Former President Donald Trump was indicted for an unprecedented third time on August 1, adding another set of serious federal charges to the mounting legal issues he faces.
Former President Donald Trump was indicted for an unprecedented third time on August 1, adding another set of serious federal charges to the mounting legal issues he faces.
It means he’s being charged with the crime by a grand jury, as opposed to a prosecutor. So he’ll be going on trial to see if he gets convicted.
A little easier to understand the significance:
A grand jury has ruled that the evidence presented is sufficient enough to warrant a trial to determine if a crime has been committed.
Typically grand juries are either random citizens (selected via jury duty), or volunteers within the community, depending on the city rules. They are not elected positions, nor are any legal qualifications required. It’s simply high level evidence, and descriptions of laws that may have been violated.
It’s not an indication of guilt, just that there’s enough of a question that is worth holding a trial to determine guilt.
Edit - at least, that’s what a grand jury usually is. I wouldn’t be surprised if federal charges on a former president requires more qualified grand jurors than the baker down the street, or retired carpenter with time to kill that comprises your typical grand jury
Also there may be significant political bias (right?) if some of them are his hi-tech supporters