A Manhattan grand jury charged Donald Trump for paying Stormy Daniels hush money, making him the only former U.S. president to face criminal charges while running for office again.
The sealed indictment conceals the charges. However, CNN revealed Thursday that Trump faces over 30 corporate fraud charges.
Trump declared he was “totally innocent” and will run for president in 2024. He accused Bragg, a Democrat, of sabotaging his re-election bid against Democratic President Joseph Biden.
“This is Political Persecution and Election Interference at the greatest level in history,” he stated.
Trump then asked supporters for legal funds. Since he mistakenly predicted his arrest on March 18, his campaign has raised almost $2 million.
On Thursday, Florida Governor Ron Desantis and former Vice President Mike Pence supported Trump, the polling frontrunner for the 2024 GOP nomination.
“This will simply divide our country,” Pence stated.
Democrats argued Trump was not above the law.
“I encourage both Mr. Trump’s critics and supporters to let the process go peacefully and according to the law,” said Senate Democratic leader Charles Schumer.
A judge may unseal the charges. Trump must next drive to Manhattan for fingerprinting and other formalities.
Bragg’s office contacted Trump’s attorney to arrange a surrender, which a court official said would likely happen next Tuesday.
Trump’s attorneys, Susan Necheles and Joseph Tacopina pledged to “vigorously contest” the claims.
Trump’s legal problems include the Manhattan inquiry.
Last year, Bragg’s tax-fraud prosecution of Trump’s firm resulted in a $1.61 million criminal penalty.
A source says New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan will also preside over this case.
Trump may use the issue to enrage his base, but other Republican voters may tire of the theatrics. In a Reuters/Ipsos survey released last week, 44% of Republicans thought he should step out if arrested.
Protesters silently carried Trump-critical banners outside the courthouse. As Trump called for countrywide protests on March 18, authorities increased courthouse security. Capitol supporters.
Stephanie Clifford, aka Daniels, claims she was paid to be silent about a 2006 sexual encounter with Trump.
Michael Cohen, the former president’s lawyer, said he coordinated with Trump on the payments to Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who also claimed a sexual encounter with him. Trump denies relationships with both women.
Trump denied knowledge about the Daniels payment in 2018. He later reimbursed Cohen for the “simple private transaction.”
“No one is above the law,” Daniels’s lawyer Clark Brewster tweeted.
Cohen served almost a year in jail for campaign finance violations in 2018. Federal prosecutors say he obeyed Trump.
Cohen maintained his testimony and evidence to prosecutors. “Accountability important,” he stated.
No U.S. president has been convicted.
A special counsel appointed by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and another Georgia prosecutor’s criminal investigation.
Trump has often avoided legal trouble. He survived two congressional impeachment efforts, notably for his supporters’ January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and a years-long investigation into his campaign’s 2016 Russia links.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s office pursued Trump’s business in last year’s tax-fraud trial but not Trump himself.
Legal analysts anticipate Bragg to argue that Trump fabricated corporate documents to hide a felony, such as breaching federal campaign-finance law, in the hush-money case.
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