Donald Trump’s legal troubles never seem to rest. On Thursday, US federal prosecutors added a new charge against the former president. He is now accused of trying to delete CCTV footage that was of interest to investigators as part of a case against him for his negligent handling of confidential documents. This story of cameras is therefore added to an already thick file, which is itself part of a galaxy of legal proceedings. 20 minutes provides you with an update on these various cases.
The disastrous management of secret-defense documents
It is in this case that new charges were added on Thursday. Donald Trump is accused of having endangered the security of the United States by keeping confidential documents after his departure from the White House in January 2021. Including military plans or information on nuclear weapons, which he would have kept at his Florida residence, instead of turning them over to the National Archives as required by law.
The Republican billionaire was already charged in early June in this case, a first for a former president. A federal trial is scheduled for May 2024 in Florida, in the midst of the Republican primaries for which Donald Trump is the favorite. Before prosecutors accused him of these new facts, the former president was already facing 37 charges in this case, some of which are punishable by ten or twenty years in prison. The real estate magnate denies all charges against him and has decided to plead not guilty in this case.
The Capitol Assault
In January 2021, the world watched, stunned, as the Capitol was stormed. One of the symbols of American power was invaded by an angry mob, in confusion and general chaos. Amid calls to “hang Mike Pence,” one silence was particularly deafening: that of Donald Trump. The parliamentary inquiry found it had “overwhelming evidence” that the ex-president “orchestrated” this attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 US presidential election.
The federal investigation is ongoing. In July, Special Prosecutor Jack Smith informed the billionaire that he was personally targeted by the federal investigation on three counts: conspiracy against the US state, obstruction of official process and deprivation of rights. . This investigation will have to issue recommendations on a possible indictment of the former president, while this file is the one in which the former president faces the heaviest charges. The decision whether or not to prosecute Donald Trump will rest with the Minister of Justice, Merrick Garland.
Bribe to a porn actress
The former president was formally accused last April of having “orchestrated” a series of bribes. Donald Trump would have bought the silence of three people in the context of the 2016 election: a doorman at Trump Tower who said he had information on an illegitimate child would have received 30,000 dollars, a woman who would be a former mistress 150,000 dollars and a porn actress, Stormy Daniels, $130,000 to keep quiet about an alleged extramarital affair. These payments were not reported as campaign expenses.
This case brought Donald Trump before a criminal court, a historic legal event for a former American president. Indicted, the real estate magnate is however not about to stand trial. The latter is scheduled for March 25, 2024, right in the middle of the Republican primary.
Pressures in Georgia
A Georgia prosecutor has been investigating since 2021 “attempts to influence the electoral operations” of this southern state, won by a short head by Joe Biden in 2020. She must announce the result of her investigations by September. In a phone call, the recording of which has been made public, Donald Trump had asked a senior local official, Brad Raffensperger, to “find” nearly 12,000 ballots in his name.
The financial affairs of New York
In January, the Trump Organization was fined $1.6 million in New York for financial and tax fraud. An even larger civil trial is expected in the fall. New York justice accuses Donald Trump, his children and the Trump Organization of having “deliberately” manipulated the valuations of the group’s assets to obtain more advantageous loans from banks or reduce taxes. She claims 250 million dollars in damages on behalf of the state, as well as prohibitions to run companies for the ex-president and his relatives.