Donald Trump was charged by a Manhattan grand jury, the indictment does not list any political reasons

By: Christian Haag
April 11 2023

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Context

After a grand Manhattan jury voted to indict former U.S. President Donald Trump late last month, a political storm of sorts kicked up in the country. Within days, the former president was charged with as many as 34 felonies, increasing political tensions. Following the developments, in a recent segment on Fox News, host Tucker Carlson claimed that "Trump was criminally charged because he's planning to challenge Joe Biden in the presidential election." Carlson went on to explain how Trump’s arraignment constitutes election interference because the former president will be an opposition candidate in 2024. 

In Fact

On April 4, Trump was charged with 34 accounts of falsifying business records, mainly for allegedly concealing “hush money” payments as legal fees through his lawyer, Michael Cohen. The case's "Statement of Facts" declares, "The defendant DONALD J. TRUMP repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal criminal conduct that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election." The indictment revolves around Trump's alleged affair with Stephanie "Stormy Daniels" Clifford, who Cohen allegedly paid $130,000 to remain silent on the matter. While the payment itself is considered legal, Cohen purportedly recorded it as legal fees, thus concealing damaging information about Trump ahead of the 2016 election. The former president has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

While Trump supporters, right-wing activists, and even some political commentators have criticized the indictment and alleged the legal action is politically motivated, the indictment itself does not list any politically-linked charges. Even as the claim of the indictment being politically motivated has become a common argument among Trump supporters criticizing the indictment, there has been no evidence offered to prove that the indictment is political, and the claim disregards the "Rule of Law" stating that all persons, institutions, and entities are equal before the law. Trump has frequently claimed that people are trying to bring about his downfall, calling investigations into his business and political affairs "witch hunts" and portraying himself as a victim of political persecution, such as during his previous impeachments. 

It is also important to note that while Carlson believes that Trump’s arraignment constitutes election interference, the former president is reported to believe that the indictment and other legal issues will strengthen his base with the Republican voters and could eventually even make him the 2024 Republican nominee. 

The Verdict

Since the indictment clearly states that Donald Trump has been charged with falsifying business accounts and does not mention political reasons, we mark this claim false.