Politics

Possible criminal indictment of Donald Trump put on hold

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After former president Donald Trump announced on Truth Social earlier this week that he expected to be arrested by the Manhattan District Attorney on Tuesday in relation to the hush money he allegedly paid Stormy Daniels in 2016.

Trump is facing possible criminal charges of falsifying business records in order to cover up the hush money payments, which could potentially only be a misdemeanor charge unless the DA can tie the falsified records to another crime, in which case it would escalate to a felony charge. The grand jury convened this week in Manhattan but did not vote on whether to indict Trump. It increasingly appears Trump manufactured the Tuesday arrest timeline, which started a media frenzy this week focused on the impending arrest of the former president.

The grand jury was instructed not to meet on Wednesday as previously scheduled, but did convene on Thursday, where it was reported by NBC the jury of 23 Manhattan residents heard evidence in other cases unrelated to the Trump hush money proceedings. CNN reported on Thursday that the grand jury may hear more witnesses in the Trump case next week, before voting on whether to indict him and on what charges. 

Former Trump attorney Michael Cohen testified in front of the grand jury about his role in the hush money scandal, explaining he requested the funds from Trump under the guise of “retainer fees” and “legal fees” and received the checks directly signed by Trump. He then paid Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal for their silence about their previous affairs with Trump ahead of the 2016 election.

Trump has posted several times on Truth Social this week regarding the probe and possible charges, calling the investigation a witch hunt, claiming it is politically motivated, and blaming “the radical left” for the legal situation in which he now finds himself.

ARTICLE: LAURA SPIVAK

MANAGING EDITOR: LUKE MOCHERMAN

PHOTO CREDIT: WBUR

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Laura Spivak

Laura is a freelance writer out of Maryland and a mom of three. Her background is in political science and international relations, and she has been doing political writing and editing for 17 years. Laura has also written parenting pieces for the Today Show and is currently working on writing a collection of remarkable true stories about normal people. She writes for FBA because unbiased news is vital to unity, and readers deserve the facts free of opinion.

Laura is a freelance writer out of Maryland and a mom of three. Her background is in political science and international relations, and she has been doing political writing and editing for 17 years. Laura has also written parenting pieces for the Today Show and is currently working on writing a collection of remarkable true stories about normal people. She writes for FBA because unbiased news is vital to unity, and readers deserve the facts free of opinion.

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