Former US President Donald Trump has been charged by a New York grand jury with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in an indictment unsealed on Tuesday. This makes Trump the first former US President to face criminal prosecution. The charges are related to an alleged years-long scheme to use “hush money” payments to conceal damaging information before the 2016 presidential election.
According to a 16-page indictment and statement of facts, prosecutors allege that Trump “orchestrated a scheme with others to influence the 2016 presidential election by identifying and purchasing negative information about him to suppress its publication and benefit the Defendant’s electoral prospects.” The indictment alleges that the scheme involved three payments made by Trump allies to conceal damaging stories: $30,000 to a former Trump Tower doorman who said Trump had fathered a child out of wedlock; $150,000 to a former Playboy model who said she had an affair with Trump; and $130,000 to adult film star Stormy Daniels, who also alleged an affair.
Trump has denied having affairs with both women, and the company that paid the former doorman determined his story was false. Michael Cohen, Trump’s former attorney and “fixer,” made the payment to Daniels in the days before the 2016 election. Prosecutors allege that Trump illegally disguised his reimbursement to Cohen by classifying them as legal fees.
The indictment alleges that Trump and others “caused his entities’ business records to be falsified to disguise his and others’ criminal conduct.” Falsifying business records is usually a misdemeanor under New York law, but can be charged as a felony if done with an “intent to defraud [that] includes an intent to commit another crime or to aid or conceal the commission thereof.” Prosecutors allege that Trump’s conduct was intended to violate election laws.
During a highly choreographed appearance in a lower Manhattan courtroom, Trump pleaded not guilty to the charges. He has denied all wrongdoing and accused District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, of being motivated by politics in bringing the case.
After the hearing, the former president was released and headed to his Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago, where he addressed a crowd of supporters in a campaign-style speech. He suggested that the charges against him were the latest move by his critics to stop him from becoming the 47th president of the United States.
This is a historic moment in US politics, as it is the first time a former US President has faced criminal prosecution. It is also a reminder of the power of the justice system to hold even the most powerful accountable for their actions. The case against Trump will now move forward in the courts, and the eyes of the world will be watching closely.
Sources:
- People
- CBS News
- Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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