As expected, former U.S. President Donald Trump traveled to New York on Monday and was formally arrested after turning himself in on Tuesday. Mr. Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records. As it was suspected before the indictment was unsealed on Tuesday, the charges are related to payments made to actress Stormy Daniels to prevent her from talking to the media about an alleged affair with then-candidate Trump.

What happens next?

The case will now play out over the next several months in the Manhattan District Courts. Trump is not expected to appear in court again for this case until early December. This is not the only pending criminal case against the former president, however. He is also under investigation by the Fulton County (Georgia) District Attorney for allegedly interfering in the 2020 presidential election results, and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed special counsel Jack Smith to investigate Trump’s role in the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capital, and his handling of sensitive documents taken from the White House after serving as president. It remains to be seen if any of those cases will result in indictments.

If he is convicted, could Trump still be President?

According to legal experts quoted extensively in the media, there is no provision in the U.S. Constitution barring someone convicted of a crime from serving in federal office. Even in the unlikely event Trump is sentenced to jail time after a conviction, he could still be elected and serve as President.

Previous story:

On March 30th,  Mr. Donald Trump became the first U.S. president to be indicted for a crime.

What was he indicted for?

Although the indictment from the New York grand jury is sealed, it is widely believed the charges stem from an incident during his first campaign for president. Just before the 2016 election, Trump’s then-attorney, Mr. Michael Cohen paid actress Stephanie Clifford (who acted under the name Stormy Daniels) $130,000 in exchange for her silence about an alleged affair between Trump and herself. Although he initially denied it, Cohen now says he made the payment at Trump’s request and was reimbursed by Trump’s company. The company listed the payment as “legal expenses.” If Trump falsified business records to cover up a crime, he could be guilty of a felony under New York state law. While Trump was president, Cohen was tried, convicted, and served time in prison for violating campaign finance laws (the payments were seen as a campaign contribution since they helped get Trump elected.)

It has been widely reported in the media the former president is facing over 30 charges in the New York case. New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg has said the indictment will be unsealed after the arraignment on Tuesday.

What happens next?

Trump has indicated through his attorneys he will travel from his home in South Florida to New York on Monday afternoon to surrender himself on Tuesday, April 4th. Once he arrives at the District Attorney’s office, he will be formally arrested, which includes being read his Miranda rights, fingerprinted, and photographed. He will then appear before a judge to enter a plea. At that point, it is probable he will be released, either with or without bail.

Trump has posted on Truth Social he intends to give a speech at his Mar-a-Lago residence after his return from New York on Tuesday.