Key dates in Donald Trump’s legal troubles following his indictment.
Former President Donald Trump Faces Multiple Legal Battles
Following his indictment on federal charges, former President Donald Trump is also encumbered by a string of similar legal scandals, with dates quickly approaching in the summer months.
Trump is facing charges and investigations at multiple levels. He has made history several times since March, becoming the first former president to be indicted on state and federal charges, as well as the first to be found liable for sexual assault.
Biden Bets on Silence
BIDEN BETS THAT THE BEST WAY TO BEAT TRUMP IS TO REMAIN SILENT ON THE INDICTMENT
Here is a roundup of the former president’s legal battles and any relevant upcoming dates.
Federal Charges: Classified Documents (June 27)
Trump pleaded not guilty to 37 charges at a Miami courthouse on Tuesday: 31 counts for the willful retention of national defense information (violating the Espionage Act), one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice, one count of withholding a document or record, one count of corruptly concealing a document or record, one count of concealing a document in a federal investigation, one count for a scheme to conceal, and one count related to alleged false statements.
The arraignment marked the first time in United States history that a former president was criminally charged at the federal level.
The next steps for Trump are unknown at this time, with a trial expected to come months down the road. However, the former president’s case is also tied to the indictment of former valet and current personal aide Walt Nauta.
Nauta is charged with six counts as a co-conspirator of allegedly mishandling classified documents, hundreds of which were discovered at Mar-a-Lago, where Nauta worked. His arraignment is set for June 27, and Trump was ordered not to speak with Nauta about the case.
State Charges: Manhattan Grand Jury (June 27 and Aug. 29)
Trump’s legal team is currently building its defense in a separate case out of New York, which is expected to be a long and bitter court battle. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and his office charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records in April. Trump pleaded not guilty to the charges, which stem from hush-money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election.
The former president has until Aug. 29 to file any motions to dismiss the charges, with a consideration hearing scheduled for Jan. 4. Trump has decried the charges against him as the result of a “witch hunt” and as a political ploy to undermine him in the 2024 election.
Trump is attempting to move the case out of acting New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan’s hands by transferring it to federal court or demanding Merchan’s recusal.
Prosecutors have voiced their opposition to the former president’s proposals. The federal court will hold a hearing on June 27 to discuss, but it is possible a ruling could come sooner.
A tentative trial start date is scheduled for March 25, which will land right in the middle of the primary season.
State Investigation: Georgia Election Interference (August)
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has hinted that her office could announce charges against the former president and many of his allies sometime this summer.
Willis asked judges to refrain from in-person hearings for parts of August, indicating that she could be preparing for a large indictment against Trump for his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia. She asked for a block in the schedule during the weeks beginning Aug. 7 and Aug. 14. Her staffers will work remotely for the first three weeks of August, as well.
The district attorney also gave law enforcement a timeline for this summer, warning them that the announcement of the charges could lead to civil unrest or even violence.
Civil Lawsuit: E. Jean Carroll (July 13 and Aug. 3)
E. Jean Carroll won her defamation and sexual assault case against Trump on May 9, with the former president ordered to pay roughly $5 million in damages.
It was the first time in United States history that a former president was found liable for sexual abuse. Trump has asked for a new trial.
Carroll’s first defamation lawsuit, which was filed in 2019, was put on hold as courts determined whether the scope of his employment as president allows Carroll to sue him personally. The Justice Department originally sought to replace Trump as the defendant, which held up the case for months.
However, recent court filings suggest that the DOJ is reconsidering its position after Trump called Carroll a liar and the sexual assault a “hoax” at the CNN town hall. A federal judge ruled on Tuesday that Carroll could amend her original lawsuit to include Trump’s town hall comments.
The Justice Department has until July 13 to request that it be allowed to step away from the case, which could set Trump up to receive damages on his own. On Aug. 3, the situation will be briefed so the judge can make a ruling.
Civil Fraud Lawsuit: New York Attorney General (Oct. 2)
New York Attorney General Letitia James kicked off the train of Trump’s legal battles after she announced a $250 million civil fraud lawsuit against Trump, his three adult children, and his business entities in September 2022. The suit was part of a multi-year investigation into allegations that the former president and his company misled investors by inflating and deflating property values to receive investments.
Trump sat for his second deposition in April, his first occurring in August last year. During the first deposition, he repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment. He has blasted James for the lawsuit and her other investigations, calling them false and politically motivated.
The trial is set for Oct. 2. However, due to the federal indictment, it is possible that James’s case, along with Bragg’s and Willis’s, will have to be put on hold.
“In all likelihood, I believe that my case, as well as DA Bragg and the Georgia case, will, unfortunately, have to be adjourned pending the outcome of the federal case,” James said Tuesday on MSNBC.
Federal Investigation: Jan. 6, 2021 (unknown)
Special counsel Jack Smith is continuing to gather evidence and testimony from witnesses in his second investigation of the former president. Smith is looking into Trump’s efforts during and after the 2020 election that led to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Former Trump White House official Steve Bannon was reportedly subpoenaed for documents and testimony by the Washington federal grand jury connected to the Jan. 6 investigation. Bannon was previously charged with contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate with two subpoenas issued by the select House Jan. 6 committee. He was sentenced to four months in jail and a $6,500 fine.
The investigation is not set to wrap up any time soon, but an indictment could lead to a second set of federal charges against Trump.
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