Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Reuters
The indictment that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is currently seeking against former President Donald Trump—over his payment to silence a porn star about their sexual affair—is based on a crime that was so flimsy it was never viewed as a standalone criminal case, according to three attorneys who have worked on that investigation.
These insiders spoke to The Daily Beast on the condition of anonymity, because they are not authorized to discuss the ongoing criminal investigation.
A grand jury may soon decide whether to indict Trump for faking business records and dodging campaign finance laws when he used his company—the Trump Organization—and his personal “fixer”—Michael Cohen—to quietly pay hush money to the adult film star Stormy Daniels to keep the revelation from derailing his 2016 presidential campaign. Journalists from around the globe are now staking out a courthouse in downtown New York City, awaiting the possible arrest of the former American president.