Claims innocence, blaming Democrats of \u2018political persecution\u2019, \u2018election interference\u2019
\n NEW YORK
\n Donald Trump has been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury after a probe into hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels, becoming the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges even as he makes another run for the White House.
\nThe specific charges are not yet known, as the indictment remains under seal. CNN on Thursday reported Trump faces more than 30 counts related to business fraud.
\nTrump said he was \u201ccompletely innocent\u201d and indicated he would not drop out of the 2024 presidential race. He accused Bragg, a Democrat, of trying to hurt his chances of winning re-election against Democratic President Joe Biden.
\n\u201cThis is Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history,\u201d he said in a statement.
\nShortly after, Trump appealed to supporters to provide money for a legal defense. He has raised over $2 million, according to his campaign, since he incorrectly predicted on March 18 that he would be arrested four days later.
\nTrump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican nomination according to polling, received support from a number of his potential challengers on Thursday including Florida Governor Ron Desantis and former Vice President Mike Pence.
\n\u201cThis will only further serve to divide our country,\u201d Pence said.
\nWhile the White House did not comment, Democrats said Trump was not immune from the rule of law.
\n\u201cI encourage both Mr. Trump\u2019s critics and supporters to let the process proceed peacefully and according to the law,\u201d said the top Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer.
\nThe charges will likely be unsealed by a judge in the coming days. Trump will have to travel to Manhattan for fingerprinting and other processing at that point.
\nBragg\u2019s office said it had contacted Trump\u2019s attorney to coordinate a surrender, which a court official said would likely occur next Tuesday.
\nTrump\u2019s lawyers Susan Necheles and Joseph Tacopina said they will \u201cvigorously fight\u201d the charges.
\nThe Manhattan investigation is one of several legal challenges facing Trump.
\nBragg successfully prosecuted Trump\u2019s business last year on tax-fraud charges, leading to a $1.61 million criminal penalty.
\nThe presiding judge in that case, New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, is expected to oversee this case as well, according to a person familiar with the matter.
\nTrump could use the case to stoke anger among his core supporters, though other Republican voters might tire of the drama. Some 44% of Republicans said he should drop out of the race if he is indicted, according to a Reuters\/Ipsos poll released last week.
\nOutside the courthouse, several protesters silently held signs criticizing Trump. Authorities bolstered security around the courthouse after Trump called for nationwide protests on March 18, recalling his charged rhetoric ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters.
\nDaniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, has said she received money in exchange for keeping silent about a sexual encounter she had with Trump in 2006.
\nThe former president\u2019s personal lawyer Michael Cohen has said he coordinated with Trump on the payments to Daniels and to a second woman, former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who also said she had a sexual relationship with him. Trump has denied having affairs with either woman.
\nTrump in 2018 initially disputed knowing anything about the payment to Daniels. He later acknowledged reimbursing Cohen for the payment, which he called a \u201csimple private transaction.\u201d
\n\u201cNo one is above the law,\u201d Daniels\u2019 lawyer Clark Brewster said on Twitter.
\nCohen pleaded guilty to a campaign-finance violation in 2018 and served more than a year in prison. Federal prosecutors said he acted at Trump\u2019s direction.
\nCohen said he stood by his testimony and the evidence he provided to prosecutors. \u201cAccountability matters,\u201d he said in a statement.
\nNo former or sitting U.S. president has ever faced criminal charges.
\nAside from this case, Trump faces two criminal investigations by a special counsel appointed by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and another criminal probe by a local prosecutor in Georgia.
\nTrump has escaped legal peril numerous times. In the White House, he weathered two attempts by Congress to remove him from office, including for the Jan. 6, assault on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters, as well as a years-long probe into his campaign\u2019s contacts with Russia in 2016.
\nIn last year\u2019s tax-fraud trial, the Manhattan District Attorney\u2019s office targeted Trump\u2019s business but declined to charge Trump himself with financial crimes. In the hush-money case, legal experts say Bragg is expected to argue Trump falsified business records to cover up another crime, such as violating federal campaign-finance law, which makes it a felony.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Claims innocence, blaming Democrats of \u2018political persecution\u2019, \u2018election interference\u2019 NEW YORK Donald Trump has been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury after a probe into hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels, becoming the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges even as he makes another run for the White House. The specific […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":323287,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-323275","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n