Donald Trump is about to be arrested on suspicion of crimes related to a 2016 payment of $130,000 (£106,000) to porn star Stormy Daniels.
A day before his arrest and court appearance, the 76-year-old left Florida and arrived in New York on Monday.
He is the first former US president to be charged with a crime, however, it is not known what the charges are.
Below are some important queries about the relevant problems in this situation.
What is Trump accused of?
Stormy Daniels, a celebrity in the adult industry, contacted media outlets in 2016 and offered to sell her account of what she claimed to be an adulterous liaison with Donald Trump in 2006.
When Mr. Trump’s team learned of this, his attorney Michael Cohen paid Ms. Daniels $130,000 to be silent.
There is no crime here. Yet according to the payment record, Mr. Trump compensated Mr. Cohen for legal expenses. According to the prosecution, Mr. Trump has been accused of manipulating company records, which is a misdemeanor, or criminal offense, in New York.
Due to his desire for the public to be unaware of his involvement with Ms. Daniels, he made an effort to conceal his payments to her. Prosecutors may also claim that this violates election law. Falsifying records to hide a crime would be a felony, which is a more serious charge.
Even prosecution supporters concede that there are many grey areas in this case. There isn’t much precedent for such a case, and previous attempts to hold politicians accountable for straddling the boundary between campaign money and personal spending failed.
“It’s going to be tough,” says Catherine Christian, a former financial prosecutor for the New York City district attorney.
What happens to Trump next?
A grand jury was convened by New York City District Attorney Alvin Bragg to determine if there was sufficient evidence to bring charges, and they decided to do so last week.
source:bbcnews.com
