(Image via cnn.com)
Staff Writer: Brian Galindo
Email: bgalindo@umassd.edu
Donald John Trump, the former United States President and suspected Republican nominee for the 2024 Presidential Election, is currently facing thirty-four criminal charges in New York for falsifying Trump Organization business records.
The accusations most notably include cases of paying people off to avoid controversy and these payments being documented as “legal fees.” Parties included in the payoffs are porn actress Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal.
To say that the former president is no stranger to controversy is an understatement. The charges of falsifying business expenses are just a few among his many ongoing criminal cases.
Trump was indicted for the case in front of a grand jury in 2023. Michael Cohen, a former Trump lawyer, was the most important witness in his indictment and will likely be among the most important in the trial as well.
Cohen has previously claimed to have paid off both Daniels and McDougal, all to aid the former president in his campaign.
Beyond being the first criminal trial of a former president in United States history, the case has several other interesting components.
First, key witness Michael Cohen was a Trump employee at the time of the events happening and was in charge of the supposed hush money. It is interesting to note how his priorities have changed.
Since working with Trump, he has obviously changed from an ally of the former president to an adversary. He even wrote a memoir about his experiences with Trump, Disloyal: A Memoir.
Additionally, the affair with Stormy Daniels has had quite the cover-up story. Though the actress initially denied the existence of any form of an affair, she would later reveal that this was because of signing an NDA that was revealed to be invalid.
Daniels even sued Trump back in 2018 after a post he made on the site formerly known as Twitter, calling her claims of being threatened a “total con-job.”
Daniels would end up losing the suit and her appeal. Still, the event’s existence is not up to Trump to decide, but now, a court of law.
David Pecker, a former publisher for the National Enquirer, testified on Tuesday, April 23rd. During his testimony, he told the story of his assistance to Donald Trump and Michael Cohen in the lead-up to the 2016 election.
He recalled keeping his eyes and ears out for stories that would paint the Republican nominee in a bad light and would reach out to Cohen about stopping them.
He even recalled a specific incident wherein a Trump Tower doorman told rumors about him having an extramarital child. As soon as Pecker was made aware of the rumors, he reached out to the doorman and purchased exclusive rights to print the story, and never did so.
The first Trump criminal trial is underway. More evidence will come, and only time will tell whether the former president will face jail time. Interestingly, while his trial continues, he continues campaigning for the 2024 presidential election.
Want to read more about U.S. politics? Check out our politics section!