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The latest legal challenge confronting the former US president as he seeks a return to the White House is Donald Trump’s claim that he will be arrested on Tuesday in connection with a hush-money case that reportedly involves a porn star.
The rebellious Republican billionaire is portraying himself as a politician under attack by irate Democrats and prosecutors bringing numerous cases against him in an effort to thwart his presidential candidacy as the 2024 campaign is expected to pick up momentum later this year.
“There was no crime at all!” Trump persisted on using his Truth Social platform on Monday as he blasted the district attorney in charge of the most recent case, which could result in the first-ever indictment of a former US president.
Here are specifics on the major inquiries that are concerning the one-term president:
Stormy covert cash?
Intense talks took place behind the scenes prior to the 2016 election to stop the embarrassing disclosure that Trump had an affair with Stephanie Clifford, a porn actress better known by her stage name Stormy Daniels, in 2006, a year after he married his current wife, Melania.
Late in the campaign, Michael Cohen, a lawyer for Trump, set up a payment of $130,000 to Daniels in return for her promise of secrecy.
In 2018, Cohen admitted guilt to charges of tax and bank fraud as well as breaking federal campaign finance laws after cooperating with authorities in the wake of the US media’s publication of the story.
Cohen stated that the Trump Organization reimbursed him for the payment he made to Daniels, which according to the prosecution amounted to an unreported contribution to Trump’s campaign in violation of the laws governing election financing.
Cohen has now testified in front of the current grand jury, an impartial group that judges whether charges should be brought based on the information provided by prosecutors. Daniels has conferred with the prosecutors, according to her attorney.
Trump was also asked to appear, which is a clear indication that he will soon face charges, according to experts. He didn’t show up, though.
If the payment to Daniels is not properly accounted for, a misdemeanor charge of falsifying company records may be brought.
According to former prosecutors, this could be upgraded to a felony if the false accounting was done to hide a different crime, like a campaign funding infraction.
If the former president will be charged, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has not made that decision public.
Attack on the Capitol provoked?
An independent prosecutor, Jack Smith, will determine whether or not to charge anyone alleged to have “unlawfully interfered with the transfer of power” after the 2020 election or during certification by Congress of the findings.
Trump fans flocked to the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to halt that certification.
Prior to the attack, Trump gave a fiery speech close by, urging the audience to “fight like hell.”
Legislators contended that Trump knew he lost the election but continued to make false accusations of fraud in tense hearings held separately from the Justice investigation.
Additionally, they provided proof of alleged wrongdoing on Trump’s part prior to the uprising, including claims he tried to influence government agencies in order to reverse the election outcomes.
Although more than 500 individuals have been found guilty or entered guilty pleas for their roles in the uprising, it is still unknown whether President Trump will be held accountable for any plotting or inciting of the attack on the Capitol.
house with secret papers
Smith will also make a decision regarding any charges in the ongoing inquiry into the discovery of classified papers at Trump’s Florida residence and any potential obstruction of justice.
Secret documents that had been taken when Trump departed office in early 2021 were discovered during an FBI search of his opulent Mar-a-Lago home last August.
A review of the records, which Trump eventually turned over to law enforcement in January 2022, was what led to the raid.
The 15 boxes were discovered to hold information related to national defense, including 184 documents with the classifications of “confidential,” “secret,” or “top secret,” prompting the Justice Department to launch an investigation.
more sensors
In a separate investigation, Trump is accused of putting pressure on Georgian officials to void Biden’s victory in the 2020 election. In a recorded phone conversation, he urged the secretary of state to “find” enough votes to do so.
Trump may be charged with conspiracy in connection with election meddling and fraud thanks to the special grand jury that Fulton County’s chief prosecutor, Fani Willis, has put together.
In unusually public remarks made last month, the grand jury forewoman claimed that the 23-member panel had recommended the indictment of a number of people, including “names you would recognize.” Whether Trump was one of them was not mentioned by her.
Letitia James, the state’s attorney general, has launched a civil lawsuit in New York against Donald Trump and three of his children, charging them with fraud for allegedly overvaluing assets to obtain loans and then undervaluing them to reduce taxes.
James is asking for $250 million in fines as well as a ban on Trump and his kids holding executive positions at New York-based businesses.
