The grand jury in New York this afternoon has decided to vote to indict former President Donald Trump over the hush money payment made to Stormy Daniels, who’s legal name is Stephanie Clifford.
Several of the major news outlets confirmed the news.
Trump has denied allegations of the hush money payment, which Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has centered his case over the $130,000 payment to the former adult film star. The payment was delivered by former Trump attorney, Michael Cohen, which he has worked with the DA’s office after serving his prison sentence for lying to Congress.
The New York native is now the first former President of the United States to be indicted over an alleged crime.
Robert Costello made a last-minute testimony before the grand jury to sway the indictment as a rebuttal of testimonies from Cohen.
“For the first time in our Country’s history, a President (current or former) of the United States has been indicted. I take no pride issuing this statement and wish to also remind everyone of the presumption of innocence; as provided by the due process clause,” Cohen said in a statement about the Trump indictment. “However, I do take solace in validating the adage that no one is above the law; not even a former President.”
Trump is facing other legal probes that include the special council investigation into January 6 and the classified documents at Mar-A-Lago, and the election interference in the phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
“The is Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history,” Trump reacting to the indictment in a statement. “From the time I came down the golden escalator at Trump Tower, and even before I was sworn in as your President of the United States, the Radical Left Democrats – the enemy of the hard-working men and women of this Country – have been engaged in a Witch-Hunt to destroy the Make America Great Again movement.”
Bragg’s case started after his predecessor, Cyrus Vance, decided not to seek re-election. Vance at the time was focused on Trump and the Trump Organization on different values of the same real estate properties for lower taxes and insurance costs. The incumbent DA didn’t move forward to indict Trump as one of the top prosecutors, Mark Pomerantz, resigned over his disagreements with the current DA citing felonies in the case.
New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a civil lawsuit against Trump, his three kids, and the Trump Organization, which for defrauding lenders by inflating values of multiple Trump properties.
The indictment is least likely to have any legal baring over Trump’s bid for re-election for a second term in his pursuit for the Republican nomination. It is not clear what effects it may have on Republicans in the 2024 primary as he is leading the polls against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Many Republicans including his family are coming to Trump’s defense.
“This is third-world prosecutorial misconduct,” said Eric Trump, third-eldest child of the former President. “It is the opportunistic targeting of a political opponent in a campaign year.”
The third-eldest Trump has been critical of Democrats being polarizing especially during his father’s time in the White House.
“I stand with Trump,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a staunch Trump ally.
Republicans in Congress had voiced their outcry of the Trump investigation by Bragg calling it partisan as criticisms came from the most prominent including Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy and Rep. Jim Jordan.
“Alvin Bragg has irreparably damaged our country in an attempt to interfere in our Presidential election,” McCarthy tweeted in response to the indictment. “As he routinely frees violent criminals to terrorize the public, he weaponized our sacred system of justice against President Donald Trump.”
Bragg fended off GOP demands for a Congressional hearing as the Republicans have called it “unlawful incursion.”
The former president will surrender in the custody of the Manhattan DA as early as next week, in a statement from his attorney.
