Criminal Indictment of Donald Trump Released, 34 Business Fraud Felonies

The criminal indictment against former President Donald Trump has been released.

Details: A New York grand jury charged Trump with 34 counts of business fraud, accusing him of “falsifying business records in the first degree.” On each charge, the description states that Trump made a “false entry in the business records of an enterprise” with the intent to “defraud and intent to commit another crime and aid and conceal the commission thereof.” Eleven of the charges mention Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, stating the false entry in the business records was “an invoice from Michael Cohen.” In 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to eight charges and testified that Trump directed him to break campaign finance laws by arranging hush money payments to two women claiming they had affairs with Trump. A statement from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said, “The People of the State of New York allege that Donald J. Trump repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal crimes that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election.”

Trump’s Response: Trump pleaded not guilty to all 34 charges and denied the affairs. In recent days, Trump accused Democrats of weaponizing the justice system against him, believing the charges to be political persecution.

How The Media Covered It: The indictment is the top story in outlets across the spectrum, with most noting the historical significance of the event. The Washington Examiner noted that the charges are all class E felonies, “the lowest level felony under New York state legal code.”