Grand jury presented evidence of Trump-Stormy Daniels payments: NPR

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office is investigating whether former President Donald Trump broke the law with payments allegedly made to cover up an extramarital affair with adult film actress Stormy Daniels, pictured in 2018.

Markus Schreiber/AP

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Markus Schreiber/AP

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office is investigating whether former President Donald Trump broke the law with payments allegedly made to cover up an extramarital affair with adult film actress Stormy Daniels, pictured in 2018.

Markus Schreiber/AP

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office is presenting evidence to a grand jury regarding former President Donald Trump’s alleged silent payment to an adult film star in 2016, according to a person familiar with the investigation. The move lays the groundwork for potential criminal charges against Trump.

The investigation stems from a series of payments made by Trump following the 2016 presidential election, allegedly to prevent accusations that he had an extramarital affair with Stormy Daniels from becoming public. Trump’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, pleaded guilty in federal court in 2018 to making the payments “at the direction” of Trump. Although Cohen served time in prison, Trump was never charged, and neither federal nor local prosecutors pursued the case.

Now, however, after securing the Trump Company’s conviction for fraud, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has called witnesses to testify before a new grand jury, the source said.

Trump, who said he did nothing wrong, could face a charge of falsifying business documents, New York’s lowest felony.