After an investigation into hush money payments made to porn actress Stormy Daniels, a Manhattan grand jury indicted Donald Trump, making him the first former American president to be charged with a crime even as he makes another bid for the presidency.
The indictment is still under seal, so the exact charges are not yet known. According to CNN, a US media company, Trump faces more than 30 counts connected to business misconduct.
Trump asserted his innocence and said he would not withdraw from the 2024 presidential campaign. He claimed that Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden would make it harder for him to defeat Bragg in the general election.
He issued a statement that read, “This is Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history.”
Trump made a request for funds for a civil defense shortly after. According to his campaign, he has collected more than $2 million since incorrectly predicting on March 18 that he would be detained four days later.
Trump, who polls indicate is the front-runner for the Republican nomination in 2024, got backing on Thursday from a number of his potential rivals, including Florida Governor Ron Desantis and former Vice President Mike Pence.
On Trump’s indictment, Pence commented by saying, “This will only further serve to divide our country.” Chuck Schumer a very senior Democrat in the Senate said, “I encourage both Mr. Trump’s critics and supporters to let the process proceed peacefully and according to the law.”
According to Democrats, the rule of law can fully apply to Trump.
A court will probably unseal the charges in the upcoming days. At that time, Trump will need to travel to Manhattan for fingerprinting and other processing.
To arrange a surrender, Bragg’s office claimed to have spoken with Trump’s lawyer. A court source predicted that the surrender would probably take place next Tuesday. Susan Necheles and Joseph Tacopina, Trump’s attorneys, vowed to “vigorously contest” the allegations. One of the many legal issues that Trump is facing is the Manhattan probe.
Stephanie Clifford, aka Daniels, has claimed she was paid to remain quiet about the sexual experience she had with Trump in 2006.
The payments to Daniels and a second woman, former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who also claimed she had a sexual connection with him, were coordinated by Trump, according to the former president’s personal attorney Michael Cohen. Infidelity with either lady has been denied by Trump.
In 2018, Trump at first denied knowing anything about the payout to Daniels. Later on, he admitted paying Cohen back for the payment, which he described as a “simple private transaction.”
Daniels’ attorney Clark Brewster stated on Twitter that “no one is above the law.”
In addition to this lawsuit, Trump is the subject of two criminal investigations by a special counsel named by US Attorney General Merrick Garland, as well as a third criminal investigation by a Georgian prosecutor.
No US president, past or present, has ever been charged with a crime.
