A Manhattan grand jury has voted to indict Donald Trump after he paid hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.
The former president has denied any wrongdoing and has attacked the investigation, calling the indictment “political persecution”.
The investigation derives from an alleged affair Trump had with Daniels in 2006, when he was a reality TV star and she was in her twenties.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Daniels attempted to tell her story in the lead up of the 2016 election but was paid out via a home equity loan taken out by Trumps “fixer”, Michael Cohen.
The hush money paid to Daniels is not the crime, rather it is alleged that Trump reimbursed Cohen, falsified business records and then sought to cover up an unreported campaign donation, which is in violation of New York state law.
Donald Trump is the first former US president to face criminal charges, even as he makes another run for the White House.
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald
