What the Donald Trump hush money trial is really all about

It’s been called the hush money case, but Donald Trump isn’t charged with paying hush money. It’s been called an election interference case, but that might not fully explain it, either.

A more precise, if less concise, way to describe the case is that it’s about allegedly covering up a hush money scheme — or, allegedly covering up 2016 election interference.

Jury selection starts today, and here’s how Judge Juan Merchan will summarize the case for prospective jurors:

Based on those allegations, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg charged Trump with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. The former president has pleaded not guilty and denies the allegations, as he has done in his other three pending criminal cases.

So, technically, it’s a falsifying business records case. Of course, that doesn’t have the same ring to it as hush money or election interference. Perhaps more importantly, that dry description doesn’t get to the heart of the matter.

Ultimately, people are free to call the case what they want. What’s clear is that People v. Trump, the first criminal trial against a former U.S. president, is historic.

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This article was originally published on MSNBC.com