The hush money criminal trial against former President Donald Trump is just one of the legal challenges he currently faces as he navigates his presidential campaign. In total, Trump is confronting a staggering 88 charges across four criminal cases in Georgia, New York, Washington, DC, and Florida. Despite the weight of these accusations, Trump has maintained his plea of not guilty in all instances.
The first case, commonly referred to as the 'Hush money' case, saw Trump indicted by the Manhattan district attorney in March 2023. The charges stem from alleged state violations related to a hush-money payment made to an adult film star in 2016. Prosecutors claim that Trump was involved in an illicit scheme to influence the 2016 election by suppressing negative information, including the $130,000 payment.
In a separate case, Trump faced indictment in June 2023 by a federal grand jury in Miami for unlawfully taking classified national defense documents from the White House post his presidency. The National Archives reported the recovery of at least 15 boxes of White House records, some of which were classified, from Trump's estate. Special counsel Jack Smith brought forth these charges.
Another significant legal battle for Trump involves federal election interference charges filed by Smith in August 2023. The indictment accuses Trump and a co-conspirator of attempting to exploit the chaos at the Capitol to delay the certification of the 2020 election results. The Supreme Court is currently deliberating on Trump's claims of presidential immunity in this matter, potentially impacting the timeline of the case.
Lastly, state prosecutors in Georgia initiated a case against Trump and 18 others for alleged election subversion activities. The Atlanta-based grand jury indicted Trump on state charges related to efforts to overturn his 2020 electoral defeat. A trial date for this case is yet to be determined.
