Back'Don't want to spill my champagne' Stormy Daniels after Donald Trump indicted by Manhattan grand jury
Donald Trump has been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury, making him the first former US president to face criminal charges and jolting his bid to retake the White House next year.
PremiumFormer US President Donald Trump has been indicted by a grand jury in Manhattan. It is for the first time that a current or a former president will face criminal charges, jolting his bid to retake the White House next year.
The case centers on well-chronicled allegations from a period in 2016 when Trump’s celebrity past collided with his political ambitions. Prosecutors for months scrutinized money paid to porn actor Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, whom he feared would go public with claims that they had extramarital sexual encounters with him. However, the jury has not announced the charges publicly yet. It has been filed under seal and will be announced in the coming days. The Manhattan district attorney's office will reach out to Trump's attorneys to discuss his surrender to face an arraignment.
Also Read: Donald Trump indicted; 1st ex-US president charged with a crime. 10 updates
The charges, arising from an investigation led by Democratic Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, could reshape the 2024 presidential race. Trump previously said he would continue campaigning for the Republican Party's nomination if charged with a crime.
After the indictment, Stormy Daniels in a tweet thanked people for the support extended to her. She wrote, “I have so many messages coming in that I can't respond...also don't want to spill my champagne #Teamstormy merch/autograph orders are pouring in, too! Thank you for that as well but allow a few extra days for shipment."
Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, is 44 years old and from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She has been a well-known personality for more than two decades in the adult film business, appearing in and directing numerous videos. The lawyer for porn Daniels also said that the indictment of former president Donald Trump shows that "no one is above the law."
"The indictment of Donald Trump is no cause for joy," Clark Brewster tweeted. “Now let truth and justice prevail."
Though specific charges are not yet known, as the indictment remains under seal. CNN has reported that Trump faces more than 30 counts related to business fraud. Trump said he was "completely innocent" and indicated he would not drop out of the race. He accused Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, of trying to hurt his chances of winning re-election. "This is Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history," he said in a statement.
The former president's personal lawyer Michael Cohen has said he coordinated with Trump on the payments to Daniels and to a second woman, former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who also said she had a sexual relationship with him. Trump has denied having affairs with either woman.
Trump in 2018 initially disputed knowing anything about the payment to Daniels. He later acknowledged reimbursing Cohen for the payment, which he called a “simple private transaction." Cohen pleaded guilty to a campaign-finance violation in 2018 and served more than a year in prison. Federal prosecutors said he acted at Trump's direction.
Cohen said he stood by his testimony and the evidence he provided to prosecutors. "Accountability matters," he said in a statement.
No former or sitting U.S. president has ever faced criminal charges. Aside from this case, Trump faces two criminal investigations by a special counsel appointed by US Attorney General Merrick Garland and another criminal probe by a local prosecutor in Georgia.
Trump has escaped legal peril numerous times. In the White House, he weathered two attempts by Congress to remove him from office, including for the Jan. 6, assault on the US Capitol by his supporters, as well as a years-long probe into his campaign's contacts with Russia in 2016. In last year's tax-fraud case, Bragg targeted Trump's business but declined to charge Trump himself with financial crimes, prompting two prosecutors who worked on the probe to resign.
(With inputs from agencies)
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