Trump indicted: Charged in New York over hush money paid during 2016 campaign.
Former US President Donald Trump was indicted by a New York grand jury on Thursday, marking the first time a criminal case has been brought against a former US President. This extraordinary development comes after years of investigations into Trump’s business, political, and personal dealings, with the focus being on hush-money payments made on his behalf to women. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office has been presenting evidence to the grand jury and calling witnesses since January.
Joe Tacopina, a lawyer for Trump, confirmed on Thursday that the grand jury had voted to indict Trump, although the specific charges were not immediately made public. Within minutes of the announcement, Trump released a statement calling it a “witch-hunt” and accusing Democrats of lying, cheating, and stealing in their obsession with “getting Trump.”
Bragg’s office later released a statement saying they had contacted Trump’s attorney to coordinate his surrender to the Manhattan D.A.’s office for arraignment on a Supreme Court indictment, which remains under seal. They will provide guidance when the arraignment date is selected.
Why was Trump indicted?
The New York grand jury’s investigation focused on a $130,000 payment made in 2016 to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to prevent her from publicly discussing a previous sexual encounter with Donald Trump. The payment was made using personal funds by Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, who claimed he was reimbursed by the Trump Organization and received additional bonuses, bringing the total to $420,000. Cohen and several other former members of Trump’s inner circle, including Hope Hicks, Kellyanne Conway, and Daniels herself, testified before the grand jury. Legal experts interpreted Trump’s invitation to testify as a sign of an impending indictment. The Manhattan District Attorney’s office was investigating whether state laws were violated in relation to the payment or the way Cohen was compensated by Trump’s company for his role in keeping the allegations confidential.
