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In March, Donald Trump became the first former American president to be indicted, when a New York district attorney brought charges against the Republican as part of his hush-money-to-a-porn-star scandal. Last night, we learned that he’s also the first former American president to face a federal criminal indictment.
But it would be a mistake to assume there won’t be additional charges as a result of other investigations. As a New York Times report noted:
Former President Donald J. Trump faces a host of investigations around the country, at both the state and federal levels, into matters related to his business and political careers.
Yes, and some — or perhaps even all — might yet lead to additional charges.
Revisiting our earlier coverage, let’s recap.
- In New York, Trump has been indicted by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, as part of its investigation into the former president’s hush money scandal.
- In Florida, special counsel Jack Smith’s office has apparently indicted the former president as a result of his classified documents scandal.
- The special counsel’s office is also investigating Trump’s role in the Jan. 6 attack and the efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
- In Georgia, Trump is under investigation by the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office, which is scrutinizing his alleged efforts to interfere in the 2020 presidential election.
- Federal officials, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, have also launched a criminal investigation surrounding his special purpose acquisition company (SPAC).
This does not include a variety of civil cases pending against the former president, including the sweeping case brought by the New York Attorney General’s Office, several lawsuits filed by police officers injured during the Jan. 6 attack, and the defamation cases filed by E. Jean Carroll.
There’s also some question as to whether the district attorney’s office in Westchester County, N.Y., is still examining Trump’s alleged financial crimes.
I’m not in a position to say with any confidence what, if anything, will happen in these cases. It’s possible that they will be resolved without Trump facing any additional criminal charges, leaving the Republican and his defense attorneys to focus exclusively on the two indictments that we already know about.
But as things stand, if the former president is assuming that his first two indictments will be his last, he is likely to be disappointed.
This post revises our related earlier coverage.