Grand Jury votes to indict Donald Trump in Stormy Daniels hush money case

Donald Trump becomes the first US president since Ulysses S Grant in 1876 to be indicted on criminal charges.

Former US president Donald Trump has today, Thursday, March 30, been indicted by a Grand Jury in Manhattan over his involvement in the hush money case involving the former porn actress Stormy Daniels and the former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Four people with knowledge of the decision allegedly informed the New York Times.

The Associated Press was reportedly informed by Joe Tacopina, a lawyer for Trump, that he had been told about Trump’s indictment. There was no mention made of the specific charges against him though and the investigation remains under seal. “He did not commit any crime. We will vigorously fight this political prosecution in court”, Tacopina told the news outlet in a statement.

Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, is the person at the centre of the investigation. A lot of talk has surrounded this investigation due to the fact that he is a Democratic prosecutor in charge of a case against a Republican.

Trump has always denied the allegations levelled against him but according to a source familiar with the matter, he is expected to surrender himself to the authorities sometime next week. Despite his impending arrest, Trump would still be legally able to run for president in 2024, if he was not in prison.

According to sources, citing the US media, 76-year-old Trump will be arrested over his involvement in secretly paying money to the former porn actress. It is said to have occurred during the 2016 presidential campaign in exchange for her silence about an alleged affair.

As a result, he will become the first US President to be arrested since 1876 when Ulysses S Grant broke the law by speeding on his horse in Washington D.C. Police officer William West reportedly pulled the speeding president over, and informed him: ‘Duty is duty sir, and I will have to place you under arrest.’ He was subsequently released from prison after paying a $20 fine.

Michael Cohen, the magnate’s then-lawyer, was the reputed manager of the hush money operation. He allegedly made a ‘secret’ payment of $130,000 to the actress to avoid a media bombshell that would have had unpredictable consequences on the electoral campaign.

Cohen was eventually convicted and served jail time in the same case. He testified once again before a jury this week, questioned about his former boss concealing a payment that should have been reflected as campaign spending. It was instead allegedly diverted to the disbursements accounts of the Trump Organisation, where it was believed to have been recorded as an attorneys’ fee.

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