After indictment, Trump faces other investigations
Former President Donald Trump speaks at his Mar-a-Lago estate Tuesday in Palm Beach, Fla., after being arraigned earlier in the day in New York City. Credit: AP/Evan Vucci
Former President Donald Trump, who has pleaded not guilty to falsifying business records in a hush money payments case in New York City, faces three other state and federal investigations related to election interference, classified documents and business fraud.
After his arraignment Tuesday at a Manhattan criminal court, Trump denounced the judge in that case, Juan Merchan, as well as the prosecutors working on the other investigations.
Here's a look at the active law enforcement investigations into the former president, who has denied any wrongdoing:
Georgia election interference
The Fulton County District Attorney's Office is investigating whether Trump tampered with the results of the 2020 elections in that state, where President Joe Biden won.
Fani Willis, a Democrat, convened a special grand jury of three men and two women to investigate the allegations, according to news reports. After that process ends, her office must decide if it will convene a regular grand jury to consider bringing an indictment, or multiple indictments, against Trump.
In 2021, The Washington Post published portions of a recorded phone call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger. Trump pressured Raffensberger, a Republican whose office certified the state's vote, to "find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have," Trump said on the call. "Because we won the state."
Hush money payments
On Tuesday in Manhattan, Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, in connection with what prosecutors described as a scheme to silence the claims of adult film actress Stormy Daniels, who said she had an extramarital affair with Trump.
Trump's next court date is Dec. 4, about two months before the Republican presidential primaries begin.
Classified documents and Jan. 6
Federal prosecutors raided Mar-a-Lago on Aug. 8, 2022, to search for classified documents that Trump kept after leaving office.
On Nov. 18, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special prosecutor, Jack Smith, to oversee the criminal investigation. Smith is a former chief prosecutor for the special court in The Hague, part of the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands. The court adjudicates war crimes.
Smith is overseeing two probes related to Trump.
The Justice Department said there was the "ongoing investigation involving classified documents and other presidential records, as well as the possible obstruction of that investigation ... in a pending matter in the Southern District of Florida."
The other is "whether any person or entity unlawfully interfered with the transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election or the certification of the Electoral College vote held on or about Jan. 6, 2021."
New York Attorney General civil case
In September, Letitia James, the state's attorney general, filed a $250 million lawsuit accusing Trump of perpetuating a scheme to inflate the value of more than 200 of his assets, and consequently his net worth, to help him secure better rates from banks and insurance companies over the years.
Trump's responses
In a televised speech Tuesday from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Trump attacked some of the prosecutors in charge of the cases.
"This is a persecution, not an investigation," he said of the civil case James' office brought last year. He said part of James' campaign was to "get" Trump.
Trump said in the Georgia case, the district attorney was targeting him over "an absolutely perfect phone call."
On the subject of the documents probe, Trump said: "As president, I have the right to declassify documents and the process is automatic. If I take them with me, it’s automatic — declassified."
Scott Eidler is a deputy editor for the towns department at Newsday. Scott has worked at Newsday since 2012 and previously covered municipal government and education.
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