CT reacts to Trump being indicted, First ex-president to be charged with crime

(WFSB) - A Manhattan jury has indicted former President Donald Trump for his alleged role in a hush-money case with adult film star, Stormy Daniels.

The alleged crimes date back to 2016 when Trump ran for office.

But the former president has said he still plans to run again in 2024, despite facing criminal charges.

Professor William Dunlap is a law expert at Quinnipiac University.

“There’s nothing in the constitution of the United States that says somebody who has been charged or convicted of a crime cannot run for president,” said Dunlap. “We don’t really know what it means. This is uncharted territory.”

Trump could face more than 30 counts related to business fraud and is expected to appear in court on Tuesday for his arraignment.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if a big part of it has to do with the cover-up rather than the behavior itself,” Dunlap said.

Professor Dunlap added that he would not be surprised if Trump decided to go back to Florida, drawing out the case.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis tweeted that Florida would not assist with extradition should they be asked to do so.

Professor Dunlap speculated on what we could see in the months to come.

“I think they will try to prevent certain evidence from being introduced at trial and some of those motions could start well in advance, trying to lay groundwork so both of those sides know who can be brought in and who can’t. I think there will be a lot of sidebar play months, maybe even years before a case gets brought to trial, if it ever gets brought to trial,” Dunlap said.

Trump is facing several other investigations, including his handling of classified documents, his role in the January 6th capitol attack, and his alleged attempt to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia.

A mixed reaction comes along with the news of the indictment.

“I don’t think it’s fair,” said Jasen Eldridge, North Franklin. “I don’t think he did anything to deserve to get arrested.”

Others say their opinion of Trump has changed over the years.

“I used to like Trump but you know it’s just, things happen in life. He should have thought about things before he did what he had to do,” added a Windham resident who wished to stay anonymous.

Even though Trump is a former president, some say he should be held responsible for his actions.

“The law is the law and you’ve got to respect the law. You can’t do nothing about that,” said another Windham resident.

Copyright 2023 WFSB. All rights reserved.