The former president of the United States, Donald Trump, has been charged this Friday in the framework of the investigation against him for the alleged payment of a bribe to the porn film actress Stephanie Clifford, known as Stormy Daniels.
“For the first time in our nation’s history, a president has been indicted. I take comfort in validating the adage that no one is above the law, not even a former president. Today’s indictment is not the end of this chapter, but the beginning,” said former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, reported CNN.
The Manhattan Prosecutor’s Office had offered Trump the chance to testify in this case of alleged bribery, in which Cohen was an instrumental part by giving Clifford some $130,000 (120,000 euros) so as not to reveal that he had alleged relations with the tycoon almost 20 years ago. years; a management carried out irregularly by being hidden in the accounts of the Trump Organization, Trump’s company, during the 2016 electoral campaign.
His legal team had been anticipating for weeks that Trump would end up indicted and is already finalizing his strategy when this happens. According to CNN sources, Trump will appear in Manhattan once the charges are filed and is scheduled to give a speech after the preliminary hearing.
It should be remembered that the grand jury met on Monday and heard the testimony of a witness, the former editor of the National Enquirer David Pecker, who according to the New York Times had already testified in January.
On March 18, Trump anticipated on his Truth Social network that he was going to be “arrested”, which unleashed the frenzy of the press and his followers.
On Monday, the Republican assured that the investigation carried out by Manhattan prosecutor Alvin Bragg against him is “electoral interference” orchestrated by “bandits”.
Now Trump would have to “appear” in court in Manhattan to be notified of the indictment by a judge, briefly being “under arrest” to be photographed and fingerprinted. Next, he would have to plead guilty or not guilty.
Then-Trump lawyer and now enemy Michael Cohen, testifying before the grand jury, said he was in charge of making the payment to Stormy Daniels on behalf of her then-boss and later reimbursed her.
If the payment had not been duly accredited, it could result in a misdemeanor for accounting falsification, although at the same time, it could have violated the electoral campaign finance law, which can carry four years in jail.
According to legal experts, it will not be easy to prove these accusations in court, so it is uncertain whether the former president, who declares himself the victim of a “witch hunt”, could be sentenced to jail.