Washington - Former President Donald Trump’s recent indictment by a Manhattan grand jury marks a historic moment in U.S. politics. The indictment comes after years of investigations into his personal, political, and business dealings.

Trump is facing criminal charges related to payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to silence claims of extramarital affairs. While the exact nature of the charges remains under seal, prosecutors stated they are working to coordinate Trump's surrender, expected to happen early next week.

The charges are the first against a former U.S. president and inject a local district attorney's office into the heart of a national presidential race. The criminal proceedings will take place in a city that Trump called home for decades. The charges are likely to reinforce rather than reshape dueling perspectives of those who see accountability as long overdue and those who believe Trump is being targeted for political purposes by a Democratic prosecutor.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly assailed the investigation, calling it "political persecution."

In a statement confirming the charges, his defense lawyers Susan Necheles and Joseph Tacopina said Trump "did not commit any crime. We will vigorously fight this political prosecution in court."

The timing of the indictment appears to have come as a surprise to Trump campaign officials following news reports that criminal charges were likely weeks away.

The former president was at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida estate, on Thursday and filmed an interview with a conservative commentator earlier in the day. For a man whose presidency was defined by one obliterated norm after another, the indictment sets up yet another never-before-seen spectacle: a former president having his fingerprints and mug shot taken and then facing arraignment.

Trump will now have to simultaneously fight for his freedom and political future while fending off potentially more perilous legal threats, including investigations into attempts by him and his allies to undo the 2020 presidential election as well as into the hoarding of hundreds of classified documents.

New York was until recently seen as an unlikely contender to be the first place to prosecute Trump. He continues to face long-running investigations in Atlanta and Washington that could also result in charges. Unlike those inquiries, the Manhattan case concerns allegations against Trump that occurred before he became president. The cases are unrelated to his much-publicized efforts to overturn the election.

In bringing the charges, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is embracing an unusual case that was investigated by two previous sets of prosecutors, both of which declined to take the politically explosive step of seeking Trump's indictment. The case may also turn in part on the testimony of a key witness, Trump's former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, who pleaded guilty to federal charges arising from the hush money payments, including making false statements.

The indictment comes as Trump seeks to reassert control of the Republican Party and stave off a slew of one-time allies who may threaten his bid for the presidential nomination. An expected leading rival in the race, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, called the indictment "un-American" in a statement Thursday night that pointedly did not mention Trump's name.