by Ben Whedon
A Manhattan grand jury has reportedly voted to indict former President Donald Trump over his alleged role in a payment to Stormy Daniels in 2016, making him the first former president to face criminal charges.
The felony indictment is under seal but the exact charges are likely to be announced soon. A source with direct knowledge of the matter confirmed the indictment to Just the News.
Trump has not yet been arrested but he will face arraignment on the charges, be fingerprinted, and may be handcuffed.
The case involves a payment of $130,000 that Trump’s then-personal attorney Michael Cohen made to Daniels. Trump later paid the same amount to Cohen and listed that payment as a legal fee.
Bragg’s case may hinge upon the categorization of that listing as a falsified business record. He would further need to convince a jury that the payment constituted a campaign finance violation.
Legal experts have derided the case as baseless and Trump’s new personal attorney, Joe Tacopina, has asserted that such a payment to Cohen was in fact a legitimate legal fee.
Moreover, he has insisted that “exist irrespective of the campaign,” a key point in arguing against its status as a campaign payment.
Tacopina characterized the matter as a “nuisance” payment, noting that Trump denies ever having an affair.
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Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.
Photo “Donald Trump” by Trump White House Archived.
