N.Y. case in opposition to Trump over hush cash to porn star goes to grand jury Monday
(Reuters) – The case involving former President Donald Trump’s position in hush cash funds to porn star Stormy Daniels throughout his 2016 presidential marketing campaign will go earlier than a grand jury on Monday, the New York Occasions reported, citing individuals with information of the matter.
The Manhattan district lawyer’s workplace will begin presenting its proof within the case, the newspaper reported, which might lay out the groundwork for any felony costs in opposition to Trump.
A witness within the case, former Nationwide Enquirer writer David Pecker, was seen getting into the decrease Manhattan constructing the place the grand jury is empaneled, the Occasions reported. The writer had provided to assist Trump by shopping for rights to unflattering tales and by no means publishing them.
The strikes are a sign that the district lawyer, Alvin Bragg, is nearer to a choice on whether or not to cost Trump.
Bragg’s workplace declined to touch upon the report.
Daniels stated she had a sexual liaison with Trump and obtained $130,000 earlier than the 2016 presidential election in change for not discussing her encounter with Trump, who denies it occurred and in 2018 advised reporters he knew nothing a few cost to Daniels.
Trump’s former private lawyer, Michael Cohen, was sentenced to a few years in jail in federal court docket in New York for orchestrating hush funds to Daniels and one other lady, former Playboy mannequin Karen McDougal, who stated she had a months-long affair with Trump earlier than he took workplace.
McDougal has stated she offered her story for $150,000 to American Media Inc (AMI), however it was by no means printed. The incident concerned a apply often known as “catch and kill” to stop a doubtlessly damaging article from being printed.
Pecker, AMI’s former chief govt officer and a longtime good friend of Trump and Cohen, advised prosecutors of their hush-money offers with McDougal and Daniels earlier than the 2016 U.S. election received by Trump, the Wall Road Journal reported in 2018.
(Reporting by Doina Chiacu and Karen Freifeld; Enhancing by Jonathan Oatis)