Manhattan DA Offers Trump Opportunity to Testify in Hush Money Scheme Investigation
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is reportedly offering former President Donald Trump the chance to testify before a grand jury in an effort to bring the former president to criminal charges for his alleged role in a hush money payment scheme.
The investigation centers on a $130,000 payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in late October 2016, days before the 2016 presidential election, to silence her from going public about an alleged affair with Trump a decade earlier.[0] President Trump has denied the allegation of an[0]
The New York Times reported Thursday that the offer to testify before the grand jury is a sign that prosecutors are nearing the end of their investigation. Trump's spokesman said in a statement that the Manhattan District Attorney's “threat to indict President Trump is simply insane.”[1]
Michael Cohen, Trump’s former attorney, pleaded guilty in federal court in 2018 to making the illegal payment to Daniels for the “principal purpose of influencing” the 2016 presidential election, saying he did so on Trump's orders.
Jack Smith, the Special Counsel, is conducting a federal investigation into the role of President Trump in attempting to alter the results of the election and the violence that ensued at the Capitol on January 6th, 2021. Additionally, he is examining whether Trump acted unlawfully by storing documents with classified markings in his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida.[2]
In Georgia, the Fulton County District Attorney is investigating whether Mr. Trump interfered in the 2020 election. A federal special counsel is also scrutinizing Mr. Trump’s effort to overturn the election results, as well as his handling of classified documents.
CNN's Don Lemon has been informed by a reliable source that Michael Cohen, ex-personal attorney of Donald Trump and one who pleaded guilty to federal campaign finance charges for the $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels, is anticipated to testify at the Manhattan district attorney's office on Monday. This would be Cohen's twentieth time appearing in front of the district attorney's office, since he had also been present when Vance, who was Bragg's predecessor, was in office.[3]
Trump is also facing legal scrutiny from the New York attorney general, Letitia James, who is suing Trump and the Trump Organization, saying it misled banks and tax authorities about the value of assets like golf courses and skyscrapers to get loans and tax benefits.[4]
0. “Prosecutors signal Trump may face criminal charges in hush money probe: report” The Hill, 9 Mar. 2023, https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/3892872-prosecutors-signal-trump-may-face-criminal-charges-in-hush-money-probe-report/
1. “Prosecutors Signal Criminal Charges for Trump Are Likely” The New York Times, 9 Mar. 2023, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/09/nyregion/trump-potential-criminal-charges-bragg.html
2. “Donald Trump Likely to Be Criminally Charged in New York Soon: Report” VICE, 10 Mar. 2023, https://www.vice.com/en/article/v7b4q4/donald-trump-likely-to-be-criminally-charged-in-new-york-soon-report
3. “New York Times: NY prosecutors signal they're nearing end of Trump hush money investigation” WENY-TV, 10 Mar. 2023, https://www.weny.com/story/48524373/new-york-times-ny-prosecutors-signal-theyre-nearing-end-of-trump-hush-money-investigation
4. “Trump told of possible criminal charges for paying off Stormy Daniels – report” The Guardian US, 9 Mar. 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/mar/09/donald-trump-stormy-daniels-criminal-charges
