Donald Trump has become the first former U.S. president to ever face criminal charges.
A New York grand jury decided on Thursday that there was sufficient evidence to indict Trump over alleged hush money payments made on his behalf to porn actress Stormy Daniels.
- The office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced on Thursday that it contacted Trump's attorney to "coordinate his surrender to the Manhattan D.A.'s Office for arraignment."
- The case relates to a $130,000 payment made to Daniels by Trump's former fixer, Michael Cohen, in 2016.
- Cohen was given a three-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to charges relating to the payment, which he said was intended to keep Daniels quiet about her alleged affair with Trump.
- Trump issued a statement shortly after this indictment calling it "Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history."
- He also said that Bragg was "doing Joe Biden’s dirty work," and alleged that the indictment was an effort to interfere with the 2024 election.
- Trump has previously said that he will continue his presidential campaign even if he is criminally charged.
Zoom Out:
- Trump is facing more than 30 counts related to business fraud, the specifics of which have yet to be made public.
- The former U.S. president faces other potential criminal charges stemming from ongoing investigations into:
- His alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
- His possible mishandling of classified documents.
- His conduct leading up to the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
