NEW YORK — The secret money case in New York is one of many legal issues facing former President Donald Trump.
Trump faces investigations into his business dealings, his tenure (including his efforts to stay in office), as well as his time since leaving the White House.
Some Democrats say the Manhattan case pales in comparison to the most serious potential charges Trump could face.
“If I was the Grand Wizard, I would have said to wait for this one. With all the crimes he’s probably committed, and this is his first, it gives him the ability to be the martyr that he wants to be,” political analyst Dan Gerstein said.
Here’s a breakdown of some of his legal battles elsewhere and a few more in New York.
MAR-A-LAGO
The Justice Department is investigating his retention of top-secret government documents at his Florida property, Mar-a-Lago, after he left the White House, as well as possible efforts to obstruct that investigation.
As part of that investigation, officers and prosecutors spent months interviewing several people close to Trump, including an aide who was seen on surveillance video moving boxes of documents around the property.
A grand jury in Washington heard evidence as part of the investigation. Last year, prosecutors granted limited immunity to a close Trump ally to obtain his testimony.
GEORGIA ELECTION AND JANUARY 6 UPRISING
Federal investigators are also looking into the January 6, 2021, uprising and efforts to nullify the election that were wrongfully stolen by Trump. The DOJ is investigating the events of that day after receiving a report from a congressional committee that said Trump should be held accountable.
Parts of a report from a special grand jury in Georgia that investigated unlawful interference by Trump and his allies in Georgia’s 2020 election show jurors believed ‘one or more witnesses’ had committed perjury and urged local prosecutors to press charges. . The former president never testified, but the report did not rule out the possibility of other charges.
After his 2020 election loss, Trump called Georgian Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and urged him to ‘find 11,780 votes’, enough to overtake Democrat Joe Biden and undo Trump’s narrow defeat in the state. . .
That Jan. 2 phone call was part of a months-long investigation by a special grand jury in Atlanta to determine whether crimes had been committed as part of the lobbying campaign to reverse Trump’s defeat.
Among those questioned by the special grand jury are Rudy Giuliani, former New York City mayor and Trump attorney; Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina; and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp.
Prosecutors warned Giuliani and Georgia Republicans who served as bogus voters that they risked prosecution. The bogus voters signed a certificate claiming that Trump had won the election and declared themselves voters for the state, even though Biden had won the state and a list of Democratic voters had already been certified.
Trump and his allies have denied any wrongdoing and he has repeatedly described his phone call to Raffensperger as “perfect”. Lawyers for the former president filed a motion on Monday asking that the grand jury’s special report on the 2020 election be “vacated and expunged.”
The 51-page filing calls for all evidence from the special grand jury to be declared unconstitutional. He is also asking that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis be disqualified from continuing to investigate the case.
Among the incidents Willis examined was Trump’s January 2021 phone call with Raffensperger.
ELSEWHERE IN NEW YORK
New York Attorney General Letitia James has sued Trump and the Trump Organization, saying he deceived banks and tax authorities about the value of assets such as golf courses and skyscrapers to get money. loans and tax breaks.
That lawsuit, which is ongoing, could result in civil penalties against the company if the Democratic attorney general prevails. She wants $250 million and a ban on Trump doing business in New York.
Meanwhile, a judge has appointed an independent monitor to oversee the company.
In a separate case, the Trump Organization was found guilty of tax evasion in December for helping executives evade taxes on lavish perks like Manhattan apartments and luxury cars. Trump himself was not tried. The company was fined $1.6 million.
Trump is the first commander-in-chief in US history to be criminally charged.