Here's What's Next After Grand Jury Votes To Indict Trump

Donald Trump has created history by becoming the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges.

This comes after a grand jury in New York has voted to indict the businessman-turned-politician on charges related to hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels, reported The Guardian.

On Thursday, the news of the indictment was confirmed by Joe Tacopina, a lawyer for Trump.

The felony indictment is still sealed and is likely to be unsealed in the next few days. So, the specific charges are yet to make public.

The indictment is related to the payment made on his behalf to Daniels in 2016, just before the election day as Trump ran for President.

Michael Cohen was Trump's attorney at that time, and he was involved in the payment to buy Daniels' silence over an alleged sexual encounter with the former President in 2006.

Cohen, who testified before the grand jury in the Manhattan case, made the $130,000 payment to the adult film star in October 2016.

When Trump became the President, he reimbursed Cohen. He gave monthly $35,000 checks to the lawyer from his account.

Three years ago, Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign finance charges related to the 2016 payment. As per court documents in Cohen's federal case, the Trump Organization falsely described the payments as legal expenses. It cited a legal retainer that did not even exist.

Prosecutors maintained in the Manhattan case that Trump's way of handling the reimbursement violated state law.

But the former President denied any wrongdoing, and even called it a "witch hunt," reported Al Jazeera.

Now Trump will be arraigned, where he will enter a plea. The dates for case proceedings will be scheduled. His lawyers are expected to fight the charges in the pre-trial stages.

It's even possible that years elapse between the indictment and any possible trial.

As for the 2024 Presidential election, Hank Sheinkopf, a Democratic strategist in New York City, said that diehard Trump supporters won't particularly care about the indictment.

He said that with the people that love him most, "it means nothing."

Sheinkopf noted that with the rebels who are against the government on the right, "it won't matter. With his core constituency, it won't matter at all." According to him, They will see the indictment as an attack on "their values because Trump represents their values."

Meanwhile, Daniels' lawyer Clark Brewster told USA TODAY that her first reaction to the news of the indictment was that the adult film star "was surprised even though it was mostly expected."

Brewster said that "she feels bad" that Trump has been charged." But he added that she knew what the facts were and "she wants him to deal with the truth as well." So from that perspective, the lawyer said that "there's a degree of feeling like the system is working."