Donald Trump was indicted in New York on Thursday.
The stunning, if expected, move by the Manhattan grand jury marks the first time that someone who held the office of U.S. president has been charged criminally.
“The exact charge or charges against Trump is unknown because indictments are typically filed in court under seal after a grand jury’s vote in New York,” according to NBC News.
The Republican also faces potential charges in Georgia and federally; with the latter, DOJ special counsel Jack Smith is overseeing Trump-related probes into Jan. 6 and classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida.
The New York state indictment follows former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen’s multiday testimony before the grand jury. Cohen pleaded guilty in the Southern District of New York in 2018, to federal charges of criminal tax evasion and campaign finance violations for his role in facilitating a $130,000 payment ahead of the 2016 presidential election to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. The payment was meant to keep her quiet about an extramarital affair she alleges to have had with Trump in 2006, Cohen and Daniels have said.
Trump has denied wrongdoing and has denied having an affair with Daniels. Though Cohen directly implicated Trump in the federal case, Trump was never charged there, effectively leaving state prosecutors as the ones to bring that case against the former president.
Trump declined Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s invitation to testify before the grand jury.
