A New York grand jury was due to start its closed-door examination of whether Donald Trump made unlawful hush-money payments to a porn actress on Wednesday, possibly leading to the first criminal charges against a U.S. president.
As the former president seeks the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, the panel meets on Mondays and Wednesdays to review evidence in one of the legal issues surrounding him.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is examining the $130,000 given to Stormy Daniels in the closing weeks of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Trump’s longtime fixer Michael Cohen said he paid the payments at Trump’s request to quiet her about their extramarital affair.
Trump denies the incident, and his allies say Cohen acted alone.
Early court officials and barriers surrounded the grand jury’s courtroom. Trump’s projected arrest on Tuesday didn’t happen.
According to a Tuesday Reuters/Ipsos survey, half of Americans think the New York inquiry is politically motivated, while a majority believe he paid hush to a porn star.
Cohen pleaded guilty to federal payment crimes and was imprisoned, but Trump was not charged. Manhattan has repeatedly launched and halted its probe.
If charged, Trump must travel from Florida to New York for a mug picture and fingerprinting. Security authorities are preparing for disruption, but few Trump fans have joined his demonstrations.
Lawyer Robert Costello told the grand jury on Monday that Cohen acted alone. Cohen testified twice before the grand jury that Trump ordered the payments.
Republicans have called Bragg’s investigation partisan.
On Monday, House Republicans requested Bragg’s office’s correspondence, papers, and testimony. It wouldn’t impact Bragg’s office.
Trump and his aides are also under federal and Georgia criminal investigations for trying to reverse his 2020 presidential election loss.
He also faces another federal examination into his management of sensitive government records after leaving office, two New York business probes, and a defamation complaint by a woman who alleges he assaulted her in the 1990s, which Trump denies.
Trump has often avoided legal trouble. He survived two congressional impeachment efforts and a years-long investigation into his 2016 campaign’s links with Russia in the White House.
During the last two days, Trump and allies have sent fundraising letters based on the prospective indictment. On Tuesday, an email marked “Barricades arrive at Manhattan Criminal Court” showed an NYPD vehicle unloading a metal barrier.
Trump’s indictment-related fundraising totals were unclear. Indictment frightened moderate Democrats.
“Careful. Courts should stay out of politics “Democrat Joe Manchin told reporters. “I think it’d backfire. He’s emboldened. He gets empowered by outlandish things.”
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