Former US President Donald Trump has become the first former president to face a criminal charge, after being indicted by a Manhattan grand jury on Thursday.[0] The indictment relates to payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election in exchange for her silence about their alleged 2006 affair. The charges have yet to be made public, but prosecutors are widely expected to pursue a misdemeanor falsifying business records charge against Trump.[1] The charge could be elevated to a felony if prosecutors can tie it to an intent to commit a second crime, likely to center on a violation of campaign finance laws.[1] While Trump’s attorneys have suggested he will surrender voluntarily, the former president’s most formidable potential Republican opponent, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, has vowed that the state will not assist in any extradition request from New York, calling the indictment “un-American” and accusing the “Soros-backed Manhattan District Attorney” of “stretching the law to target a political opponent.”[2] DeSantis did not name Trump or the prosecutor in his statement, but it has been widely interpreted as referring to them. Other potential Republican candidates for the 2024 presidential nomination, including Nikki Haley, Asa Hutchinson, and Tim Scott, have also criticized the charges.[3]
0. “DeSantis says Florida won’t help extradite Trump even though it’s required by US Constitution” Yahoo! Voices, 31 Mar. 2023, https://www.yahoo.com/news/desantis-says-florida-wont-help-004555313.html
1. “Trump Indictment: Republicans Including Pence, DeSantis, McCarthy And Don Jr. Rage Against Criminal Charges” Forbes, 31 Mar. 2023, https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2023/03/30/trump-indictment-republicans-including-pence-desantis-mccarthy-and-don-jr-rage-against-criminal-charges
2. “DeSantis won’t ‘assist’ in Trump extradition, but he can’t stop it” Orlando Sentinel, 31 Mar. 2023, https://www.orlandosentinel.com/politics/os-ne-desantis-trump-indictment-20230331-ksh64scoyvgohdkqjaj7dqt4e4-story.html
3. “Potential 2024 GOP field responds to Trump indictment by attacking Bragg” CNN, 31 Mar. 2023, https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/30/politics/2024-republicans-trump-indictment/index.html
