New York A so-called grand jury in New York has voted to indict former US President Donald Trump for paying a porn actress to hush. This was confirmed by prosecutors in a statement by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. He signaled that Trump’s arrest may be in the works. His office contacted Trump’s attorney to arrange his transfer to New York for indictment, Bragg’s office said. Previously, the US media had unanimously reported on this. The prosecution in the case is still under lock and key. More information is expected to follow once a date for Trump’s appearance is set. Never before in US history has a former president been charged with a crime.
Trump paid money to the actress shortly before his election as president in 2016 – this could run afoul of campaign finance rules. A 23-member grand jury will decide whether to press charges after prosecutors present evidence.
Trump himself reacted with outrage to the accusation against him. “This is political persecution and election interference at the highest level in history,” said a written statement from the Republican, who plans to run again as his party’s presidential candidate in the 2024 election.
He has accused Democrats of trying to undermine him politically since his first presidential run in the 2016 election and of harassing him with multiple investigations during his tenure. “The Democrats lied, cheated and stole in their obsession to ‘get’ Trump, but now they’ve done the unthinkable – frame a completely innocent person in an act of blatant election interference,” Trump said. “This has never happened in the history of our country.”
Arming the American judicial system to crack down on a political opponent who happens to be the leading Republican presidential candidate has never happened before, Trump wrote, predicting it would backfire on President Joe Biden and his Democrats.
The charge against him was an “attack on our country”. It is also an attack on the “before” free elections, the US is now a “Third World country” and a nation in decline, wrote the Republican in the network and substitute for the Twitter Truth Social that he co-founded. In his post, several words were in capital letters, the word “accused” was misspelled.
Trump’s lawyers want to “fight vigorously” the criminal charges against the former US president. The announcement was made by Joe Tacopina, a supporter of Trump. “He has not committed any crime. We will vigorously fight this political persecution in court,” Tacopina said.
Lawsuit Could Have Consequences for Trump’s Presidential Campaign
A trial and possible conviction that could land the Republican several years in prison could politically damage his plans to run for president again, in terms of support from his party and the Republican base. In purely legal terms, on the other hand, Trump could theoretically also be considered a convicted felon in the 2024 presidential election, as legal experts emphasize.
“Trump will be held accountable for breaking the law,” said Nebraska Democratic leader Jane Kleeb. Ammar Moussa of the Democratic National Committee said that “no matter what happens in Trump’s next trial, it is evident that the Republican Party remains firmly in Donald Trump’s hands”.
Democrat Adam Schiff called the allegations “unprecedented”. “But that also applies to the illegal behavior that Trump was involved in,” the US congressman wrote on Twitter late on Thursday. “The rich and powerful” must also be held accountable – even if they hold high office. Anything else is not democracy. Schiff led the prosecution team in Trump’s first impeachment trial.
>> Read about it: “2024 is the last battle” – Trump vows revenge on investigators
The president of the conservative platform CPAC, Matt Schlapp, jumped to the side of the former president. “We are appalled and strongly condemn the New York City Attorney’s abuse of power,” he said. Americans have lost confidence in government institutions and experts “because the truth has fallen victim to brute political power.”
The criminal charges are “a flagrant violation of constitutional norms” and a continuation of the witch hunt against Trump, Schlapp said. The judiciary is abused by “disturbed bureaucrats” and activists.
The Democrats are in trouble. On the one hand, they must condemn Trump’s actions and, on the other hand, they must avoid the impression of partisan influence on the judiciary as much as possible.
stormy daniels
The porn actress received payments in secret money.
(Photo: dpa)
Silence money for porn star
The case involves clandestine payments to former porn star Stormy Daniels. Daniels says he had sex with Trump in 2006. His lawyer at the time, Michael Cohen, who has since resigned his former client, said he paid Trump secret money during the 2016 presidential election campaign to avoid political harm from him shortly before of the election. Trump’s company later reimbursed him for the expenses in several installments.
Trump and his lawyers granted a payout. However, the Republican denies having done business with the porn actress and insists that the payment had nothing to do with campaign funds.
The prosecution of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, is considered sensitive. Bragg’s predecessors and the federal attorney’s office declined to charge Trump with the bribe payments. If the case goes to trial, the conspirators would have to believe Cohen’s statements.
>> Read also: “I’m back”: Trump resumes posting on Facebook and YouTube
More recently, the 76-year-old claimed in a social media post that his arrest was imminent. At the same time, he called on his followers to resist: “Protest, take back our nation!” New York then prepared for possible protests and increased security around the courthouse in midtown Manhattan.
Trump’s environment assured in advance that the former president would follow the usual procedure should there be an indictment – and also voluntarily appear in court to find out details of possible charges. So there would be no reason for a sensational arrest. It is considered likely that Trump could return home after the usual formal impeachment proceedings. It was initially unclear whether there would be images of Trump in handcuffs or photos of him being posted by police.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has declined to support a possible extradition request in connection with the indictment of former President Donald Trump. “When the legal system is used as a weapon to further a political agenda, the rule of law is turned upside down,” the prominent US Republican wrote on Twitter. Trump’s official residence is in Florida.
Former Trump lawyer: No one is above the law
Former Trump lawyer Cohen pleaded guilty in court in 2018 to multiple charges, including violations of campaign finance laws, for paying Daniels and another woman silence. In December 2018, Cohen was convicted and sentenced to three years in prison.
For Cohen, the former US president’s indictment is “just the beginning”, as he said on Thursday night. Now you have to let the accusation speak for itself, Cohen said in a statement. “However, I take solace in the fact that the saying goes that no one is above the law, not even a former president,” continued Cohen. He stands by his statement on the case.
It must now be clarified whether Trump wanted to hide multiple reimbursement payments to Cohen. While bribe payments are not illegal in the United States, prosecutors may deem Daniels’ $130,000 worth as an illegal campaign donation in New York State. Ultimately, prosecutors could argue that the bribe directly benefited Trump’s candidacy by helping to protect his reputation.
In an upcoming trial, Cohen would likely be the key witness to frame Trump. She worked for him for more than a decade and was a central figure in several matters involving the republican. Cohen was often described as Trump’s “cleaner” until the split between the two occurred. Cohen has made serious allegations against Trump in court and in the US Congress.
In 2019, Cohen substantiated his allegations that he had bribed Daniels and the other woman on Trump’s behalf. Cohen says Trump personally ordered the secret money returned to him when he was president. Then he accused Trump of criminal behavior in office. Cohen said that Trump has a habit of not expressing certain instructions directly, but expressing them in a kind of “code” that he followed.
Trump still faces a slew of other investigations – including the attack on the US Capitol by his supporters on January 6, 2021.
With material from dpa and Portal.
More: Prosecution, arrest, candidacy: the most important responses to the lawsuit against Donald Trump