A Federal grand jury in New York has handed down an indictment against former US President Donald Trump, charging him with 34 felony counts. The charges relate to a hush money payment made by his then-lawyer Michael Cohen in 2016, just days before the presidential election.
According to the indictment, released on Tuesday, Mr Trump directed others to make payments to two women, Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels, who both claimed they had affairs with him. The payments were intended to silence them from publicly speaking about their alleged relationships with Mr Trump.
The charges allege that Mr Trump took "unlawful corporate acts" related to the payment of $130,000 to Stormy Daniels, as well as attempting to make an illegal campaign contribution to his presidential campaign in exchange for the same. The indictment also accuses him of violating the campaign finance law by having his lawyer and a businessman, Michael Cohen, set up a company to pay the hush money.
As part of the investigation into these allegations, federal authorities have been examining Mr Trump's financial records and interactions with business associates. A separate inquiry by the Manhattan District Attorney's office also found evidence that Donald Trump's companies had falsified financial statements in order to make himself appear more attractive as a potential buyer.
The news comes after months of speculation over whether former President would face legal consequences for his actions during his presidency, particularly regarding the payment of hush money.
According to the indictment, released on Tuesday, Mr Trump directed others to make payments to two women, Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels, who both claimed they had affairs with him. The payments were intended to silence them from publicly speaking about their alleged relationships with Mr Trump.
The charges allege that Mr Trump took "unlawful corporate acts" related to the payment of $130,000 to Stormy Daniels, as well as attempting to make an illegal campaign contribution to his presidential campaign in exchange for the same. The indictment also accuses him of violating the campaign finance law by having his lawyer and a businessman, Michael Cohen, set up a company to pay the hush money.
As part of the investigation into these allegations, federal authorities have been examining Mr Trump's financial records and interactions with business associates. A separate inquiry by the Manhattan District Attorney's office also found evidence that Donald Trump's companies had falsified financial statements in order to make himself appear more attractive as a potential buyer.
The news comes after months of speculation over whether former President would face legal consequences for his actions during his presidency, particularly regarding the payment of hush money.
! It feels like just yesterday we're talking about all the drama with Trump's presidency and now he's being indicted on felony charges? What happened to that guy? 
I remember when Michael Cohen was in trouble, it seemed like a big deal at the time, but now it seems like just another day for Trump. 34 counts of felony, whoa 
. This investigation has been going on for months and I'm surprised they finally got enough evidence to bring charges. It's wild how much attention this is getting, even years later. Do you think he'll ever be able to run for office again? 
I don't know if this is the right move, but I guess it's good that someone is finally holding him accountable for what happened back in 2016 
. I mean, who tries to pay people off to keep quiet about an affair? It just seems so... shady 
. But at the same time, you can't help but feel a little sad that it had to come to this. I wish someone would've spoken up sooner 
. The fact that he's facing 34 felony charges is pretty serious though 
. Hopefully, justice will be served and we'll finally get some closure on all this stuff 
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. The fact that he allegedly directed others to make payments to women who claimed to have had affairs with him, and then attempted to silence them by paying hush money 
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. But at the end of the day, the law is the law and if you break it, you gotta face the consequences 
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. Like, I get it, he's a public figure and all that jazz, but can't we just focus on the financial dealings and corporate shenanigans? It feels like they're more interested in making a political point than actually investigating wrongdoing.
. I'm not saying Trump is innocent, but let's not get too caught up in the salacious details and forget about the bigger picture - did his businesses actually break the law, or was this just a bunch of politics as usual?
34 felony counts? About time someone held him accountable for those shady deals 
. Guess you can't just pay off your enemies (or alleged lovers) and get away with it 
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. But as a parent, it's hard not to worry about how kids are going to view this whole thing. They're already so impressionable and influenced by what they see on social media... I just hope they learn something from this that will stick with them for the rest of their lives 
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like trump thinks he's above the law and now he's actually facing some serious charges lol how did it come to this? i mean, who makes a payment to someone just days before an election? 
also, this is huge for transparency and accountability in politics. if everyone in power thought they were above the law, we wouldn't have a system of justice at all 
... I mean, it's been ages since we've seen a high-profile case like this, and now it seems like Donald Trump is being held accountable for his actions. I think it's awesome that the law is catching up with him on these counts - 34 felony charges, wow! 
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