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LAST UPDATE | 31 Mar 2023
A NEW YORK grand jury has voted to indict former US president Donald Trump over hush money payments made ahead of the 2016 election.
The exact nature of the charges was unclear today because the indictment remained under seal, but they stem from payments made to porn actor Stormy Daniels before the 2016 US presidential election.
Prosecutors said they were working to coordinate Trump’s surrender, which could happen early next week.
They did not say whether they intended to seek prison time in the event of a conviction, a development that would not prevent Trump from seeking and assuming the presidency.
The indictment, the first against a former US president, injects a local district attorney’s office into the heart of a national presidential race and ushers in criminal proceedings in a city that the ex-president for decades called home.
Arriving at a time of deep political divisions, the charges are likely to reinforce rather than reshape duelling perspectives of those who see accountability as long overdue and those who, like Trump, feel the Republican is being targeted for political purposes by a Democratic prosecutor.
Trump, who has denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly assailed the investigation, called the indictment “political persecution” and predicted it would damage Democrats in 2024.
In a statement confirming the charges, defence lawyers Susan Necheles and Joseph Tacopina said Trump “did not commit any crime”, adding: “We will vigorously fight this political prosecution in court.”
A spokesman for the Manhattan district attorney’s office confirmed the indictment and said prosecutors had reached out to Trump’s defence team to coordinate a surrender.
Trump was asked to surrender today but his lawyers said the Secret Service needed additional time as they made security preparations, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.
The sources, who could not publicly discuss security details, said Trump is expected to surrender early next week.
District attorney Alvin Bragg left his office yesterday evening without commenting.
The case centres on well-chronicled allegations from a period in 2016 when Trump’s celebrity past collided with his political ambitions.
Prosecutors for months scrutinised money paid to porn actor Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, whom he feared would go public with claims that they had extramarital sexual encounters with him.
The timing of the indictment appeared to come as a surprise to Trump’s campaign officials, following news reports that criminal charges were likely weeks away. The former president was at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida estate,yesterday and filmed an interview with a conservative commentator earlier in the day.
For a man whose presidency was defined by one obliterated norm after another, the indictment sets up yet another never-before-seen spectacle — a former president having his fingerprints and mug shot taken, and then facing arraignment.
For security reasons, his booking is expected to be carefully choreographed to avoid crowds inside or outside the courthouse.
The prosecution also means that Trump will have to simultaneously fight for his freedom and political future, while also fending off potentially more perilous legal threats, including investigations into attempts by him and his allies to undo the 2020 presidential election as well as into the hoarding of hundreds of classified documents.
In fact, New York was until recently seen as an unlikely contender to be the first place to prosecute Trump, who continues to face long-running investigations in Georgia and Washington that could also result in charges.
Unlike those inquiries, the Manhattan case concerns allegations against Trump that occurred before he became president and are unrelated to his much-publicised efforts to overturn the election.
The indictment comes as Trump seeks to reassert control of the Republican Party and stave off a slew of one-time allies who may threaten his bid for the presidential nomination.
An expected leading rival in the race, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, called the indictment “un-American” in a statement last night that pointedly did not mention Trump’s name.
In bringing the charges, Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, is embracing an unusual case that was investigated by two previous sets of prosecutors, both of which declined to take the politically explosive step of seeking Trump’s indictment.
The case may also turn in part on the testimony of a key witness, Trump’s former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, who pleaded guilty to federal charges arising from the hush money payments, including making false statements.
The probe’s fate seemed uncertain until word got out in early March that Bragg had invited Trump to testify before a grand jury, a signal that prosecutors were close to bringing charges.
Trump’s attorneys declined the invitation, but a lawyer closely allied with the former president briefly testified in an effort to undercut Cohen’s credibility.
Trump himself raised anticipation that he would be indicted soon, issuing a statement earlier this month in which he predicted an imminent arrest and called for protests.
He did not repeat that call in a fresh statement yesterday, but the New York Police Department told its 36,000 officers to be fully mobilised and ready to respond to any potential protests or unrest.
Late in the 2016 presidential campaign, Cohen paid Daniels $130,000 to keep her silent about what she says was a sexual encounter with Trump a decade earlier after they met at a celebrity golf tournament.
Cohen was then reimbursed by Trump’s company, the Trump Organisation, which also rewarded the lawyer with bonuses and extra payments logged internally as legal expenses. Over several months, Cohen said, the company paid him $420,000.
Earlier in 2016, Cohen also arranged for the publisher of the supermarket tabloid the National Enquirer to pay Ms McDougal “150,000 to squelch her story of a Trump affair in a journalistically dubious practice known as “catch-and-kill”.
The payments to the women were intended to buy secrecy, but they backfired almost immediately as details of the arrangements leaked to the news media.
Federal prosecutors in New York ultimately charged Cohen in 2018 with violating federal campaign finance laws, arguing that the payments amounted to impermissible help to Trump’s presidential campaign.
Cohen pleaded guilty to those charges and unrelated tax evasion counts and served time in federal prison.
Trump was implicated in court filings as having knowledge of the arrangements — obliquely referred to in charging documents as “Individual 1” — but US prosecutors at the time balked at bringing charges against him.
The Justice Department has a long-time policy against indicting a sitting president in federal court.
Bragg’s predecessor as district attorney, Cyrus Vance Jr, then took up the investigation in 2019. While that probe initially focused on the hush money payments, Vance’s prosecutors moved on to other matters, including an examination of Trump’s business dealings and tax strategies.
Vance ultimately charged the Trump Organisation and its chief financial officer with tax fraud related to fringe benefits paid to some of the company’s top executives.
The hush money matter became known around the DA’s office as the “zombie case”, with prosecutors revisiting it periodically but never opting to bring charges.
However, after the Trump Organisation was convicted on the tax fraud charges in December, Bragg opted to reopen the case, hiring long-time white-collar prosecutor Matthew Colangelo to oversee the probe and convening a new grand jury.
Cohen became a key witness, meeting with prosecutors nearly two-dozen times, turning over emails, recordings and other evidence and testifying before the grand jury.
Trump has long decried the Manhattan investigation as “the greatest witch hunt in history”. He has also lashed out at Bragg, calling the prosecutor, who is black, racist against white people.
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The Father of a young lad killed by an IRA bomb asks McGuinness personally to give a peace speech. While you have idiots on here that know nothing about what it’s like to have lived through the troubles calling him a Terrorist
I never lived in the North but I do remember as a child that friends of my parents had to move South of the border due to persecution. In fairness most of us living South of the border don’t have a clue about life in the North. We heard the News ect but never walked in those shoes.
I am delighted to read what Martin McGuinness said today. Hopefully what he said will help with the ongoing Peace Process – however only time will tell.
I have yet to see a brit soldier speak to the Dublin and monaghan families.
I have yet to se a brit soldier apologize for any of the murders they committed in Ireland.
Well done Martin McGuinness & well done the Parrys. An example to everybody but particularly to the deluded bitter halfwits who have polluted this comments section with their hatred.
Well done Mr Parry and Martin McGuinness. That’s the way forward.
The way forward is to get rid of McGuinness and let the next generation take over. The generation without blood on their hands.
Crawl back under your shell Niall, back to where you belong with oul Willie Frazier. You bitter bitter man. You just cannot accept that people are trying to move on and look to future, it’s called conflict resolution.
I pity your lack of intelligence
The way forward is certainly not to get rid of anyone. The Brits tried that for
centuries, in Ireland and abroad . Has it ever worked ?
Neil Sullivan, people with blood on their hands are on both sides. It’s the people on both sides that talk and listen to each other that will save us from repeated conflicts. Both sides believe they are right. Congratulations to the families and people of Warrington for making progress, hopefully soon Irish people will start loving themselves and have confidence to do the right thing for their country PEACEFULLY.
Its called learning from the past and seeing through empty rhetoric,
What a fantastic gesture to ask Martin McGuinness to address this conference. Conflict resolution is painful and slow for all parties to the war. Contrast the attitude to seeking peace with the attitude of the free state establishment. Their anti republican vitriol stands exposed , it is nothing to do with SF and republicanism and more to do with the threat to their cosy consensus.
Huge respect to the Parry family !
Martin is a hero. Only those who have come from such turbulent times know the real value of peace.
Oh yes, bombing a small out of the way town and murdering two little boys just to force the British Govenment to talk is a really heroic gesture.
Here’s heroic gestures- tell the families where each body is buried, give the name and the crime committed by each terrorist ( from both traditions, sure they aren’t going to serve a day) , let us know exactly how much money was robbed and extorted “for the cause”, tell us how its going to be repaid, resign from politics and let those with clean hands run Sinn Fein. Do this and people will really believe Mr McGuinness is serious about peace.
Mick was there much robbed from you.?
The Nationalist people from part of our wee Country had more than money
Stole from them. Why blame them for trying to right the wrong from the
1920′s .
mick
you sad bitter pathetic man, you’d never make a republican
Thanks Dalai, I am sad and bitter that two little lads boys were murdered, if the fact that I decry the murder of two little innocent boys makes me pathetic- then maybe you don’t really understand the term pathetic. And if you really think that only those who murdered little boys, support the murder of little boys or are willing to gloss over the murder of little boys can be republicans – then, do you actually understand the term republican.
This is an important discussion- lets leave out the insulting language towards those of a differing viewpoint.
go back in to your cave..mick walsh..
As opposed to Civil Right’s Marchers in Derry, yeah, and what about all the Loyalist Paramilitaries that were ” legal “, who maimed, butchered and murdered? Yes, the I. R. A. are guilty of some horrendous crimes, but the British Army and Government and Loyalist Paramilitaries even more so.
That’s a bit harsh L, are we not allowed have different opinions?
Complete shameful anti Irish nationalist tripe go away before you and your type provoke more trouble,you are below contempt.
Great speech, would’ve made a great president
If only he answer the Jean McConville question so her family would know where she was buried. Yes, a great president indeed.
Was Jean McConville the only person killed in the conflcit? Seems to be the only name people can repeat
Niall Jean McConville’s body was found years ago. Why are people on here always mentioning her and not other victims like Joan Connolly, mother of eight, who died around the same time. British paratroopers shot her several times in the head and upper body, blowing off half her face in the process and no soldier has ever been brought to justice for her murder.
It makes me sick that people on here, as well as politicians and other public figures, continually call for the perpetrators of Jean McConvilles murder to be brought to justice but there is no outcry from the same people for the other victims. Is Joan lower down in the hierarchy of victims because she only had eight rather ten children.
These people continually use Jean McConvilles name not because they care about justice for her but rather for their own attempts to stifle SF’s growth. If you really care about the victims of the Troubles please continue calling for justice for Jean’s family but desist from the hierarchy of victims been used for your own agendas.
In every war and every conflict , informers often get a sad end. Unlike
many informers Jean was given a warning which she did not heed .
The taking away and killing of a mother of a young family was a crass act
but so also was the parading of a couple members of the family for
Political gain, that was also pathetic. As is the continuous bringing up
of name to try to point score by people who never attempted to bring
Peace and resolution to our Irish problem .
@PAT @DALAI it goes without saying that everyone responsible for all murders should be outed.
It doesn’t matter who they are: British army, RUC loyalist or Republican.
The focus on Jean McConville has been because of the suspected links to senior SF members who despite denials of ant role in the IRA have been fingered by some of their own people.
So if you believe Darkie Hughes about Gerry Adams role in the Belfast IRA you also have to believe what he said about Jean McConville-that she was a British informer who was repeatedly warned to cease her activities but continued anyways. Unfortunately she ended up the same way as all other informers who were caught by the IRA.
If you’re going to use the death of someone to score political points then at least get your facts right, Jean McConville was buried 10 years ago you imbecile.
And if only the Woman went to the Army and told them whet the Brits wanted her to do and asked to be kept safe, then the Family would know where she was. She was a Mother, yes, but she was also a Collaborator, so you’ll excuse some of us for not being that upset about what happened her.
Well said Martin.
what martin mcguinness has just said is what the vast majority of the nationalist population in northern Ireland feel, as a community who suffered at the hands of the orange order /the unionist party and the ruc /bspecials /uvf/ uda /and British army for over 80 years and who when they asked for justice and fair play in education /health and housing and job where beaten off the streets who witnessed their parents being abused by the system left in abject poverty with no future and only for the catholic church no education who left to be abused by various Irish governments as in 1933/6 1968/69 what did you expect us to do if things where going to change then we in the north had to make it happen and it was clear that as long as stormont existed it was not going to change that was the main reason for the armed struggle , my own contention was that after sunningdale and the power sharing agreement of 1974 the i r a should have called a cease fire it was then that they lost the high ground and the morality of war was no longer justified and the vast majority of the nationalist population agreed but certain elements within the republican movement mostly from the 26 counties wanted to continue the war no matter what the people wanted but it must also be said that it was the orange order paisley and the hard right of Craig, harry west david Trimble and the u.v.f who in the end brought down that power shearing government and where allowed to do because the british goverment of the day allowed them to as they thought that to continue the war against the republicans was the easy option and the i.r.a. gave them the excuse so marti mc guinness has done the brave thing something that should have been done 20 years earlier except that the free state and british wanted to defeat the I.R,A and either of them succeed S.F in power in the north is their worst nightmare and the threat of getting power in the free state isa even bigger nightmare for F.G/ F,F OR LAB and the southern media and as for chopstix there is nothing slimey about bringing peace and working for your people all the people in an effort to improve their lives and their childerns lives its a lot more than can be said about the shower in leinster house who have destroyed this part of ireland through greed and selfishness look at their pensions and wages and then look at the broken families and the suicides the people who have to take boats and planes to the far reaches of the world give me matrtin mc guinness any time at least he is honest what you see is what you get
Philip Kelly, I wish I could give you hundreds of Green Thumbs. We need our Government to listen and act to protect our equality of pain to get this country back out of recession, before conflict takes hold and we look back in shame. Many of the rights withheld in the north that led to the war are being withdrawn down here not by the British but by our rich masters, lesson not learned.
Mr Colin Parry is a giant among men.
How he can overcome personal grief to invite a former leader of the organization that snuffed out the life from his beautiful boy forever with an indiscriminate bomb, for “the cause”, is simply beyond my comprehension. I will never understand or know the strength of character it takes to embrace peace like that. I know I could never climb to the pedestal upon which Mr Parry stands. Words fail me
Stockholm Syndrome perhaps?
Is it just me or is there something slimey about Mcguiness
Just you. I never ever ever, would ever say the ira represented me. I couldn’t understand nor will I ever what they did. But fair enough what mcguinness did tonight. That takes balls.
Oh it took balls I give him that
Just hard to trust them without suspecting there is an agenda
What do you mean Chopstix? There are people on these boards that think he’s a modern day Martin Luther or Ghandi. Don’t burst their bubble.
Ghandi and Martin Luther were well known in their day to go in to the dressing room of Miriam O’ Callaghan and give out about the line of questioning about their present and past. Mcguinness is a hero, not a slime bag. He’d like to be known as a man if peace, but he’s just a man if piss and puss.
Niall you’re a very bitter man and twisted.
What I’m waiting for is an apology to the Irish people for the attempted genocide by the British establishment and the locking up of the murderers responsible.
Thankfully a few Kenyans managed to dish out long overdue justice to one British terrorist commander who ordered the killing of Irish civilians on bloody Sunday in Derry And not forgetting the Ballymurphy massacre 6 months before where 11 Irish civilians were murdered by the British State Parachute regiment including a mother of 8 who attended a victim and was shot in the face for her trouble and of course a priest , father Mullan who was shot in the back.
Terrorists indeed.
@ Tristan, “attempted genocide”…. What are you on about, if you have to invent stuff like that then you know your argument holds very little water.
First Lad, Ghandi was not afraid to use violence when it suited to gain a better peace, Ghandi has blood on his hands and he has said this… As for martin Luther King nor he was afraid to use a non violent action that was then. This now Martin Mc was Derry’s commander during the troubles as he watched British army shoot dead many people on a Peace march. Now he has made some great chapters in bringing peace to Ireland and mistakes were made on both sides and still there are people who want to drag the killing back ……..Let put it this way how many chemicals have the English government and still supply to countries that are deemed dangerous At least he’s trying to solve the problem not destroy it ………………….
Bitter? No fella, my own grandfather was buried in a tri colour and was an active member of what they refer to down South as “the old IRA”.
I’m not bitter but I cannot accept SF and the SF henchmen (local criminal scuts) getting in to power in my locality. They align themselves to working class yet most of the criminal element in my locality are members and try to induce fear as a result. SF may have cleaned up their act with Pearse Doherty and Mary Lou. But at grassroots they are still doing the same things they ways did.
When they finally rid themselves of the criminal element I’ll look at them again. In the meantime save me from my own bitterness please kid?
Like he solved the Jean McConville episode and Gerry helped McCabes wife. But you’re right about Ghandi he too was a thoroughbred killer and kept the shallow grave locations of people he killed to himself. How very Ghandish of him fella.
The Old IRA also abducted and “disappeared” victims. Particularly in West Cork. “But that was different” I suppose?
Leslie, see my above comment. If you lived in north they most likely would have helped you in some way directly or otherwise…
Next great step would be to get justice for the innocent people murdered in Birmingham and Gilford pub bombs.
typical shitehead,
the people from Dublin and monaghan would appreciate justice, justice from the brit state and the irish state for murdering their loved ones in 1974.
@dalai Too bad you have to resort to personal attacks.
As I said above I would like to see justice fore all murders.
I focused on Birmingham and Gilford because as you will see in the article there was a protest from families of the victims of these too atrocities. I am assuming you read the article.
What about Justice for those WRONGFULLY CONVICTED AND IMPRISONED FOR SAID CRIMES?
I despise the IRA, I think Sinn Fein haven’t an economic clue but I respect Martin McGuinness and do trust his commitment to inclusive politics.
James. What faction of the IRA do you despise? Southern so called Irish people,through ignorance or laziness do not differentiate between the complexities of the different factions that come under the generic umbrella of the IRA. The original PIRA etc was borne out of necessity and desperation. I would quite confidently suggest that most decent, loyal, courageous men & women who were fortunate enough to live in the south, would have taken part in some form of necessary nationalist actions to protect their people, if they had been raised in the north and had to live in those horrible and disgraceful conditions. This painting of nationalism and republicanism as a negative is shocking to me. do people not understand what those words mean? the labelling of heros such as Mr. McGuinness as “terrorists” is absolutely treasonous!! (I’m rising people with that line, don’t catch the bait). So I ask you James, if you despise the IRA and all they stand for etc, I take it you are British or have been affected personally by attacks made by them personally on you or your family, or perhaps sadly you are a coward and prefer to hide behind simple minded accusations made by weak politicians? And as for SFs economic policies….I’m no supporter but can they be any worse than any of the others policies???!!! Don’t be fooled by propaganda…
Oisin, I despise the terrorist organisation who murdered innocent people to achieve a political end. They never at their height had a majority of the nationalist opinion to murder and maim. You can muddy the waters by claiming they were defending their own but there never was a defence to murdering innocents including the many of their own. Democracy is the only solution.
” Haven’t an economic clue “, even thought the Trioka have come out and said that what the Party, and the other REAL OPPOSITION PARTIES said at the start of the Recession was correct, yeah?
Brave man, Colin Parry.
I have a huge amount of admiration for Mr Parry; reconciliation and politics are the only way to solve our problems, not violence. We’re not animals.
FULL SPEECH…………..WOW!!!!!!
Mr. McGuinness would have one think that Leopards do indeed change their spots.
Colin Parry and his wife should receive a significant recognition from this state in what ever form that takes. A true symbol of peace despite losing a much loved son he advocates forgiveness and peace. Truely humbling.
SF in the power, Can we eat this elephant in small bites. What MaGuinness did last night was to try and move the process one step forward (small step). There are many many steps to be taken yet to secure a lasting peace on all sides. I think it was a frank and honest lecture. Would I trust SF in power in the Republic ?. No I would not. But in the interest of living on a peaceful island am I mature enough to allow SF time to win the respect and trust of the Irish people.?. Yes I am and I think if we keep looking at the finishing line without seeing the road we need to journey then we will fall over. So in short credit where credit is due, last night was one more little step in SF gaining the trust of the people
have your say