The Manhattan District Attorney's office has accused former President Donald Trump of creating a false expectation of his arrest and leading fellow Republicans in Congress to interfere with a probe of his hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. On Saturday, Trump forecast he would be arrested on Tuesday in the probe. However, as of Wednesday, a grand jury hearing evidence in the Stormy Daniels case had yet to issue an indictment. If indicted, Trump would be the first U.S. president to face criminal charges in a court. The grand jury, made up of U.S. citizens residing in Manhattan, convened in January. A former fixer for Trump said he made the payment to Daniels days before the 2016 presidential election at Trump's direction. Daniels, a well-known adult film actress and director whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, has said she received the money in exchange for keeping silent about a sexual encounter she had with Trump in 2006. Trump has denied he ever had an affair with Daniels, maintained his innocence and said the investigation was politically motivated.
Republicans interfered
On Monday, three Republican committee chairmen in the U.S. House of Representatives went on the offensive against District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, accusing him of abusing prosecutorial authority. However, on Thursday, Bragg's office sent the committee chairmen a letter seen by Reuters, stating that their accusations "only came after Donald Trump created a false expectation that he would be arrested the next day and his lawyers reportedly urged you to intervene." The letter confirmed that Bragg's office was "investigating allegations that Donald Trump engaged in violations of New York State penal law."The response from Bragg's office said the three Republican House committee chairmen had sought non-public information about a pending criminal investigation, which is confidential under state law. "The letter's requests are an unlawful incursion into New York's sovereignty," said the letter signed by the district attorney's general counsel, Leslie Dubeck. "Congress cannot have any legitimate legislative task relating to the oversight of local prosecutors enforcing state law."
Trump's legal woes
Trump also faces federal investigations stemming from his handling of government documents after leaving the White House and his attempts to overturn his 2020 election defeat, as well as a state-level probe in Georgia into whether he unlawfully sought to reverse the 2020 election results in that state. His legal troubles have been a constant source of controversy since he left office in January 2021. Despite his legal woes, Trump has mounted a third campaign for the White House. However, it remains to be seen whether his legal troubles will affect his chances of winning the presidency again. In the meantime, the investigations into his alleged wrongdoing continue, and the public waits to see what the outcome will be.
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