Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
Updated 6:44 PM EDT, Thu March 30, 2023
A grand jury in Manhattan has voted to indict former President Donald Trump, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.
It’s the first time in American history that a current or former president will face criminal charges.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office has been investigating Trump in connection with his alleged role in a hush money payment scheme and cover-up involving adult film star Stormy Daniels that dates to the 2016 presidential election.
Trump released a statement in response to the indictment, claiming it was “Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history.”
In November, he announced that he would be running for president again. He has frequently called the various investigations surrounding him a “witch hunt,” attempting to sway public opinion on them by casting himself as a victim of what he’s claimed are political probes led by Democratic prosecutors.
Trump, who served as the nation’s 45th president from 2017-2021, has been in the spotlight for years. From developing real estate and producing and starring in TV shows, he became a celebrity long before winning the White House.
He had no political experience when he ran for president. But with a campaign that repeatedly shattered convention, he went on the win the Republican nomination and pull off a stunning upset over Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Trump only served one term, however, losing to Joe Biden in the 2020 election. He also became the first president in US history to be impeached twice. He was acquitted both times.
Source: www.cnn.com