and according to the law," said the top Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer.

Even potential presidential rivals voiced support for Trump. "This will only serve to divide our country," Trump's former vice president Mike Pence said on CNN.

Senior Republicans in Congress rallied behind former President Donald Trump after he was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury investigating hush money payments to a porn star, calling the charges a weaponization of the justice system by Democrats.

Republicans' ferocious response to the indictment on Thursday reflected the grip Trump still holds on the party and many of its voters as he seeks a return to the White House in the 2024 election.

Kevin McCarthy, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, said the indictment "weaponized our sacred system of justice" against Trump.

Elise Stefanik, another member of the Republican House leadership, called the indictment a "political witch hunt and a dark day for America."

Rick Scott, a US senator from Florida, called the indictment a "political vendetta against President Trump," while fellow Republican Senator Ted Cruz from Texas called it "a catastrophic escalation in the weaponization of the justice system."

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Trump's closest rival for the nomination, has not yet officially declared his 2024 run. He is making a lack of personal controversy a plank of his nascent campaign. Opinion polls suggest many Republican voters are seeking an alternative to Trump.

DeSantis on Thursday did not mention details of the case but joined Republican condemnation of the indictment, calling it on Twitter "un-American" and "the weaponization of the legal system to advance a political agenda."

The weaponization of the legal system to advance a political agenda turns the rule of law on its head.

It is un-American.

The Soros-backed Manhattan District Attorney has consistently bent the law to downgrade felonies and to excuse criminal misconduct. Yet, now he is…

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) March 30, 2023

Trump is the front-runner in the 2024 Republican field, with the support of 44% of Republicans in a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Monday, ahead of DeSantis' 30% support.

But the indictment also poses perils for Trump as he seeks re-election.

Donald Trump has been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury after a probe into hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels, becoming the first former US president to face criminal charges even as he makes another run for the White House.

The charges from an investigation led by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg come as Trump seeks the Republican nomination to run again in 2024.

The specific charges are not yet known, as the indictment remains under seal. CNN reported Trump faces more than 30 counts related to business fraud.

Trump said he was "completely innocent" and indicated he would not drop out of the race. He accused Bragg, a Democrat, of trying to hurt his chances of winning re-election.

"This is Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history," he said in a statement.

FORMER US president Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally with supporters, in Davenport, Iowa, last week. (credit: JONATHAN ERNST/REUTERS)

Former US President Donald Trump faces more than 30 counts related to business fraud in an indictment by a Manhattan grand jury investigating hush money payments to a porn star, CNN reported on Thursday, citing sources and without providing further details.

The Manhattan district attorney's office has contacted Donald Trump's lawyers to arrange his surrender following his indictment on criminal charges, a spokesperson said on Thursday.