Trump Indicted by Manhattan DA on 34 Felony Counts - First Criminal Indictment of President in U.S. History

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced a historic grand jury indictment of former President Donald Trump on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. The charges related to a scheme to suppress damaging information about Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign, specifically payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels through Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen.

The Charges

Trump faced 34 felony counts under New York Penal Law §175.10, each count representing a separate falsified business record created to conceal the nature and purpose of payments to Cohen. The payments, totaling $420,000, reimbursed Cohen for the $130,000 hush money payment to Daniels and included additional amounts to cover taxes and a bonus. These payments were falsely recorded as “legal expenses” when they were actually reimbursements for the hush money scheme.

Background of the Scheme

In October 2016, weeks before the presidential election, Cohen paid Daniels $130,000 to buy her silence about a 2006 sexual encounter with Trump. The payment was designed to prevent damaging information from reaching voters during the final stretch of the campaign. After Trump won the presidency, Cohen was reimbursed through monthly payments of $35,000 that were disguised as payments for legal services rendered under a retainer agreement - an agreement that prosecutors allege never actually existed.

Historic Significance

The indictment marked an unprecedented moment in American history: the first time a former or sitting U.S. president faced criminal charges. The grand jury, after hearing testimony from multiple witnesses including Cohen, voted to indict Trump on all counts. Each charge carried a maximum sentence of four years in prison, though legal experts noted that as a first-time offender, Trump would be unlikely to face incarceration if convicted.

Trump’s Response

Trump immediately denounced the indictment as “political persecution” and a “witch hunt,” claiming the charges were politically motivated. He characterized District Attorney Bragg, a Democrat, as “doing the bidding” of his political opponents. Trump’s legal team vowed to fight the charges vigorously and predicted he would be exonerated.

Political Context

The indictment came as Trump was campaigning for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination and leading in early polls. The charges did not legally bar him from running for or serving as president if elected. The case represented the first of four separate criminal indictments Trump would face in 2023, but it was the first to reach the prosecution stage, making it a historic moment in American jurisprudence and the ongoing accountability efforts surrounding Trump’s conduct.

The Manhattan DA’s office emphasized that the case was not about politics but about enforcing the law equally, regardless of the defendant’s status or position. The indictment set the stage for Trump’s arraignment, scheduled for April 4, 2023, when he would become the first president in history to be criminally processed and appear in court as a defendant.