(NEXSTAR) — A New York grand jury has voted to indict former Pres. Donald Trump in connection to the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation into an alleged hush-money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
Bragg’s probe into the $130,000 payment made ahead of the 2016 Presidential Election has increasingly been viewed as a viable legal challenge for Trump, especially as both Daniels and former Trump attorney Michael Cohen testified before the grand jury in the case. Bragg’s investigation has worked to determine if the payment violated campaign finance rules.
Earlier this month, Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social: “THE FAR & AWAY LEADING REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE & FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WILL BE ARRESTED ON TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK.”
The former president claimed he learned this from “illegal leaks” from Bragg’s office. As Associated Press reports, Trump lawyer Susan Necheles said Trump’s comments on Saturday were “based on the media reports,” though no further information was given. That date came and went with no indictment, until Thursday.
What does it mean to be indicted?
If you’re wondering what exactly “indictment” means, the U.S. Department of Justice explains that an indictment is formal notice that someone receives, notifying them it’s believed they committed a crime. The indictment lists what charges they’re facing.
What does it take for an indictment to happen?
The way it works for felony charges in the U.S. is that a grand jury examines all potential evidence to determine if a crime was committed. If the jury, generally made up of 16-23 people, decides there’s enough evidence that a crime occurred, an indictment will come.
Analysts have said it’s unlikely the former president would be arrested since Trump officials themselves told Associated Press they would “ follow the normal procedures” if an indictment does come down. An arrest would only happen in the event an indicted person doesn’t surrender, according to AP.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.