Former US President Donald Trump has been slapped with a massive indictment, with 34 felony charges filed against him. The unsealed documents reveal that the charges relate to a hush money payment made by Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen in 2018.
According to the indictment and statement of facts released Tuesday, Trump is accused of arranging for $130,000 in hush money payments to be made to two women: adult film star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. These payments were allegedly made to silence them about alleged extramarital affairs with Trump.
The indictment alleges that Trump's actions were part of a larger scheme orchestrated by Cohen, who pleaded guilty to violating campaign finance laws in 2018. Cohen reportedly arranged for the hush money payments through his company, Essential Consultants LLC.
As outlined in the statement of facts, on August 22, 2016 – just five days before the US presidential election – Cohen signed a $600,000 payment agreement with Daniels, making a promise not to discuss an alleged affair with Trump. Similarly, on July 17, 2017, Cohen allegedly agreed to pay McDougal $150,000 as part of a similar arrangement.
Prosecutors claim that these payments were essentially campaign contributions made in the final days of Trump's presidential campaign, violating federal election laws. They argue that by authorizing and paying for these hush money deals without disclosing them on financial disclosure forms, Trump committed a range of crimes – from lying under oath to tax evasion.
The 34 felony charges against Trump include two counts of conspiracy, eight counts of making false statements, six counts of violating the Federal Election Campaign Act, and 18 other charges.
According to the indictment and statement of facts released Tuesday, Trump is accused of arranging for $130,000 in hush money payments to be made to two women: adult film star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. These payments were allegedly made to silence them about alleged extramarital affairs with Trump.
The indictment alleges that Trump's actions were part of a larger scheme orchestrated by Cohen, who pleaded guilty to violating campaign finance laws in 2018. Cohen reportedly arranged for the hush money payments through his company, Essential Consultants LLC.
As outlined in the statement of facts, on August 22, 2016 – just five days before the US presidential election – Cohen signed a $600,000 payment agreement with Daniels, making a promise not to discuss an alleged affair with Trump. Similarly, on July 17, 2017, Cohen allegedly agreed to pay McDougal $150,000 as part of a similar arrangement.
Prosecutors claim that these payments were essentially campaign contributions made in the final days of Trump's presidential campaign, violating federal election laws. They argue that by authorizing and paying for these hush money deals without disclosing them on financial disclosure forms, Trump committed a range of crimes – from lying under oath to tax evasion.
The 34 felony charges against Trump include two counts of conspiracy, eight counts of making false statements, six counts of violating the Federal Election Campaign Act, and 18 other charges.
I'm so worried about Donald Trump right now... 34 felony charges is a lot, you know? 
I can imagine how scary that must feel for him and his family. The fact that it's related to hush money payments makes me think about the power of silence and the consequences of keeping secrets. 
It's like, no matter what anyone says or does, they can't escape the truth. And I just hope he gets the support and help he needs during this tough time... 
. The fact that the payments were disguised as hush money is just wild – it's like, who comes up with this stuff? 
And 34 felony charges? That's a lot of drama. I'm curious to see how this all plays out and what Trump's defense team has up their sleeve 
... like, on one hand, it's super serious and all, and Trump should probably be held accountable for his actions? But then again, has he even gotten a fair shake in court so far? Like, we've seen some pretty sketchy stuff go down with Michael Cohen and the whole campaign finance thing... was it really just a coincidence that Cohen ended up being Trump's guy? 
And what about the fact that these payments were made through a shell company? Isn't that like, totally shady? 
But at the same time, if Trump did indeed arrange for those hush money deals, shouldn't he be charged with some serious crimes? I mean, come on... 34 felony charges? That's like, extreme, right? 
Ugh, my head is spinning! 
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. I'm curious to see how this all plays out in court tho...
, hope he gets a fair shake... but hard to shake off the feeling that he's been playing both sides all along 
I'm not saying I condone the actions of either Trump or Cohen, but can't we just get some closure already? And what about the other people who were allegedly involved in this whole scheme? It feels like there's always someone else getting caught in the crossfire.