Former US President Donald Trump has been indicted by a grand jury in New York over hush money payments made to a porn star before the 2016 election, multiple US media outlets reported on Thursday. The indictment, filed under seal by the Manhattan district attorney’s office, is expected to be announced in the coming days, according to sources familiar with the matter. If confirmed, Trump would become the first former or sitting president to be charged with a crime. The indictment could have a significant impact on Trump’s 2024 White House race, as he seeks to regain office.
In 2019, Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer, testified before the grand jury that he made the payment to Stormy Daniels on Trump’s behalf, and was later reimbursed. The payment was made to stop Daniels from going public about a sexual encounter she had with Trump a decade earlier. The New York indictment is the first to result from three major investigations into the former president. Trump is also under investigation for alleged election interference in Georgia and for his role in the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol in Washington by his supporters.
Trump has branded all of the investigations into him as “witch hunts” and political persecutions. He is currently seeking to be the Republican Party’s nominee for president in 2024. The news of the indictment comes after Trump’s first campaign rally for the 2024 election last weekend, during which he attacked his political opponents and repeated his false claims of election fraud. The indictment could potentially have serious consequences for Trump’s political future and the future of the Republican Party.
