Trump invited to appear before New York grand jury on Stormy Daniels payments

[ad_1]

Comment on this story

Comment

NEW YORK Former president Donald Trump has been invited by the Manhattan district attorney to appear next week before a grand jury investigating his business dealings, an offer that could mark a significant development of years after the investigation began, three people with knowledge of the proceedings. said Thursday.

They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

The grand jury notice alerting Trump of his opportunity to appear before the secret panel could signal that the investigation by state prosecutors is winding down. It remains unclear whether Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg will seek an indictment at the end of the process.

In New York state, the target of a criminal investigation that has not yet resulted in an arrest may request this type of notification when a case against them is being heard by a grand jury if they know that the trial is underway. The requirement is designed to give the target an opportunity to be heard by the panel in his own defense. Defense attorneys generally consider it dangerous for a client to testify in that situation.

Everyone would advise him not to come in, said a Trump adviser who was one of three people with knowledge of the situation who confirmed the notification. Well look what he’s doing. The notice was first reported by the New York Times.

Braggs’ office convened the grand jury to examine business-related matters including Trump’s role in hush money payments to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign that were classified as legal expenses, it said. by people with knowledge of the investigation. The long-running investigation appeared to gain traction in recent months after seemingly lying dormant for most of the past year.

A spokeswoman for the district attorney declined to comment.

Trump released a long, rambling statement in which he denied having an affair with Daniels and accused prosecutors of trying to get Trump.”

If charges are brought in connection with the payments, they will likely focus on the alleged falsification of records to conceal the nature of the funds paid to Daniels. Michael Cohen, a former Trump lawyer, said he handled the money involved in the transactions and was reimbursed by his then boss. Falsifying business records is generally a misdemeanor in New York, but prosecutors can file a felony charge if the fabrication was made to conceal or further another crime.

In recent weeks, several witnesses have met with prosecutors, according to news reports. Cohen, who pleaded guilty to campaign finance charges related to payments to Daniels and was sentenced to three years in prison for those and other crimes, said Thursday that he has yet to face grand jury but was scheduled to meet with investigators from the district attorney’s office Friday, for the 20th time.

Trump, a Republican, and his lawyers have repeatedly accused Bragg and his predecessor, Cyrus R. Vance Jr., both Democrats, of engaging in a politically motivated investigation. Trump accused New York Attorney General Letitia James, also a Democrat, of the same after she filed a $250 million lawsuit against him, three of his grown children, Weisselberg and the company in September.

The district attorney’s investigation began in 2019 and resulted in a Supreme Court battle over access to Trump’s tax returns and related records, which were ultimately turned over to Vance’s office.

At the start of Braggs’ term in 2022, he rejected a push by senior prosecutors to ask a previous grand jury to indict Trump for defrauding lenders and insurance companies by lying about the true value of his assets. property and other assets. Bragg said at the time that his office would continue to investigate the former president, and that a new list of lawyers had been involved in the case.

Vance previously considered pursuing charges against Trump related to Daniels. But his office ruled that out as a viable option and moved on to other matters, including the Trump Organizations’ tax practices and asset valuations.

On Thursday, Trump said Bragg was returning to an old and reprimanded case that every prosecutor’s office has refused to look into.

The Trump Organization was indicted on tax fraud and related counts and convicted in December. In that trial, longtime company executive Allen Weisselberg testified against the company under a plea deal that gave him five months in prison in exchange for his assistance in the trial. He faces up to 15 years in prison after evading taxes on $1.7 million in income.

The company was ordered to pay a $1.6 million fine to the state, the largest amount allowed under New York law.

Trump announced his 2024 candidacy for the presidency in November. He also faces other law enforcement investigations, including Justice Department investigations involving classified documents brought to his Mar-a-Lago estate and his role in efforts to reverse the 2020 election results.

In Georgia, an Atlanta-area district attorney is investigating whether Trump and his allies broke the law when they sought to overturn Trumps 2020 election loss in Georgia. Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis (D) said in January that charging decisions in that case were imminent.

Dawsey reported from Washington. Isaac Arnsdorf contributed to this report.

[ad_2]