The decision whether to indict former U.S. President Donald Trump over hush-money payments made on his behalf during his 2016 presidential campaign lies in the hands of a Manhattan grand jury that has been hearing evidence in secret for weeks.
An indictment of Trump, who is seeking the White House again in 2024, would be an unprecedented moment in American history, the first criminal case against a former U.S. president.
Here's a look at the hush-money probe, grand jury process and possible ramifications for his presidential campaign:The grand jury has been probing Trump's involvement in a $130,000 payment made in 2016 to the porn actor Stormy Daniels to keep her from going public about a sexual encounter she said she had with him years earlier.
Proceedings are closed to the public, including the media. There is no judge present nor anyone representing the accused. Grand juries have long been criticized as little more than rubber stamps for prosecutors. Former New York Judge Sol Wachtler famously said that prosecutors could convince a grand jury to “indict a ham sandwich.” Defenders of the process say it is a crucial safeguard against politically motivated prosecutions.One of the final witnesses being called was Robert Costello, who was once a legal adviser to Cohen, the government's key witness in the investigation.
Trump was also been invited to testify, but his lawyer has said the former president has no plans to participate.Trump says charges would actually help him in the 2024 presidential contest. Longtime ally Lindsey Graham, senator from South Carolina, said Saturday that District Attorney Bragg “has done more to help Donald Trump get elected.”
Asa Hutchinson, the former Arkansas governor mulling his own 2024 bid, said he didn't expect Trump to withdraw from the race after an indictment, though that would be the “right” thing to do.
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