Trump’s First Criminal Case: Timeline of Indictment Events

Donald Trump’s first criminal trial will shine a light on what prosecutors say was a coordinated effort by the former president to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to spike salacious tabloid stories about his alleged affairs with women before the 2016 election.

The hush money wasn’t the issue. Instead, Trump repeatedly falsified business records by disguising the payments as legal expenses, according to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Bragg elevated the charges to felonies by alleging that Trump’s falsified records amounted to campaign finance violations.