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A2 UP FRONT
Wednesday 22 March 2023
Trump's potential indictment caps decades of legal scrutiny

By JILL COLVIN grand jury, which heard
Associated Press from dozens of witnesses.
NEW YORK (AP) — For 40 said last month that the
years, former President panel had recommended
Donald Trump has navigat- that numerous people be
ed countless legal investi- indicted, and hinted Trump
gations without ever fac- could be among them. It
ing criminal charges. That is ultimately up to Willis to
record may soon come to decide whether to move
an end. forward.
Trump could be indicted In Washington, Trump is un-
by a Manhattan grand der scrutiny from special
jury as soon as this week, counsel Jack Smith for his
potentially charged with handling — allegations say
falsifying business records mishandling — of classi-
connected to hush money fied documents after leav-
payments during his 2016 ing office, as well as for his
campaign to women who much-publicized efforts to
accused him of sexual en- stay in power, despite his
counters. 2020 election loss. Justice
It's one of several investiga- Department lawyers in the
tions that have intensified documents probe have
as Trump mounts his third said they have amassed
presidential run. He has A police officer places a barricade in front of Trump Tower, on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, in New evidence of potential
denied any allegations of York. Associated Press crimes involving Trump's re-
wrongdoing and accuses tention of national defense
prosecutors of engaging ecuted and learned from subject of thousands of impunity where they can information as well as po-
in a politically motivated those experiences that he civil lawsuits and numerous commit crimes and never tential efforts to obstruct
"witch hunt" to damage his could act with impunity," investigations. There have have to face any conse- their work.
campaign. he said. been probes into his casino quences," he said. Some legal experts have
An indictment in New York Trump first faced legal and real estate dealings, Trump's retort to such strong questioned the wisdom
would mark an extraordi- scrutiny in the 1970s when allegations of bribery and talk: He commits no crimes, of having the Manhattan
nary turn in American his- the Department of Justice improper lobbying, fraud so consequences would case be the first brought
tory, making Trump the first brought a racial discrimina- allegations against the themselves be unjust. against Trump, when more
former president to face tion case against his fam- now-defunct Trump Univer- As president, Trump contin- serious charges could be
a criminal charge. And it ily's real estate business. sity and charitable Trump ued to face legal scrutiny. looming. Trump is expected
would carry tremendous Trump and his father fierce- Foundation and a probe For two years, the Justice to be charged with falsify-
weight for Trump himself, ly fought the suit, which ac- by the Manhattan district Department investigated ing business records, a mis-
threatening his long-es- cused them of refusing to attorney into sales at the his 2016 campaign's ties demeanor unless prosecu-
tablished ability to avoid rent apartments to black Trump SoHo hotel-condo- to Russia. While special tors can prove it was done
consequences despite en- tenants in predominantly minium in Lower Manhat- counsel Robert Mueller to conceal another crime.
tanglement in a dizzying white buildings. Testimony tan. never found direct evi- The case involves pay-
number of cases. showed that applications Indeed, according Citizens dence of collusion, his fi- ments made by Trump's
Indictment, says biogra- filed by prospective black for Responsibility and Ethics nal report did lay out evi- former lawyer, Michael
pher Michael D'Antonio, tenants were marked with in Washington, a govern- dence for obstruction. He Cohen, who served prison
would be a "shocking a "C" for "colored." Trump ment watchdog group ab- noted that, because of a time after pleading guilty in
event, both because of counter-sued for $100 mil- breviated CREW, as of No- department opinion that 2018 to federal charges, to
the fact that a former presi- lion, accusing the govern- vember 2022, Trump had bars indicting a sitting presi- porn actor Stormy Daniels
dent is being indicted for ment of defamation. been accused of commit- dent, he couldn't recom- and model Karen McDou-
the first time, but also be- The case ended with a ting at least 56 criminal of- mend Trump be criminally gal. Cohen was reimbursed
cause one of the slipperiest settlement that opened fenses since he launched charged, even in secret. by Trump, whose company
people at the highest level the way for some black his campaign in 2015, not Since Trump left office, the logged the reimbursements
of business, whose devo- tenants but did not force including allegations of investigations have circled as "legal expenses."
tion to abusing the system the Trumps to explicitly fraudulent business deal- ever closer. Politically, Trump allies be-
is so well established, is be- acknowledge they had ings. But he has never been In January, his namesake lieve the case actually will
ing caught." "failed and neglected" to formally indicted. company was fined $1.6 benefit the former presi-
"Throughout his life, he has comply with the Fair Hous- Trump is a master of delay million for tax crimes, in- dent in the short term by
done things for which he ing Act. tactics, "finding ways to cluding conspiracy and fal- energizing his base in a
could have been investi- Since then, Trump and his endlessly delay in the hopes sifying business records. The competitive Republican
gated and potentially pros- businesses have been the that the investigation and company's longtime ex- primary, and would pro-
litigation will go away. And ecutive, Allen Weisselberg, vide another boost later on
he's had remarkable suc- is currently serving jail time if it ultimately fails to yield a
cess," says CREW president as punishment for dodging conviction.
Noah Bookbinder, a former taxes on job perks. "The prosecutor in New
federal corruption pros- Additional cases are still York has done more to help
ecutor. being pursued. In Georgia, Donald Trump get elected,"
"It makes accountabil- Fulton County District Attor- says Sen. Lindsey Graham,
ity absolutely essential ney Fani Willis has been in- R-South Carolina, echo-
because we can't have vestigating whether Trump ing other GOP officials,
people in a functioning de- and his allies illegally med- who have also argued the
mocracy operating in po- dled in the 2020 election. probe will likely help Trump
sitions of power with total The foreperson of a special in the short term.q