Former President Donald Trump has been charged with 34 felony counts of falsification of business records by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.
The charges, normally prosecuted as misdemeanors, were upgraded to Class E felonies on the grounds that the conduct was intended to conceal another underlying crime.
The former president has called for the resignation of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, accusing him of “illegally” leaking the indictment to the media.
According to a source who has been briefed on the procedures for the arraignment of the former president, a conviction for the Class E felony of falsifying business records can result in a prison term of up to four years under the New York State penal code. However, as a first offender, former president and current candidate for president it is unlikely that Trump will face jail time.
The evidence for the underlying crime that escalated Trump’s alleged misdemeanors to felonies is still not clear and won’t be until the indictment is unsealed on Tuesday.
However, it is believed to relate to the payment of $130,000 in hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election to conceal an extramarital encounter with Trump.
Shortly after the report went live, Trump posted on his Truth Social account that Bragg “illegally” leaked the indictment and should resign.
In subsequent posts, he called for Bragg’s immediate indictment and urged him to do the “honorable thing” and indict himself.
Breitbart News reported on Monday that Trump’s court appearance will be a “spectacle,” complete with a perp walk and mugshot.
The former president was offered the chance to surrender quietly and be arraigned over Zoom, according to a law enforcement official involved with some of the planning, but he instead wanted a midday, high-profile appearance at the Manhattan courthouse.
The Secret Service has expressed concern about the situation, as they can only strongly suggest what the former president should do at his arraignment and not order him around.