Donald Trump Indicted By Manhattan Grand Jury
Former US president, Donald Trump has been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury, becoming the first person in U.S. history to serve as commander in chief and then be charged with a crime.
The charges remained under seal but the investigation centred on payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to silence claims of an extramarital sexual encounter.
The indictment by a grand jury in Manhattan, New York, come after a years-long investigation into a payment made by Trump’s personal lawyer to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
The office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who has been pursuing the investigation, confirmed that it had contacted Mr Trump’s attorney to “co-ordinate his surrender” on unspecified charges.
The ex-president, who lives in Florida, is expected to fly to New York on Monday and be arraigned in court on Tuesday.
In 2016, adult film star Stormy Daniels contacted media outlets offering to sell her account of what she said was an adulterous affair she had with Donald Trump in 2006, the year after he married his current wife, Melania.
Mr Trump’s team got wind of this, and his lawyer Michael Cohen paid $130,000 to Ms Daniels to keep quiet. This is not illegal.
However, when Mr Trump reimbursed his lawyer, the record for the payment says it was for legal fees. Prosecutors say this amounts to Mr Trump falsifying business records, which is a misdemeanour a criminal offence – in New York.
Prosecutors could also potentially allege that this breaks election law, because his attempt to hide his payments to Ms Daniels were motivated by not wanting voters to know he had an affair with her.
Covering up a crime by falsifying records would be a felony, which is a more serious charge. Even advocates for prosecution acknowledge that either way, this is by no means a clear-cut case.
In a statement, Mr Trump lashed out at the Manhattan district attorney. He called the prosecutor a “disgrace”, and accused him of “doing Joe Biden’s dirty work”.
“The Democrats have lied, cheated and stolen in their obsession with trying to ‘Get Trump,’ but now they’ve done the unthinkable – indicting a completely innocent person in an act of blatant Election Interference,” he said.
Trump, who is seeking the White House again in 2024, calls the move a “witch hunt”.
The criminal case could shape the 2024 presidential race. Mr Trump is currently the front-runner among all declared and potential contenders for the Republican White House nomination.
Top Republicans have also dismissed the expected indictment as a “politically motivated prosecutorial decision”.
House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy said: “Alvin Bragg has irreparably damaged our country in an attempt to interfere in our Presidential election.
“As he routinely frees violent criminals to terrorize the public, he weaponized our sacred system of justice against President Donald Trump.”
But Democrats welcomed the indictment, arguing it showed no-one was above the law.
- Congressman Adam Schiff said: “The indictment and arrest of a former president is unique throughout all of American history.
