For the third time this year, former US President Donald Trump will have to report to a Grand Jury following an indictment.
For the third time this year, former US President Donald Trump could be indicted, this time for accusations related to the January 6th, 2021 assault on the Capitol. Trump is required to report to the Grand Jury for his arrest in four days.
Official confirmation came by Trump himself on Truth, the former president’s personal social network. Special juror Jack Smith sent a letter to Trump stating he was a target for investigation. That "almost always means an Arrest and Indictment," Trump said.
Trump was given "a very short 4 days to report to the Grand Jury," something that happened already twice this year.
Trump’s first official indictment, also the first for a former president in general, came in March from the New York Grand Jury. It concerned Trump’s alleged illegal allocation of public campaign funds. According to the accusation, the money was used to pay adult star Stormy Daniels to hide her love affair with Trump.
The second, more serious indictment came right before the summer and involved Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents. Jack Smith, the same counselor who indicted Trump today, is investigating the presence of top-secret documents inside the former president’s house after he left office.
What happened on January 6th
This indictment is the most severe Trump has received so far. It involves his alleged misconduct during one of the most delicate moments in American democracy’s history.
Donald Trump was US President between 2016 and 2020. In November 2020, Trump lost the election to current president Joe Biden. However, Trump still has not recognized his electoral loss to this day, claiming the presidency was stolen from him.
On January 6th, 2021, days before Trump was supposed to leave the White House, Republican supporters stormed the Capitol Building in Washington. The Capitol is the heart of American democracy, home to the nation’s Congress.
Donald Trump is accused of supporting the assault and of having done nothing to stop it. He is further accused of electoral fraud in the state of Georgia.
This second accusation, linked to the Capitol assault investigation, stems from Trump’s call to Georgia’s governor during the election. In the recorded conversation, Trump asked the governor to "find" 11,780 Republican votes, which would have granted him victory.
Donald Trump is an official Republican nominee for the 2024 election and is the favorite in the primaries. The first trial, regarding hush money to Stormy Daniels, will start next March. Trump’s legal team is trying to push the second trial until after the 2024 election.
It is unclear whether Trump will be tried for the third investigation before November 2024. It is likewise unclear whether he will be permitted to run at all.
As of right now, Joe Biden looks like the favorite candidate to win the elections. But so was Hillary Clinton in 2016.
