Trump Has ‘No Plans’ To Meet With Manhattan Grand Jury Probing Stormy Daniels Payments

Topline

Trump has “no plans” to participate in a Manhattan grand jury’s investigation into his role in hush-money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 campaign for the White House, his lawyer said Monday—days after the grand jury reportedly sought his testimony in a move that indicates it could be nearing an indictment.

Key Facts

Trump is currently not scheduled to meet with the grand jury, his lawyer Joe Tacopina said Monday on ABC’s Good Morning America.

Leaving open the possibility that Trump could testify at a later date, Tacopina said the “decision still needs to be made. There’s been no deadline set, so we’ll wait and see.”

Trump’s attorney, Susan Necheles, who is leading the case, has met with Manhattan prosecutors, Tacopina said.

Tacopina accused Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and his office of having “an agenda” against Trump and claimed the former president was the victim of extortion by Daniels, with whom he has denied having an affair.

Tacopina rejected the notion that the $130,000 payment made to Daniels by Trump’s former personal lawyer and so-called fixer Michael Cohen had anything to do with Trump’s campaign activity, and said the former president “had to pay money” to avoid a “publicly embarrassing” allegation “regardless of the campaign.”

Tacopina said “there [were] absolutely no false records made, to my knowledge,” but federal prosecutors alleged in their 2018 case against Cohen that he was reimbursed by the Trump Organization for the hush-money payments for services falsely specified as retainer fees.

Crucial Quote

“It’s not a contribution to his campaign,” Tacopina said. “He made this with personal funds to prevent something coming out false but embarrassing to himself and his family’s young son. That’s not a campaign finance violation, not by any stretch.”

Key Background

The Manhattan District Attorney’s office began investigating Trump in 2019 after Cohen was convicted on federal campaign finance charges related to his role in paying off Daniels. In that case, federal prosecutors allege Cohen paid Daniels $130,000 in exchange for her silence about her alleged 2006 affair with Trump and was later reimbursed by the Trump Organization. Prosecutors said the deal essentially constituted an illegal campaign finance contribution that was intended to skew the results of the 2016 presidential election. Manhattan prosecutors are reportedly weighing campaign finance-related charges against Trump along with charges for falsifying business records. Last week, the Manhattan grand jury examining the evidence against the former president reportedly sought his testimony, indicating an indictment is forthcoming.

What To Watch For

Cohen, who has met with Manhattan prosecutors at least a dozen times since pleading guilty in 2018 to five federal charges related to the scheme, will reportedly testify before the grand jury on Monday.

Further Reading

Trump Denies Affair With Stormy Daniels—As He Could Reportedly Face Criminal Charges In Hush-Money Scheme (Forbes)

Trump Expected To Be Criminally Charged In New York, Report Says (Forbes)

Trump Could Face Charges For Stormy Daniels Payments As Manhattan DA Reportedly Convenes Grand Jury (Forbes)