After three years of investigations by New York’s top prosecutors against Donald Trump, many people in his circle and the sprawling Trump Organization business empire, it is perhaps no surprise to see charges finally laid in a New York courtroom.
On the surface the indictment against the Trump Organization and its chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg that was unsealed on Thursday may seem relatively minor and narrow in scope given the multibillion-dollar size of the business and the high profile of the Trump family.
Experts, however, believe this could just be the beginning. Here are the answers to some key questions from the day in court.
What is being charged?
Essentially, the Trump Organization and Weisselberg have been charged with tax evasion mostly around not paying taxes on benefits extended to himself, and others. Weisselberg, prosecutors said, benefited to the tune of $1.7m after payments were made that covered apartment expenses and tuition for his family members, as well as other things.
What is the prosecutors’ strategy?
It is a common tactic among prosecutors to start small and work up to bigger fish. It is likely that is what is going on here. Prosecutors will be hoping to lay these charges at Weisselberg’s door in order to get his cooperation on other investigations and to show others in Trump’s empire what they too could face if they don’t cooperate.
As New York’s attorney general, Letitia James, said: “This investigation will continue, and we will follow the facts and the law wherever they may lead.”
What does this mean for Trump?
The former president has long attacked the numerous investigations against him, his company and his allies as part of a “witch-hunt” by his political enemies. He and his supporters will point to the small scale – relatively – of the charges made on Thursday as evidence to back up his claims. That is deeply misleading, but it will probably chime with his base.
What’s next?
Weisselberg will no doubt feel pressure to cooperate with prosecutors, but his lawyers have signaled their intention to mount an aggressive defense – something that Trump and Trump Organization executives will no doubt support wholeheartedly. In the meantime other cases involving Trump will continue to unfold.
What does this mean politically?
This is dangerous turf for America. Traditionally, the justice system should be allowed to unfold, no matter who the target for investigation might be. But in office and in his post-presidency life, Trump has railed against those investigating him. Given his firm grip on the Republican party, his millions of followers and the extremist rhetoric Trump uses, this is a worrying moment for America’s system of governance: pitting a former president against the justice system.
In that regard, the deep and troubling significance of what look like a small set of tax charges cannot be overestimated.
