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Former President Donald Trump speaks at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on March 4 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
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Alex Wong/Getty Images
Former President Donald Trump speaks at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on March 4 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
He also faces scrutiny in other ongoing investigations that may come with charges of their own, as a Manhattan grand jury looms over criminal charges against former President Donald Trump.
Proceedings from New York, Georgia, and the Federal Department of Justice could all overturn Trump’s already announced candidacy for the 2024 presidential election.
Trump has survived many investigations already — remember the Mueller inquiry? What about the Ukraine impeachment inquiry? — but criminal charges and subsequent arrests could have a dramatic impact on his campaign in 2024. Never before has a former president been charged with a crime.
Active investigations include:
Stormy Daniels hush money investigation (Manhattan District Attorney’s Office)
This criminal case focuses on paying adult film actor Stormy Daniels $130,000 in hush money just before the 2016 election to silence claims of an affair with Trump.
Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, said she and Trump had an affair at a celebrity golf tournament in 2006. National Enquirerthe long-time Trump-friendly publication warned Trump’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen.
Cohen agreed to pay Daniels $130,000 in exchange for silencing her. Her attorney received the money from Cohen on October 27, two weeks before the election.
After Trump was elected president, Cohen was refunded a total of $420,000 to account for taxes and other expenses. signed by Trump himself, who acknowledged He denies cheating on him.
According to court records, top Trump Organization officials incorrectly identified Refund as a “holder” of “legal services.”
A grand jury is now investigating whether Trump committed a felony under New York state law by falsifying business records to cover up another crime.
The lawsuit is being filed by Alvin Bragg Jr., the 2021 elected New York County District Attorney. He took over the case from his predecessor, his Cyrus Vance Jr. he was still president.
Earlier this month, reports surfaced that prosecutors with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office offered Trump the opportunity to testify before a grand jury. In New York, this is a signal that an indictment is imminent, as a potential defendant must be given an opportunity to answer questions before a grand jury before indictment. (Trump declined an offer to testify.)
2020 Georgia Election Obstruction Investigation (Fulton County District Attorney’s Office)
The Georgia case focuses on the actions of Trump and his supporters in the weeks following the 2020 presidential election.
After Trump narrowly lost the state, he made repeated calls to pressure officials in Georgia to find ways to change the outcome. This includes the infamous January 2, 2021 phone call to Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. “Find 11,780 votes.” Trump also called Gov. Brian Kemp and the state attorney general to urge them to challenge the election results.
The investigation is also investigating efforts to send fake electoral rolls to the Electoral College to say Trump won, not Joe Biden.
The investigation, led by Fulton County, Georgia’s top prosecutor Fanny Willis, took eight months for a special grand jury to hear more than 70 witnesses. Their work was completed in early January. Some of their reports were made public last month, but a judge ruled that most of them should remain confidential for now.
Willis said a decision on prosecution was “imminent.” It is not clear whether Trump will be indicted. Possible crimes for him and others may include soliciting election fraud, making false statements to government agencies, and extortion.
Two investigations into Trump’s actions around Jan. 6 and mishandling classified documents (U.S. Department of Justice)
The U.S. Department of Justice is conducting two investigations into possible criminal conduct by Trump. Both investigations are led by Special Counsel Jack Smith, who was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland last year.
One of the investigations focused on how Trump handled classified documents after his presidency ended. Last June, Trump’s lawyers confirmed that a “thorough search” of classified documents was conducted at Florida’s Mar-a-Lago resort and all documents found were turned over to federal authorities. But two months later, an FBI raid recovered over 100 more documents.
(President Biden is embroiled in his own classified documents scandal after the files were found to have been improperly stored at his home in Delaware and the Washington think tank office he previously used. A separate special counsel has also been appointed to investigate.)
Smith also looks at Trump’s attempts to interfere with the 2020 election. As part of that investigation, prosecutors have interviewed a number of Trump supporters and aides. They also subpoenaed former Vice President Mike Pence, who strongly pressured Trump to overturn the election results during the January 6 certification process.
Prosecutors are also reportedly investigating the finances of Save America, a Trump-related political action committee.
A DOJ investigation is ongoing. Not much is known about when, if any, charges will be filed. But as the 2024 election approaches, political motives are sure to be denounced with each indictment.
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