Donald Trump threw a stick of dynamite into US politics almost two weeks ago when he predicted his imminent arrest. The fuse on that stick turned out to be longer than expected, but on Thursday night it exploded.
Mr Trump will be the first former US president to face criminal charges. He will be the first former president to be fingerprinted, taken for a mugshot and compelled to stand as an accused defendant before a judge.
If the case proceeds as expected, he will be the first former US president to sit before a jury of his peers.
As the news broke, other members of the Republican Party closed ranks around their former president.
The White House has been keeping a studious silence on the matter, while other Democrats have been less reticient.
“The bedrock of our legal system is the principle that justice applies to everyone equally,” Democratic Senator Cory Booker said in a statement. “No-one is above the law.”
Mr Trump’s current legal drama may reach a crescendo and conclude well before a vote is cast in 2024. The political fallout could ultimately depend on the course it tracks – and whether this case is joined by others.
BBC