By Steve Neavling
The district attorney’s office in Manhattan gave the strongest indication yet that former President Trump may soon face criminal charges for his alleged role in hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels.
Prosecutors invited Trump to testify before the grand jury that has been investigating the hush payments, The New York Times reports, noting that such an invitation is a strong signal that an indictment is near.
While potential defendants have the right to testify, they rarely do.
If Trump is charged, it would mark the first time a former president has been indicted.
The five-year investigation is focused on a $130,000 payment to Daniels, who said she had an affair with Trump. Trump’s former attorney and fixer, Michael Cohen, made the payment to Daniels in the final days of the 2016 presidential election.
While in the White House, Trump reimbursed Cohen.
Cohen is expected to testify before the grand jury.
In a long statement on Truth Social, Trump denied wrongdoing.
“I did absolutely nothing wrong, I never had an affair with Stormy Daniels, nor would I have wanted to have an affair with Stormy Daniels. This is a political Witch-Hunt, trying to take down the leading candidate, by far, in the Republican Party.”
The five-year investigation isn’t the only one Trump is facing. Prosecutors are investigating his handling of classified documents and his role in efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
