The indictments on Donald Trump have greatly affected American history and politics.
Trump is the first former president to face criminal charges in US history. As of August 2023, he is facing four separate indictments.
Trump’s first indictment was on March 30 in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, where he was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in an attempt to cover up damaging and unlawful activity. He was later arraigned on April 4 and a trial date was set for March 25, 2024.
Three months later at the US district court in Fort Pierce, Florida, Trump was indicted on June 8, followed by a superseding indictment on July 27. In Florida, he was accused of keeping classified documents after leaving office and storing them in multiple locations at The Mar-a-Lago Club as well as attempting to conceal that he had kept said documents. He is being charged with 32 counts of unlawful retention of national defense information as well as 8 counts of various other crimes, and a trial has been scheduled for May 2024.
Later on Aug. 1 at the US district court in Washington DC, Trump was indicted for participating in a scheme to interfere with the transfer of power after losing the 2020 presidential election. The indictment accuses Trump as well as 6 unnamed co-conspirators of knowingly spreading false information that there was widespread fraud in the election, which ultimately lead to the January 6, 2021 attack on the capitol. Trump has been charged with three counts of conspiracy and one count of obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and a trial date has been set for March 4, 2024.
Trump’s most recent indictment was on Aug. 14 at the Superior Court of Fulton County, Georgia, where he and 18 others are accused under Georgia’s RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) law for coordinating an effort to thwart proper certification of the 2020 presidential election. Trump has been charged with 13 counts, including conspiracy and solicitation, and he had turned himself in at Fulton County jail on Aug. 24. A trial date has not been set.
Trump has denied wrongdoing in all four indictments, pleading not guilty to all 91 charges placed against him. The maximum sentence for all charges could add up to hundreds of years, though that is unlikely.
Despite these indictments, Trump is still running for election, and has received support from republicans. Even if he is convicted and serves jail time, Trump could technically still become president.
Even after missing the first Republican debate on Aug. 23, Trump remains a huge candidate in the election and is in the lead for the republican nomination. If he is not disqualified from taking office, it is likely that he will represent the Republican party.
*Editor’s note: Daniel Lee is a student writer. All views expressed in the commentary are her own and are independent of the district, Rouse High School and the publication.