Former US President Donald Trump has been slapped with 34 felony counts in a landmark indictment that marks the first time a former president has been charged with crimes related to their office. The charges stem from a hush money payment made by his then-lawyer Michael Cohen in 2017, which was aimed at silencing adult film actress Stormy Daniels from speaking publicly about an alleged affair she had with Trump.
According to the indictment, released on Tuesday, Trump was accused of falsifying business records and using campaign funds to make payments to Cohen, who acted as his attorney at the time. The documents, obtained by CNN, reveal that Trump knew about the $130,000 payment to Daniels in advance and approved it.
The charges also include allegations that Trump orchestrated a scheme to intimidate witnesses and destroy evidence related to the investigation into the hush money payment. Prosecutors say Trump's actions were an attempt to conceal his involvement in the scheme and avoid scrutiny from investigators.
The indictment is the latest development in a long-running saga of investigations into Trump's business dealings, campaign finance and potential obstruction of justice. This latest move marks a significant escalation in the case against Trump, who has long been accused of trying to use his office for personal gain.
As part of this investigation, former New York Attorney General Letitia James, along with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, have been working together to pursue charges against Trump related to hush money payments made by Cohen. The prosecution claims that Trump knew about the payment and approved it, demonstrating a clear breach of campaign finance laws.
The 34 felony counts against Trump include various charges such as making false statements to the government, obstructing an investigation and conspiracy. Prosecutors claim that these actions demonstrate Trump's intent to use his power to influence the outcome of the election in his favor.
Trump's lawyers have maintained that their client did nothing wrong and that any payments made by Cohen were legitimate business expenses. However, with this latest indictment, prosecutors are saying that Trump was aware of the payment and deliberately tried to cover it up.
With these new charges against him, the case has taken a significant turn, raising questions about whether Trump will ultimately be held accountable for his actions while in office.
According to the indictment, released on Tuesday, Trump was accused of falsifying business records and using campaign funds to make payments to Cohen, who acted as his attorney at the time. The documents, obtained by CNN, reveal that Trump knew about the $130,000 payment to Daniels in advance and approved it.
The charges also include allegations that Trump orchestrated a scheme to intimidate witnesses and destroy evidence related to the investigation into the hush money payment. Prosecutors say Trump's actions were an attempt to conceal his involvement in the scheme and avoid scrutiny from investigators.
The indictment is the latest development in a long-running saga of investigations into Trump's business dealings, campaign finance and potential obstruction of justice. This latest move marks a significant escalation in the case against Trump, who has long been accused of trying to use his office for personal gain.
As part of this investigation, former New York Attorney General Letitia James, along with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, have been working together to pursue charges against Trump related to hush money payments made by Cohen. The prosecution claims that Trump knew about the payment and approved it, demonstrating a clear breach of campaign finance laws.
The 34 felony counts against Trump include various charges such as making false statements to the government, obstructing an investigation and conspiracy. Prosecutors claim that these actions demonstrate Trump's intent to use his power to influence the outcome of the election in his favor.
Trump's lawyers have maintained that their client did nothing wrong and that any payments made by Cohen were legitimate business expenses. However, with this latest indictment, prosecutors are saying that Trump was aware of the payment and deliberately tried to cover it up.
With these new charges against him, the case has taken a significant turn, raising questions about whether Trump will ultimately be held accountable for his actions while in office.
like, what happens when you think youre above the law, right? anyways, im not gonna sit here and judge him or anything, but it does seem like he's taking a bit of a fall for his actions. i mean, if the prosecution can prove that he knew about the payment and approved it, then yeah, thats some shady stuff 
its also interesting to see how this whole thing is playing out, especially with all these investigations going on at once 
im just gonna keep an eye on this one and see what happens next 
but this indictment raises more questions than answers... 34 felony counts seems like a lot to charge someone with especially when it's their first time being accused of such crimes... can't help but wonder if this was done as a way to send a message or if Trump actually did break the law 
It's gonna be interesting to see how this all plays out. I'm not sure what's gonna happen to him, but I think the public wants justice after all these years of... you know, trying to get away with stuff 
and these charges are just another witch hunt by the deep state... no wait, scratch that, I mean I'm not so sure about all this... maybe Trump is trying to get attention with this whole drama? 
But then again, what if he really did do something wrong and should be held accountable? 
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. Nowadays it feels like everyone from politicians to reality TV stars are getting caught up in controversies. The justice system is supposed to hold people accountable for their actions, but at the same time, we're all just sitting here watching and waiting to see how this whole thing plays out. Guess you could say it's a wild ride 
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