Summary

Former President Donald Trump has been indicted, his lawyer says. It’s the first time any ex-president has been indicted in a criminal case and it comes as Trump is running again. Amna Nawaz and Geoff Bennett discussed the case with two former federal prosecutors, Renato Mariotti and Jessica Roth.

Key terms:

Indictment — A formal accusation that someone has committed a crime. Indictments are decided by grand juries, who are presented evidence and witnesses from a prosecutor such as a district attorney. It is important to know that indictments aren’t determinations of guilt, and that the accused are not convicted until they can represent their own case at a trial.

Grand jury — a body of citizens gathered by a prosecutor to determine whether or not an individual should be the subject of criminal charges. Grand juries can decide not to indict based on a prosecutor’s evidence, though they are not tasked with determining guilt or innocence.

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