On December 10th, 2019, US media outlets reported that President Donald Trump had been indicted in a federal court in New York over hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels. The indictment alleges that Trump violated campaign finance laws by directing his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, to make payments to Daniels in order to keep her quiet about an alleged affair with Trump.
The indictment, which was unsealed in the Southern District of New York, charges Trump with one count of conspiracy to commit campaign finance violations and one count of making false statements to the Federal Election Commission. The indictment alleges that Trump directed Cohen to make payments to Daniels in order to influence the 2016 presidential election.
The indictment also alleges that Trump and Cohen conspired to conceal the payments from the public and the Federal Election Commission. The indictment states that Trump and Cohen “knowingly and willfully caused to be made false statements and representations of material facts to the Federal Election Commission in order to conceal the true source, amount, and purpose of the payments.”
The indictment is the latest in a series of legal troubles for Trump. In August, Cohen pleaded guilty to eight counts of campaign finance violations, tax fraud, and bank fraud. Cohen admitted to making payments to Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal in order to influence the 2016 presidential election.
The indictment of Trump is a major development in the ongoing investigation into his campaign’s alleged ties to Russia. It is unclear what the implications of the indictment will be for Trump and his administration. However, it is likely that the indictment will further complicate the president’s legal troubles and could potentially lead to impeachment proceedings.