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According to The Guardian, former US President Donald Trump has allegedly been informed by prosecutors that he may be charged with a crime for paying adult-film actress Stormy Daniels hush money just before the 2016 election after she claimed she had a sexual encounter with him. The Manhattan district attorney has asked Mr. Trump to testify before a grand jury looking into the case’s evidence the following week. The outlet went on to say that this is a major development since the investigation’s inception and that it shows Mr. Trump faces a serious threat of becoming the first former US President ever to face criminal charges.
However, four people with knowledge of the situation told the New York Times that Mr. Trump is expected to decline the offer.
One of Mr. Trump’s spokespeople called the attorney’s threat “insane” and was quoted by The Guardian as saying, “For the past five years, the DA’s office has been on a witch-hunt, investigating every aspect of President Trump’s life, and they’ve come up empty at every turn – and now this.”
The $130,000 in hush money was paid by Mr. Trump’s team, including his longtime ally Michael Cohen, who later pleaded guilty and claimed it was done “in coordination with, and at the direction of,” Trump.
Cohen is also anticipated to testify in court, according to a report by the New York Times that stated six people have already done so. The charges against Mr. Trump are low-level, the paper continued, so even if he is indicted, it would be difficult to put him in prison.
The former President has recently heard from Mr. Trump’s aides who claim that if he claims the payments had nothing to do with the 2016 elections, he has a better case. They recommended Mr. Trump make the case that the payments were made solely to avoid a disagreement with his wife, Melania, instead.
