Former President Donald Trump becomes the first U.S. president to be indicted after sources say a New York grand jury has issued an indictment in its investigation into alleged hush-money payoffs made to porn actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign. File Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI | License Photo
March 30 (UPI) — A Manhattan grand jury has voted in favor of an unprecedented indictment of former President Donald Trump in its investigation into hush-money payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
The indictment is likely to remain sealed until Trump makes an appearance in court, but district attorney Alvin Bragg reportedly has informed the former president’s legal team of the grand jury’s decision.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and court has been under the watch of an increased law-enforcement presence for more than a week in anticipation of the decision that came down Thursday. District Attorney Alvin Bragg advised his staff that extra measures were being taken to ensure their safety after Trump earlier had called for protests on his Truth Social Page.
Protests have yet to materialize in large numbers, with demonstrators for and against an indictment trickling outside the district offices in New York.
Trump allegedly made a payment of at least $130,000, delivered by former attorney Michael Cohen to Daniels while campaigning for president in 2016. Cohen is among several current or former Trump allies to have testified in the case.
On Monday, the grand jury heard testimony from former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, NBC News reports. It was the second time Pecker has testified to the grand jury. He allegedly was involved in attempting to keep Daniels from going public about her affair with the former president. In 2021, he agreed to pay a $187,500 fine to the Federal Election Commission for his role in suppressing the story.
On Friday, Trump’s rhetoric about an indictment became bolder, with the former president warning there would be “death and destruction” if charges are brought against him.
The controversial rhetoric has continued to flow on Trump’s social media page despite fellow Republicans, including former Vice President Mike Pence, urging for calm. One post, which has since been removed, was an edited photo of Trump holding a baseball bat next to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, according to CBS News. Trump’s warning of violence has coincided with threats to Bragg in the past week, including a letter that read “Alvin, I’m going to kill you.”
