Former President Donald Trump arrived in New York on Monday to face unprecedented criminal charges. News cameras closely followed his every move, from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, to his namesake Trump Tower in Midtown, where he was greeted by a group of supporters.
The live broadcast of the 76-year-old’s journey set the stage for the historic and first-ever criminal prosecution of a current or former US president. Trump is scheduled to spend the night at Trump Tower and will surrender to authorities after being indicted by a grand jury for “hush money” payments made during the 2016 election.
Specific charges have not yet been disclosed, but sources suggest that Trump could face multiple counts of falsifying business records, including at least one felony charge.
The grand jury has been hearing evidence and witness testimony related to the case since January. Last week, they indicted Trump. The case centers around the $130,000 payment made by Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, who claimed to have had an affair with Trump in 2006. The payment was made to keep Daniels silent about the alleged affair. Trump denies any wrongdoing.
Jurors also heard evidence about a separate payment of $150,000 made by the National Enquirer to former Playboy model Karen McDougal for exclusive rights to her story about her alleged affair with Trump. The tabloid ultimately decided not to publish the story, in what is known as a “catch and kill” technique.
Cohen, who pleaded guilty in 2018 to federal campaign finance charges and lying to Congress, has been a key witness for the prosecution. He served a three-year sentence, mostly in home confinement, for crimes committed while he was Trump’s personal lawyer and fixer.
