Indictment for Trump

Donald Trump is on trial again, and this time it could be a trial that ends his political career and possibly bring an abrupt end to his 2024 presidential campaign. Trump will go to trial before a grand jury, where he is has been charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Trump, the former president from 2016 through 2020, was charged by Manhattan's District Attorney Alvin Bragg at the end of March and by March 30, the Grand Jury of Manhattan, New York voted indict Trump.

The source of these charges that sparked this case is the accusation of hush money used to pay off an adult actress named Stormy Daniels, as accused by Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen.

This trial will mark another milestone for Trump as an American president. So far, Trump is the first president to impeached twice, the first president associated with or accused of inciting a coupe, the second president arrested, the first former president charged and indicted criminally, and now possibly the first former president to be prosecuted in a court of law.

Trump's history of involvement with scandals and controversy have proven that most of his political and legal misfortune have been the result of his own behavior, not because of conspiracy theories involving Democrats.

Ironically, Trump frequently promoted "law and order" policies without remorse for their impact, but after his arrest Trump called for a defunding of law enforcement, according to an article published by NBC News. After Trump's arrest he posted online, "Republicans in Congress should defund the DOJ and FBI until they come to their senses."

This is not the first time Trump has been punished for criminal behavior involving finances. According to the Associated Press, Trump was fined $2 million in 2019 for "misusing his own charitable foundation to further his political and business interests." In that same case, Trump admitted to misusing money from a "fundraiser for veterans."

Trump's trial in Manhattan has become a negative milestone and could potentially worsen. Although Trump has placed himself in his current legal battle, it is perhaps the fault of the Republican party and its constituents for electing a candidate with so little knowledge and experience as an elected official.

-Cliff A. May