(RepublicanNews.org) – Allegations of hush money paid to an adult film star continue to haunt former President Donald Trump, and accusations may turn into a prosecution by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Bragg “offered” Trump an opportunity to appear before a grand jury, which in New York State often signals that charges are about to be filed.
Trump is accused of having an extramarital affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2006, and of paying her $130,000 to keep quiet. Paying “hush money” is not a criminal act, but DA Bragg argues that the money constituted an improper or illegal donation to Trump’s campaign because Daniels’ silence would have helped that campaign.
Former Trump attorney Michael Cohen has been cooperating with prosecutors. Cohen paid the $130,000 and was then reimbursed by Trump. Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to tax evasion and campaign finance violations. He was fined $50,000 and was sentenced to three years in prison.
Current Trump attorney Susan Necheles said the Manhattan prosecutor’s pursuit of Trump has failed to turn up any criminality in the President’s finances despite five years of looking at “every facet” of Trump’s life. She called Michael Cohen a convicted liar who paid off an “extortionist” (Stormy Daniels).
Prosecuting Trump under those conditions would be “unprecedented and outrageous,” she said.
Prosecutors may argue that Trump is guilty of falsifying business records because, they say, he mislabeled the payments to Daniels as legal expenses. But this is a misdemeanor charge that would only become a felony if prosecutors can establish that Trump did so with intent to defraud or conceal the truth.
Trump also faces an investigation in Fulton County, Georgia, for allegedly interfering with the 2020 presidential election. The Department of Justice is also investigating his handling of classified documents.
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