Manhattan grand jury votes to indict former President Donald Trump in Stormy Daniels case

The Manhattan grand jury reviewing evidence in the Stormy Daniels “hush money” prosecutorial case voted to indict former President Donald Trump, two sources with knowledge of the case told The New York Post on Thursday early evening.

The grand jury vote could result in the first criminal prosecution of a former American president if District Attorney Alvin Bragg now signs off on the charges and tries the case.

The grand jury has been listening to prosecutor’s arguments and reviewing evidence since January related to a purported hush-money payment former attorney Michael Cohen made for Trump’s behalf to adult actress Stormy Daniels at the peak of his 2016 presidential campaign.

The grand jury vote comes as the former president, 76, is trying to capture the 2024 Republican nomination. Some experts have speculated such an indictment could rally his MAGA base and actually unite the Republican Party behind him, despite the damage some Democrats believe the charges may cause his campaign.

For Trump’s part, the former president has denounced the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office grand jury investigation as a “political Witch-Hunt trying to obstruct his presidential run.

The former president has insisted, “I did absolutely nothing wrong.”

Earlier this month, Trump posted on Truth Social that he expected to be arrested March 21 and accused District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat of “prosecutorial misconduct.” 

He also asked his supporters to rally behind him and insisted any potential charges related to the purported 2016 incident were moot because of statute of limitations.

While the felony version of the charge being probed by the Manhattan grand jury usually has a five-year statute of limitations, it can be extended when a defendant lives out of state as the president did when he was serving in the White House in Washington, D.C. 

New York also extended all statute of limitations by a year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The former president has denied he had an affair with Daniels, and says he did not ask his former attorney, Michael Cohen to pay Daniels $130,000 as part of a settlement to refrain from discussing their 2006 personal relationship.

Cohen paid Daniels personally, but was reimbursed by the Trump Organization under the pretense of legal expenses, according to prosecutors who have examined the case.

One problem Trump may face is that Cohen has already pleaded guilty in Manhattan federal court in 2018. He was sentenced to three years in prison for the matter with Daniels and another payment purportedly made to Playboy playmate Karen McDougal.

Still, federal prosecutors who examined the scenario declined to file charges, ultimately deciding it was not a good case.

Bragg launched his investigation long after the 45th president left the White House, a point of contention in the political sphere that has spurred opinions from legal experts across the spectrum on different cable news networks.

Most experts have said the case presents challenges to the prosecution since they must prove the Cohen payment to the two women was made with the intent to conceal or commit another crime.

The Manhattan case specifically rests on the allegation that the crime of falsifying business records was committed with the actual intent of covering up another crime, which Manhattan prosecutors allege was a campaign finance violation, The New York Times reported in March. 

At the time, the NYT reported the charge would be a “low level” felony. Technically, if Trump is convicted of such a felony he could face up to four years in prison.

Trump’s attorney, Joseph Tacopina, called Trump’s initial grand jury invitation “much ado about nothing,” insisting Manhattan did not have a valid case.

“It’s just another example of them weaponizing the justice system against him. And it’s sort of unfair,” he said.

In addition to the Manhattan case, the former president faces other potential prosecutions in Georgia about the 2020 election and a federal investigation led by Special Counsel Jack Smith who is probing his potential involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riots and potential mishandling of classified materials.