A grand jury in New York decided to indict President Trump for giving Stormy Daniels hush money during the 2016 election.
There has never been a criminal investigation against a previous American president. The announcement is likely to upset Trump’s advantage in the majority of polls in the race for Republican presidential nominee in 2024.
According to a statement from Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg’s spokesperson, “This evening we contacted Mr Trump’s attorney to coordinate his surrender to the Manhattan DA’s Office for arraignment on a supreme court indictment, which remains under seal Guidance will be provided when the arraignment date is selected.”
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Daniels claims an affair with Trump in 2006. Trump denies the affair but has admitted directing Cohen to pay Daniels $130,000 for her silence.
Cohen was also revealed to have arranged for $150,000 to be paid to Karen McDougal, a Playboy model who claimed to have an affair with Trump.
That payment was made by David Pecker, the publisher of the National Enquirer tabloid newspaper, which squashed the story. Trump has admitted reimbursing Cohen with payments the Trump Organization logged as legal expenses.
Susan Necheles Trump’s lawyer said Trump was expected to appear in court for his arraignment on Tuesday, where he would enter a plea on the charges. New York’s police have been told to report for duty on Friday and be prepared to deal with “unusual disorder”, according to a memo seen by NBC.
Trump will be fingerprinted, photographed, and processed for a felony arrest, however it is unknown if he will be handcuffed at his appearance. The charges are anticipated to be fiercely contested by his legal team, and the timing of a future trial is yet uncertain.
In a statement issued shortly after the news emerged, Trump, who is reportedly facing up to 30 counts of corporate fraud, criticized Bragg and Democrats, asserting that the indictment amounted to “political persecution.”
“I believe this witch hunt will backfire massively on Joe Biden,” Trump said. “Our movement, and our party – united and strong – will first defeat Alvin Bragg, and then we will defeat Joe Biden.”
Democrats responded to claims of persecution, saying that if Trump broke the law, he should face charges like any American. Chuck Schumer, Democratic Senate majority leader added: “There should be no outside political influence, intimidation or interference in the case. I encourage both Mr Trump’s critics and supporters to let the process proceed peacefully and according to the law.”
The Trump team started making financial appeals shortly after the news broke to combat what it called “the darkest chapter in American history.” It claimed that the Democrats had turned the legal system into a weapon in order to punish a political foe.
Prominent Republicans promptly criticized the indictment and defended Trump. Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy accused Bragg of doing irreparable harm to the nation. “The American people will not tolerate this injustice, and the House of Representatives will hold Alvin Bragg and his unprecedented abuse of power to account,” McCarthy said on Twitter.
Stormy Daniels celebrated news of the indictment, tweeting: “Thank you to everyone for your support and love! I have so many messages coming in that I can’t respond … also don’t want to spill my champagne.”
Thursday’s indictment is not the only legal woe for Trump. He also faces jeopardy over his election subversion and incitement of the January 6 attack on Congress; his attempts to overturn the 2020 result in Georgia; his retention of classified records; his business dealings; and a defamation suit arising from an allegation of rape by the writer E Jean Carroll, which Trump denies.
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