FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP FACES 34 CHARGES OF FALSIFYING BUSINESS RECORDS

Lily Pruitt Asst. News Editor

In recent months, former President Donald Trump was the center of attention weeks at a time.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has pursued criminal charges against Trump. Bragg has been said to have been investigating Trump on several fronts for several years now. In 2020, a case in the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the district attorney’s office could enforce a subpoena for Trump’s financial records. Bragg then shifted gears to focus on Trump’s involvement with adult film actress Stormy Daniels.

Bragg has alleged that Trump falsified a series of business records to hide criminal conduct from voters during the 2016 presidential election.

Trump surrendered to the Manhattan Dis- trict Attorney’s Office and was arraigned in court after being indicted by a grand jury last week. Trump was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. He pleaded not guilty.

The next hearing is on December 4, in the same court. The prosecution wants a trial in January 2024, and Trump’s defense will delay that as long as possible, as this is the height of the GOP presidential primary season, and Trump is the leading Republican candidate.

Following the charges, Trump flew back to his Mar-a-Lago home, where he expressed his frustrations with the country. He defiantly defended his reputation.

“I have never thought anything like this could happen in America, never thought it could happen,” Trump said. “The only crime I have committed is to fearlessly defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it.”

Many students at GC have varying opinions on the whole dilemma.

Several GC students do not think that much will happen to Trump with the charges.

“This will definitely be a negative impact on his campaign,” said senior special education major Taylor Casey. “I think it will affect his campaign, but I do not think it will change what people think it will change. Democrats think that this will drop his ratings because he will go to prison and Republicans think that he will get rid of the charges.”

Other students at GC seem to be hoping that Trump will go to prison.

“I talk to my friends about it, and we are like, ‘Oh, are we that surprised?’ and it is just like, ‘No, not really,’” said sophomore nursing ma-