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Get the Facts: Debunking misinformation about Trump indictment

Fact-check shows some claims by former president and his supporters are false

Get the Facts: Debunking misinformation about Trump indictment

Fact-check shows some claims by former president and his supporters are false

On the day of his indictment in Manhattan, Donald Trump in *** statement attacked the case against him as *** witch hunt and said, quote, never before in our nation's history. Has this been done? So let's get the facts while Trump is the first former president president to be indicted for *** crime. One of the counts against him is actually quite common for the Manhattan District Attorney's office. In fact, it's brought this same felony charge 117 times since D *** Alvin Bragg took office and another 168 times in the three years before that. Have you ever tried *** case on account of falsifying business records? I have in the past. Yes, former federal prosecutor, Carlos Singh tried those types of cases in Silicon Valley, the birthplace of the US tech industry where cases can also be called unique. And so that was always the challenge in terms of we were pushing the envelope and testing the law of *** new medium upon which to commit sometimes fraud or older type of offenses. But while Trump's case may be novel because of the defendant, it's not unique in how he was charged Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Green posted on Twitter. We must protest the unconstitutional witch hunt that unconstitutional claim is false. In fact, the indictment is the exact opposite of unconstitutional. The fifth amendment of the constitution adopted in 1791 states, no person shall be held to answer for *** capital or otherwise infamous crime unless on *** presentment or indictment of *** grand jury. So the grand jury indictment of Donald Trump is expressly constitutional. Donald Trump also claimed the judge hearing this case was hand picked by prosecutors that's false judges. There are assigned by random draw and this judge was randomly selected to oversee the grand jury in this case and thus handles any indictments it hands up and those are the facts in Washington. I'm chief, national investigative correspondent, Mark Albert.
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Get the Facts: Debunking misinformation about Trump indictment

Fact-check shows some claims by former president and his supporters are false

The historic indictment handed up by a New York grand jury against Donald Trump is unique due to the defendant’s status as a former president. However, some of the actual counts themselves are not as novel as some critics of the indictment allege, the Hearst Television National Investigative Unit has found. Carlos Singh, a lecturer at San José State University, said he has tried cases of falsifying business records during his time as a former federal prosecutor in Silicon Valley. The birthplace of the U.S. tech industry can generate unusual or novel cases as decades-old legal statutes are applied to cutting-edge tech. "That was always the challenge in terms of: we were pushing the envelope in testing the law, because of a new medium upon which to commit sometimes fraud or older type of offenses,” Singh said in an interview.Other questionable claims made by those critical of the indictment, including from the former president himself as well as a portion of a Twitter post by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), are false. On Tuesday, Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts contained in the indictment during his arraignment in Manhattan Supreme Court. Watch our story above to ‘Get the Facts’ on Donald Trump’s indictment.Watch our ‘Get the Facts’ story on how grand juries work.Watch our ‘Get the Facts’ story on the known criminal investigations into Donald Trump.Mark Albert is the chief national investigative correspondent for the Hearst Television National Investigative Unit, based in Washington D.C. Tamika Cody, Wendy Wilk and David Barcenas contributed to this report. If you know of election security concerns you want us to investigate, send confidential information and documents to the National Investigative Unit at investigate@hearst.com.

The historic indictment handed up by a New York grand jury against Donald Trump is unique due to the defendant’s status as a former president. However, some of the actual counts themselves are not as novel as some critics of the indictment allege, the Hearst Television National Investigative Unit has found.

Carlos Singh, a lecturer at San José State University, said he has tried cases of falsifying business records during his time as a former federal prosecutor in Silicon Valley. The birthplace of the U.S. tech industry can generate unusual or novel cases as decades-old legal statutes are applied to cutting-edge tech.

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"That was always the challenge in terms of: we were pushing the envelope in testing the law, because of a new medium upon which to commit sometimes fraud or older type of offenses,” Singh said in an interview.

Other questionable claims made by those critical of the indictment, including from the former president himself as well as a portion of a Twitter post by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), are false.

On Tuesday, Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts contained in the indictment during his arraignment in Manhattan Supreme Court.

Watch our story above to ‘Get the Facts’ on Donald Trump’s indictment.

Mark Albert is the chief national investigative correspondent for the Hearst Television National Investigative Unit, based in Washington D.C. Tamika Cody, Wendy Wilk and David Barcenas contributed to this report.

If you know of election security concerns you want us to investigate, send confidential information and documents to the National Investigative Unit at investigate@hearst.com.