The Trials Of Trump

The multiple indictments of former President Donald Trump in 2024 have shocked and divided the nation. Although other former Presidents could have been indicted (click here for more context), the conviction of a former President for sexual assault and the subsequent
indictments for illegal hush money payments to a prostitute, the mishandling and hiding of top-secret, classified documents, a scheme to defraud voters through various means related to the 2020 election, Electoral College, and January 6, and the blistering, multi-count racketeering indictment for allegedly breaking numerous election laws in Georgia are without precedent.

In this non-partisan multimedia presentation, we will examine the intense legal problems – past and present – faced by former President Donald J. Trump. We will address the venues, charges, and likelihood of conviction in each trial.

The Past Trials of Trump

In 1972-3, a U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division investigation into racial discrimination in housing by the Trump organization ended with Donald Trump and his father paying one of the most enormous fines in history. Significantly, it was a Republican Attorney General, appointed by Richard Nixon who approved the investigation.

Throughout his business career, Donald Trump has had to settle many cases in which he and his organization were at fault. A lawsuit against Trump University for fraud was resolved through a series of agreements. In November 2016, shortly after the U.S. presidential election, President-elect Donald Trump agreed to pay $25 million to settle the three fraud lawsuits against Trump University.

The Indictments: Falsifying Tax Documents

In March 2023, former President Donald Trump faced his initial indictment from the Manhattan, New York, District Attorney on state charges connected to a hush-money transaction involving adult film actress Stormy Daniels in 2016.

The New York prosecutors claim that Trump was involved in an illicit scheme aimed at compromising the legitimacy of the 2016 election.

Furthermore, they assert that he took part in an illegal strategy to prevent unfavorable details from emerging, which encompassed the $130,000 payment. Former President Trump has entered a plea of not guilty in response to these allegations.

The Indictments: Mishandling Classified Documents

In June 2023, a federal grand jury in Miami issued an indictment against Trump. The charges stemmed from his alleged possession of classified national defense documents taken from the White House after his presidential term ended, along with accusations of obstructing government efforts to recover these materials. Both Trump and his associate, Walt Nauta, entered pleas of not guilty.

Subsequently, on July 27, the special counsel leveled three new charges against Trump, one of which was an additional count of purposeful retention of national defense information. Nauta faced two new charges as well. Additionally, a new defendant, Carlos de Oliveira, was introduced to the case and confronted with four charges, including his inclusion in the conspiracy to obstruct justice, as stated in the initial indictment.

THE INDICTMENTS: 2020 Election Interference

The third indictment against former President Donald J. Trump arises from an inquiry led by special counsel Jack Smith, focused on purported endeavors by the former president and his associates to undermine the outcome of the 2020 election. The indictment contends that Trump, along with an accomplice, made efforts to exploit the disorder and unrest at the Capitol by urging legislators to postpone the certification of the election.

Additionally, it claims that another associate encouraged then-Vice President Mike Pence to take actions that would run counter to the law in order to delay the recognition of President Joe Biden’s victory. Following the indictment, the Trump campaign issued a prompt denial of the allegations. Subsequently, Trump entered a plea of not guilty in response to all four charges.

THE INDICTMENTS: Georgia

On August 14, a grand jury based in Atlanta issued an indictment against Trump and 18 others, citing state-level charges that stem from their alleged endeavors to overturn the outcome of the former president’s 2020 election loss.

This significant indictment marks the fourth instance of criminal charges against Trump. The allegations, unveiled as part of an extensive investigation overseen by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, address some of the most conspicuous actions taken by the former president and his supporters to interfere with the 2020 presidential election. Unlike the accusations of election manipulation brought forth by special counsel Jack Smith, Willis’ case possesses its own protection: