Stormy Daniels meets with prosecutors to discuss Trump’s role in payments Donald Trump

adult movie star Stormy Daniels He met with investigators on Wednesday to discuss the former president’s role in paying hush money in exchange for keeping quiet about allegations of sexual relations ahead of the 2016 election.

The news broke when former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, who coordinated the payments, said: new york A grand jury is considering this issue.

A payment of $130,000 was made in 2016. That’s because Trump’s first presidential campaign was in its final week, with Daniels conducting televised talks about having an alleged sexual relationship with Trump a decade before him. Cohen made the payment and arranged another payment for another woman — at Trump’s direction, he says.

Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, prefers to use her stage name. The adult film actor thanked him for “helping me in our ongoing fight for truth and justice.”

Later Wednesday, Cohen turned up on what was expected to be his final day of testimony. He said he would continue to provide prosecutors with “any information and any cooperation they need.”

Now that he’s estranged from Trump, Cohen said he wasn’t looking for justification or revenge.

“This is not about him. This is about holding accountability, truth to power and everything else in between,” Cohen said.

Trump, who has denied having an affair with Daniels, is seeking the Republican nomination for the 2024 presidential election. The day to indict him may be near.

A spokeswoman for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg declined to comment to Reuters. .

Federal prosecutors indicted Cohen in 2018 on campaign finance crimes related to payments to Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougall, alleging that the payments amounted to unauthorized gifts to Trump’s campaign.

McDougal, who received $150,000, claimed to have had an affair with the married Trump from 2006 to 2007. He denied it.

Cohen pleaded guilty, served time, and was sentenced to prison. Federal prosecutors have never charged Trump with a crime.

Manhattan prosecutors are investigating whether state law was violated in connection with the payments or whether Trump’s firm compensated Cohen for trying to silence the woman’s allegations.

Cohen and federal prosecutors said the company paid him $420,000 to reimburse him for his payments to Daniels and cover bonuses and other supposed expenses. classified as litigation costs.

Falsification of business records can be a misdemeanor under state law and a felony if the forgery of documents occurs in connection with a more serious crime.

Trump and his lawyers say he was coerced into paying Daniels and should be considered a victim of the investigation. Did.