For the first time in American history, a sitting or former president will be charged with a crime after a grand jury in New York City decided to indict Donald Trump on Thursday, March 30.
As a result of an investigation into hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels, the former US president was charged by a Manhattan grand jury on criminal charges, according to the prosecution and the defense.
The indictment was filed under seal and will be made public in the coming days. The public is still unaware of the charges.
During the final weeks of the 2016 presidential campaign, Stormy Daniels allegedly received a payment of $130,000. Trump has refuted Daniels’s assertion that she had sex with him while they were married in 2006. To his then-lawyer, Trump had categorized his repayment of the money as a legal expense.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office has been investigating the former president in connection with his alleged role in a hush money payment scheme and cover-up involving adult film star Stormy Daniels that dates to the 2016 presidential election. Grand jury proceedings are secret, but a source familiar with the case told CNN that a witness gave about 30 minutes of testimony before it voted to indict Trump.
Alvin Bragg’s office said in a statement that it has contacted former President Donald Trump’s attorney “to coordinate his surrender” for arraignment on a state Supreme Court indictment, noting that it remains under seal.
“Guidance will be provided when the arraignment date is selected,” the office said.
The twice-impeached Trump is the first commander-in-chief in American history to be criminally indicted.
After the grand jury returned the indictment which remained sealed as of late Thursday night a spokesperson for the DA’s office said that they had contacted Trump’s legal team to coordinate his surrender before the arraignment.
