{"id":5120,"date":"2023-03-22T14:45:12","date_gmt":"2023-03-22T14:45:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=5120"},"modified":"2023-03-23T18:36:31","modified_gmt":"2023-03-23T18:36:31","slug":"potential-trump-indictment-ends-decades-of-legal-scrutiny","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/politics\/potential-trump-indictment-ends-decades-of-legal-scrutiny\/2023\/03\/22\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"Potential Trump indictment ends decades of legal scrutiny"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEW<\/span> YORK<\/span> (AP)<\/span> —<\/span> For<\/span> 40<\/span> years,<\/span> former<\/span> President<\/span> Donald<\/span> Trump<\/span> has<\/span> conducted<\/span> countless<\/span> legal<\/span> investigations<\/span> without<\/span> being<\/span> indicted.<\/span> This<\/span> record<\/span> could<\/span> soon<\/span> come<\/span> to<\/span> an<\/span> end.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Trump<\/span> could<\/span> be<\/span> indicted<\/span> by<\/span> a<\/span> Manhattan<\/span> grand<\/span> jury<\/span> later<\/span> this<\/span> week,<\/span> and<\/span> he<\/span> could<\/span> be<\/span> charged<\/span> with<\/span> falsifying<\/span> business<\/span> records<\/span> related<\/span> to<\/span> hush-money<\/span> payments<\/span> he<\/span> made<\/span> to<\/span> women<\/span> during<\/span> the<\/span> 2016<\/span> campaign.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>This<\/span> is<\/span> his<\/span> one<\/span> of<\/span> several<\/span> scrutiny<\/span> Trump<\/span> has<\/span> stepped<\/span> up<\/span> as<\/span> he<\/span> runs<\/span> for<\/span> president<\/span> for<\/span> the<\/span> third<\/span> time.<\/span> He<\/span> denies<\/span> all<\/span> allegations<\/span> of<\/span> wrongdoing<\/span> and<\/span> accuses<\/span> prosecutors<\/span> of<\/span> engaging<\/span> in<\/span> a<\/span> politically<\/span> motivated<\/span> “witch<\/span> hunt”<\/span> to<\/span> harm<\/span> his<\/span> campaign.<\/span> An<\/span> indictment<\/span> in<\/span> New<\/span> York<\/span> would<\/span> mark<\/span> an<\/span> astounding<\/span> change<\/span> in<\/span> American<\/span> history,<\/span> making<\/span> Trump<\/span> the<\/span> first<\/span> ex-president<\/span> to<\/span> face<\/span> criminal<\/span> prosecution.<\/span> And<\/span> that<\/span> carries<\/span> a<\/span> tremendous<\/span> amount<\/span> of<\/span> weight<\/span> on<\/span> Trump<\/span> himself,<\/span> jeopardizing<\/span> his<\/span> longstanding<\/span> ability<\/span> to<\/span> avoid<\/span> consequences<\/span> despite<\/span> being<\/span> involved<\/span> in<\/span> a<\/span> staggering<\/span> number<\/span> of<\/span> incidents.<\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/span>“Throughout<\/span> his<\/span> life,<\/span> he<\/span> did<\/span> things<\/span> that<\/span> could<\/span> have<\/span> been<\/span> investigated<\/span> and<\/span> prosecuted,<\/span> and<\/span> those<\/span> experiences<\/span> taught<\/span> him<\/span> that<\/span> he<\/span> could<\/span> act<\/span> without<\/span> guilt.”<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Trump<\/span> first<\/span> came<\/span> under<\/span> legal<\/span> scrutiny<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> 1970s<\/span> when<\/span> the<\/span> Justice<\/span> Department<\/span> filed<\/span> a<\/span> racism<\/span> lawsuit<\/span> against<\/span> his<\/span> family’s<\/span> real<\/span> estate<\/span> business.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Trump<\/span> and<\/span> his<\/span> father<\/span> fought<\/span> hard<\/span> in<\/span> a<\/span> lawsuit<\/span> accused<\/span> of<\/span> refusing<\/span> to<\/span> rent<\/span> apartments<\/span> to<\/span> black<\/span> tenants<\/span> in<\/span> a<\/span> mostly<\/span> white<\/span> building.<\/span> According<\/span> to<\/span> eyewitness<\/span> testimony,<\/span> applications<\/span> from<\/span> potential<\/span> black<\/span> tenants<\/span> were<\/span> marked<\/span> with<\/span> a<\/span> “C”<\/span> for<\/span> “coloured.”<\/span> Trump<\/span> is<\/span> demanding<\/span> $100<\/span> million<\/span> and<\/span> is<\/span> suing<\/span> the<\/span> government<\/span> for<\/span> defamation.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> lawsuit<\/span> ended<\/span> in<\/span> a<\/span> settlement,<\/span> paving<\/span> the<\/span> way<\/span> for<\/span> some<\/span> black<\/span> residents,<\/span> but<\/span> without<\/span> forcing<\/span> the<\/span> Trumps<\/span> to<\/span> specifically<\/span> admit<\/span> that<\/span> they<\/span> “failed<\/span> and<\/span> neglected”<\/span> compliance<\/span> with<\/span> fair<\/span> housing<\/span> laws.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Since<\/span> then,<\/span> Trump<\/span> and<\/span> his<\/span> company<\/span> have<\/span> been<\/span> the<\/span> subject<\/span> of<\/span> thousands<\/span> of<\/span> civil<\/span> lawsuits<\/span> and<\/span> numerous<\/span> investigations.<\/span> A<\/span> casino<\/span> and<\/span> real<\/span> estate<\/span> business,<\/span> bribery<\/span> and<\/span> improper<\/span> lobbying<\/span> allegations,<\/span> fraud<\/span> allegations<\/span> against<\/span> the<\/span> now-defunct<\/span> Trump<\/span> University<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> charity<\/span> Trump<\/span> Foundation,<\/span> and<\/span> an<\/span> investigation<\/span> by<\/span> the<\/span> Manhattan<\/span> District<\/span> Attorney<\/span> into<\/span> the<\/span> sale<\/span> of<\/span> Trump’s<\/span> Soho<\/span> Hotel<\/span> and<\/span> his<\/span> condominiums.<\/span> It<\/span> is<\/span> in<\/span> Lower<\/span> Manhattan.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>According<\/span> to<\/span> Citizens<\/span> for<\/span> Responsibility<\/span> and<\/span> Ethics<\/span> in<\/span> Washington,<\/span> a<\/span> state<\/span> watchdog<\/span> group<\/span> known<\/span> as<\/span> CREW,<\/span> in<\/span> November<\/span> 2022,<\/span> Trump<\/span> will<\/span> face<\/span> at<\/span> least<\/span> 56<\/span> felony<\/span> counts,<\/span> excluding<\/span> allegations<\/span> of<\/span> illegal<\/span> trading,<\/span> since<\/span> the<\/span> start<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> 2015<\/span> campaign.<\/span> was<\/span> indicted<\/span> on<\/span> However,<\/span> he<\/span> was<\/span> never<\/span> formally<\/span> charged.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>A<\/span> master<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> tactic<\/span> of<\/span> delay,<\/span> Trump<\/span> “finds<\/span> endless<\/span> ways<\/span> to<\/span> delay<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> hope<\/span> that<\/span> investigations<\/span> and<\/span> litigation<\/span> will<\/span> be<\/span> over,<\/span> and<\/span> he’s<\/span> been<\/span> having<\/span> spectacular<\/span> success,”<\/span> said<\/span> the<\/span> former<\/span> federal<\/span> corruption<\/span> attorney.<\/span> He<\/span> said<\/span> Noah<\/span> Bookbinder<\/span> president<\/span> of<\/span> CREW.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u201cThis<\/span> is<\/span> accountability<\/span> because<\/span> no<\/span> functioning<\/span> democracy<\/span> allows<\/span> people<\/span> to<\/span> operate<\/span> with<\/span> complete<\/span> impunity<\/span> in<\/span> positions<\/span> of<\/span> power<\/span> where<\/span> they<\/span> can<\/span> commit<\/span> crimes<\/span> and<\/span> not<\/span> face<\/span> any<\/span> consequences.<\/span> is<\/span> absolutely<\/span> necessary.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Here’s<\/span> Trump’s<\/span> reaction<\/span> to<\/span> such<\/span> a<\/span> strong<\/span> statement:<\/span>
\n<\/span>Since<\/span> he<\/span> committed<\/span> no<\/span> crime,<\/span> the<\/span> result<\/span> itself<\/span> is<\/span> unjust.<\/span> As<\/span> president,<\/span> Trump<\/span> continued<\/span> to<\/span> face<\/span> legal<\/span> scrutiny.<\/span> For<\/span> two<\/span> years,<\/span> the<\/span> Justice<\/span> Department<\/span> investigated<\/span> his<\/span> 2016<\/span> campaign<\/span> and<\/span> its<\/span> ties<\/span> to<\/span> Russia.<\/span> Special<\/span> Counsel<\/span> Robert<\/span> Mueller<\/span> found<\/span> no<\/span> direct<\/span> evidence<\/span> of<\/span> collusion,<\/span> but<\/span> his<\/span> final<\/span> report<\/span> presented<\/span> evidence<\/span> of<\/span> obstruction.<\/span> Even<\/span> behind<\/span> the<\/span> scenes,<\/span> he<\/span> said<\/span> he<\/span> could<\/span> not<\/span> recommend<\/span> criminal<\/span> prosecution<\/span> of<\/span> Trump.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NEW YORK (AP) — For 40 years, former President Donald Trump has conducted countless legal investigations without being indicted. This record could soon come to an end. Trump could be indicted by a Manhattan grand jury later this week, and he could be charged with falsifying business records related to hush-money payments he made to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5121,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[280,2480],"tags":[2383,2384,2385,2386,2387,2388,2389,2390,2391,1344,2392,2377,2393,2378,2379,2380,2381,2382],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/230320102947-donald-trump-0318.jpg","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5120"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5120"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5120\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5122,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5120\/revisions\/5122"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5121"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}