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Why did the grant jury decides to indict US former president Donald Trump.

Indictment relates to a hush-money payment made on ex-president’s behalf to the adult film star Stormy Daniels



Donald Trump will be the first former US president to face criminal charges after a grand jury in New York has voted to indict him on charges related to hush money payments to an adult film star.


Here is what Trump’s indictment means.


What happened?

On Thursday the New York Times first reported that the grand jury had voted to indict Trump, citing four people with knowledge of the matter.


The indictment was confirmed shortly later Thursday by Joe Tacopina, a lawyer for Trump, and other sources.

The sealed felony indictment is likely to be unsealed in the next few days. At this point the specific charges were not immediately made public.


The indictment relates to a hush-money payment made on his behalf to the adult film maker and actor Stormy Daniels in 2016, shortly before election day as Trump ran for president.


Trump’s attorney at that time, Michael Cohen, orchestrated the payment to buy Daniels’ silence over an alleged sexual encounter with Trump in 2006.


Why was Trump indicted?

Cohen – now an outspoken Trump foe who testified before the grand jury in the Manhattan case – made the $130,000 payment to Daniels in October 2016. When Trump was president, he reimbursed Cohen with monthly $35,000 checks from his personal account.


In 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign finance charges related to the hush money payment. Court documents in Cohen’s federal case said the Trump Organization falsely described payments as legal expenses, citing a legal retainer that did not exist.


In the Manhattan case, prosecutors effectively maintain that Trump’s handling of the reimbursement violated state law.


What have Trump and his lawyers said?

Trump denies wrongdoing in relation to every allegation against him, whether accusations of criminal activity or claims for civil damages. He has repeatedly decried investigations as political witch hunts. He denies an affair with Daniels but has admitted paying Cohen, claiming to be a victim of extortion.




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