Grand jury votes to indict Trump

For the first time in US history, a current or former president will face criminal charges – a jury voted yes. Trump is expected to appear in court on Tuesday, April 4.

How tells CNN, Donald Trump faces over 30 business fraud charges in indictment. The grand jury is sitting in secret, but a source familiar with the case told the publication that the witness gave 30 minutes of testimony before the vote took place.

The office of District Attorney Alvin Bragg said they are in touch with the lawyers of the ex-US President. The statement says:

“We have contacted Trump’s attorney to coordinate his arrival at the Manhattan attorney’s office to file charges under the Supreme Court indictment.”

Bragg’s office is investigating Trump over the silence money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels (Stephanie Cliffords) and signaled in early March that it was close to filing charges after inviting the ex-president to testify before a grand jury. However, Trump refused to appear before the panel.

Before the 2016 presidential election, Trump, through his lawyer Michael Cohen, paid a porn star $130,000 to keep her quiet about having sex with him ten years earlier, according to the case file. This is about paying Daniels and reimbursing Cohen from the Trump Organization. The company has recorded the reimbursement as a legitimate expense in its internal books. Trump denied the information about the payments. Daniels spoke about her relationship with Trump in an interview in 2011, the ex-president denies her words.

The payment itself was not illegal, but the ex-president and his lawyer filed it as a legal fee, which in the state of New York is considered falsification of records and is regarded as a felony. CNN states:

“This decision will no doubt have a shocking effect across the country, shaking up an American political system that has never seen one of its former leaders face criminal charges.”

The lawsuit against Trump takes the 2024 US presidential campaign to a new stage – the former head of state has promised to continue running despite criminal charges.

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