New York, Mar 21 Tuesday For the first time in the history of the United States, an ex-president of the country may be charged with a criminal offense — according to media reports, Donald Trump may be accused of falsifying documentation in the case of allegedly paying «for silence» to pornographic actress Stormy Daniels.
However, so far there are many unknowns in history: it is not clear how the accusation will sound, whether Trump will personally come to New York to file charges, whether he will be arrested.
The acuteness of the situation is added by Trump's recent call to his supporters to protest against his criminal prosecution and «reclaim … the country.» The ex-president himself predicted a few days ago that he would be charged on Tuesday.
The story of actress Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, became the object of public attention in 2018. Then the Wall Street Journal, citing a source, wrote that shortly before Trump's candidacy in the 2016 presidential election, his lawyer Michael Cohen paid the actress $130,000 as part of a non-disclosure agreement about her relationship with the president. Daniels claimed she had an affair with Trump before he became president. The White House denied this information. The ex-president himself denies both the connection with Daniels and any illegal actions on his part.
What is the offense? There is nothing criminal in the very fact of paying for silence, if there was one. But since the payment was allegedly made a month before the presidential election, Trump's critics argue that the transfer of money may be a violation of campaign rules.
The charges against Trump are expected to involve falsification of documents, as the money paid to the actress was then described as «legal expenses» by the Trump Organization, the media reported. Meanwhile, under New York law, falsifying documents can be a criminal offense. In the worst case, Trump could face up to 4 years in prison. Nevertheless, a number of experts consider it unlikely that the ex-president will be sentenced to term. Most likely, in their opinion, he will face a fine.
Mnahattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg had previously convened a grand jury to determine if there was enough evidence to prosecute Trump. On Monday, the jury heard from Robert Costello, who was Cohen's former legal adviser. Earlier media reported that Costello was brought in by Trump's lawyers to «discredit Cohen's testimony.»
However, the final decision on whether to press charges against Trump is up to Attorney Bragg.
Will Trump go As reported by the media, the grand jury meets on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Therefore, if the jury did not make a decision on Monday, they will have to continue deliberating on Wednesday — then the prosecution could be brought by the prosecutor as early as Thursday.
Trump himself, however, said earlier that the indictment should be expected on Tuesday.
A number of journalists and experts wondered if the ex-president would be willing to obey justice and travel from his estate in Mar-a-Lago to a New York court to undergo all the relevant procedures, including fingerprinting and photographing.
On Tuesday, a mass of journalists will gather outside the court, waiting for Trump or at least one of the representatives of the parties.
Trump allegedly expressed an interest in appearing in person at Manhattan Criminal Court, The Guardian reported.
Observers predict that Trump will most likely be released immediately upon his indictment, in part under New York's new bail rules. These rules allow people who are charged with misdemeanor or non-violent crimes to be released on bail.
Trump's Presidential Plans As the media noted, indicting Trump should not prevent him from running for president, as legal experts point out that the constitution does not bar people from «becoming president if they are indicted.»
Meanwhile, American entrepreneur Elon Musk said that the detention of Trump will ensure his re-election in the 2024 presidential election.
Will there be protests It is still not clear whether the indictment of Trump will cause protests from his supporters and how massive they will be. In New York on Monday, the police brought metal fences to the courthouse, as well as to the Trump tower tower, which they use during mass protests in the city. However, they were not installed on Monday. the police did not say whether any special preparations were being made for the protests, noting only that the police of the city are always on the alert.