NEW YORK — The New York secret money case is among several legal problems facing former President Donald Trump.
Trump faces investigations into his business dealings, his time in office (including his efforts to stay in office), as well as his time since leaving the White House.
Some Democrats say the case in Manhattan pales in comparison to the most serious potential charges Trump could face.
“If I were the great wizard, I would have said wait for this one. With all the crimes he’s probably committed, and this being his first, it gives him the ability to be the martyr he wants to be,” political analyst Dan Gerstein said.
Here’s a breakdown of some of his legal battles elsewhere and a couple others in New York.
MAR-A-LAGO
The Justice Department is investigating his retention of top-secret government documents at his Florida property, Mar-a-Lago, after he left the White House, as well as possible efforts to obstruct that investigation.
As part of that investigation, agents and prosecutors have spent months interviewing several people close to Trump, including an aide who was seen on surveillance video moving boxes of documents around the property.
A grand jury in Washington has been hearing evidence in the investigation. Last year, prosecutors granted limited immunity to a close Trump ally to secure his testimony.
GEORGIA ELECTION AND JANUARY 6 INSURRECTION
Federal investigators are also looking into the January 6, 2021 insurrection and efforts to overturn elections that Trump falsely claimed were stolen. The DOJ is investigating the events of that day after receiving the report from a congressional committee that declared that Trump should be held accountable.
Parts of a report from a special grand jury in Georgia that investigated whether Trump and his allies illegally interfered in Georgia’s 2020 election show that jurors believed “one or more witnesses” committed perjury and urged local prosecutors to file charges. . The former president never testified, but the report did not rule out the possibility of other charges.
After his loss in the 2020 election, Trump called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and urged him to “find 11,780 votes,” enough to overtake Democrat Joe Biden and overturn Trump’s narrow defeat in the state. .
That Jan. 2 phone call was part of a months-long investigation by a special grand jury in Atlanta looking into whether crimes were committed as part of the lobbying campaign to overturn Trump’s defeat.
Among those questioned by the special grand jury are Rudy Giuliani, a former New York mayor and Trump lawyer; Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina; and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp.
Prosecutors have warned Giuliani and Georgia Republicans who served as fake voters that they risk prosecution. The fake voters signed a certificate claiming that Trump had won the election and declared themselves electors of the state, even though Biden had won the state and a list of Democratic electors had already been certified.
Trump and his allies have denied any wrongdoing, and he has repeatedly described his phone call to Raffensperger as “perfect.” Lawyers for the former president filed a motion Monday asking that the special grand jury report looking into the 2020 election be “vacated and expunged.”
The 51-page filing calls for all evidence derived from the special grand jury to be found unconstitutional. He also requests that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis be disqualified from further investigating the matter.
Among the incidents Willis reviewed was Trump’s January 2021 phone call with Raffensperger.
ELSEWHERE IN NEW YORK
New York Attorney General Letitia James has sued Trump and the Trump Organization, saying he misled banks and tax authorities about the value of assets such as golf courses and skyscrapers to get loans and tax breaks.
That lawsuit, which is pending, could result in civil penalties against the company if the Democratic attorney general prevails. She wants $250 million and a ban on Trump doing business in New York.
Meanwhile, a judge has appointed an independent monitor to keep an eye on the company.
In another case, the Trump Organization was convicted of tax fraud in December for helping executives evade taxes on extravagant perks like Manhattan apartments and luxury cars. Trump himself was not on trial. The company was fined $1.6 million.
Trump is the first commander in chief in United States history to be criminally charged.
