Donald Trump, former US President will be charged with making payments to a porn star as hush money. This was prior to the 2016 presidential election. However, the charges have not been made public yet.
A grand jury has chosen to indict him following an investigation into a $130,000 payment made to Stormy Daniels in an attempt to purchase her silence regarding an alleged affair. Mr Trump, 76, denies wrongdoing. He is the first sitting or past president of the United States to face criminal charges.
The office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who has been conducting the investigation, stated that it had contacted Mr. Trump's attorney in order to "coordinate his surrender" on unspecified charges. According to insiders, the ex-president, who resides in Florida, is set to fly to New York on Monday and appear in court on Tuesday.
At the hearing, which will take approximately 10 to 15 minutes, he will be read the indictment's charges. Security for the court appearance will be handled by the United States Secret Service, which is responsible for guarding current and previous US presidents.
In 2016, adult film actress Stormy Daniels contacted media outlets and offered to sell her account of an alleged affair she had with Donald Trump in 2006 - the year after he married Melania, his present wife.
Michael Cohen, Mr. Trump's attorney, paid Ms. Daniels $130,000 to keep silent once his team learned about this. This is not a crime. But, when Mr. Trump reimbursed his solicitor, the cash was recorded as being for legal costs.
In New York, misrepresenting company records constitutes a misdemeanor, a criminal offense, according to the prosecution. Authorities could also contend that this violates election law, as his attempt to conceal his payments to Ms Daniels was motivated by his want to conceal his romance with her from voters.
In order to conceal a crime, falsifying records is a felony, which is a more serious offense. Even advocates for the prosecution recognise that this case is by no means straightforward. There are few precedents for this type of prosecution, and previous attempts to accuse politicians of breaching the line between campaign financing and personal spending have failed.
Like with all criminal defendants, Mr. Trump now faces the risk of having his fingerprints recorded and mugshot taken. Mr. Trump has regularly referred to the inquiry in his home state of New York as a "witch hunt" orchestrated by his opponents. Mr. Bragg, a registered Democrat, has denied having a personal grudge against Mr. Trump. Earlier this month, he mentioned that they consider matters in the jurisdiction according to reality, the law, and the evidence."
The criminal case may influence the 2024 presidential election. Mr. Trump presently leads all announced and potential candidates for the Republican nomination for the White House. But, nothing in US law prohibits a candidate convicted of a felony from campaigning for and serving as president, even from prison.
Thursday evening, his campaign sent out fundraising letters referencing the charges. Mr. Trump is also under investigation in a number of more situations. Mr. Trump, president from 2017 to 2021, was impeached twice by the House of Representatives. The Senate acquitted him both times.
