Key details about the case explained

Former US President Donald Trump will appear before a judge in New York to answer to criminal charges related to business fraud, reportedly comprising approximately 30 charges. This makes Trump the first sitting or former US president to be indicted for a crime. The indictment remains under seal, and the details of the charges are not yet known. The Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, has ordered that the indictment remain under seal.

The charges relate to an investigation of Trump’s alleged $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about an alleged affair shortly before the 2016 presidential election. The payment was made via Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer and long-time fixer, and constituted a campaign finance violation as it was over the $2,700 limit on personal donations. Cohen was jailed for three years for eight counts, including tax fraud and campaign finance violations. The Trump Organization paid Cohen $420,000, which included the $130,000 reimbursed to Daniels. Trump denies knowledge of this payment, but Cohen claims that Trump signed a cheque for $35,000.

Falsifying records related to breaking campaign finance laws constitutes a class E felony, with a possible jail sentence of up to four years, and is more serious than the misdemeanour charge of falsifying records. Prosecutors must prove that the records were deliberately falsified with the intention of breaking campaign finance laws.

This is not the first time that a senior US politician has faced charges relating to campaign finance violations. John Edwards, John Kerry’s running mate in 2004 and presidential candidate in 2008, solicited nearly $1 million from donors to pay off his pregnant mistress in 2011. Edwards was acquitted of the charges, but his political career came to an end.



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