List: The major legal battles Donald Trump currently faces

(NewsNation) — Former President Donald Trump could be indicted in New York this week as Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg continues to weigh potential charges in connection to an alleged hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.

The ongoing investigation stems from a $130,000 payment Trump’s longtime fixer and former lawyer, Michael Cohen, made to Daniels, which was allegedly to keep her quiet about an affair she claims to have had with Trump.

Although it’s unclear what charges Bragg may pursue, it’s possible prosecutors will argue Trump misrepresented Cohen’s reimbursement, thereby falsifying business records.

The recent developments in New York are just the latest in a string of legal challenges the former president currently faces.

new york cases

Manhattan DA Bragg is expected to make a charging decision in the coming days after a grand jury concludes its investigation into the alleged hush money payments.

If he’s indicted, Trump would become the first former president ever to face criminal charges.

In a separate case, New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a civil lawsuit against Trump and three of his adult children in September for allegedly misrepresenting the value of financial assets in order to “cheat the system.”

James alleges that Trump, along with help from his three eldest children; Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, falsely inflated his net worth by billions of dollars.

Letitia is seeking to permanently bar the Trumps from ever serving as officers or directors at companies in New York, effectively ending their ability to do business in the state.

That trial is scheduled to begin on Oct. 3, 2023.

classified documents probe

In November, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed longtime prosecutor Jack Smith to serve as special counsel for Justice Department investigations involving Trump.

The first probe stems from Trump’s handling of several hundred classified documents which were found at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

Federal authorities are determining whether Trump violated any laws in connection to the materials, some of which were marked as “top secret.”

Prior to Smith’s appointment, the FBI executed a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago as part of an ongoing records probe into the former president’s handling of government documents.

The search came after the National Archives and Records Administration said it found classified documents in 15 boxes of White House records that Trump had returned after taking them to his Florida home.

The National Archives said Trump should have turned over that material upon leaving office, and it asked the Justice Department to investigate.

Multiple federal laws govern the handling of classified records and sensitive documents, although criminal charges for those offenses are extremely rare.

Authorities could also be looking at an obstruction charge if Trump knowingly concealed the records to keep them away from officials.

Last week, a judge ruled that federal prosecutors could question a Trump lawyer before a grand jury as investigators try to determine the former president’s role in the case. Before the judge’s ruling, Trump’s lawyer had avoided answering certain questions by invoking attorney-client privilege.

jan. 6 investigation

In December, a bipartisan U.S. House committee completed its investigation into the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol and recommended criminal charges against Trump for his alleged role.

Although not legally binding, the committee’s findings may serve as a roadmap for Smith, who is heading the federal investigation into Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election, in addition to overseeing the classified documents probe.

Multiple witnesses, including Trump’s own advisers, testified before the House committee that the former president knew the 2020 election wasn’t “stolen” even as he continued to publicly insist that it had been.

Those statements helped fuel the crowd of far-right agitators that ultimately descended on and breached the Capitol, many have argued.

The charges recommended by the committee to U.S. Attorney General Garland are conspiracy to defraud the United States, obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress, conspiracy to make a false statement and insurrection.

Last year, the U.S. Senate acquitted Trump on an impeachment charge of inciting an insurrection.

In addition to possible charges from the Justice Department, Trump is facing a number of other lawsuits related to the events on Jan. 6.

Multiple U.S. Capitol Police officers have filed lawsuits against Trump for allegedly inciting the riot. In the days and months after the event, four officers from various departments who responded to the attack died by suicide.

election interference in Georgia

Prosecutors in Georgia are determining whether Trump illegally interfered in the 2020 election.

In that case, a special grand jury wrapped up its work in December and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis will now decide whether to go to a regular grand jury for one or more indictments in the case.

Last month, the foreperson of the special grand jury said the panel recommended that numerous people be indicted, but did not say who.

In a now infamous phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in January 2021, Trump argued that Raffensperger could change the results of the presidential election.

“I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have,” Trump said. “Because we won the state.”

There has been no evidence of widespread election fraud in Georgia or any other state to date.

Willis said during a hearing in January that decisions in the case are “imminent.”