Trump indicted in porn star case, is first US ex-President to be charged with crime

Donald Trump has been indicted by a New York grand jury for hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election campaign, making him the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges.

The indictment over $130,000 paid in the sex scandal with the porn star also comes at a time when Trump is making another attempt to get the Republican nomination to contest for the US President’s post in the 2024 election.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office confirmed that it had contacted Trump’s lawyers Thursday evening to “coordinate his surrender” for arraignment in New York — with the felony charges against him to be revealed at that point, according to an AFP report.

The specific charges are not yet known, as the indictment remains under seal. CNN reported Trump faces more than 30 counts related to business fraud.

Trump said he was “completely innocent” and indicated he would not drop out of the race. He accused Bragg, a Democrat, of trying to hurt his chances of winning re-election.

“This is Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history,” he said in a statement.

The charges will likely be unsealed by a judge in the coming days. Trump will then have to travel to New York for fingerprinting and other processing.

Trump’s lawyers said they will “vigorously fight” the charges.

The charges could hurt Trump’s presidential comeback attempt, as the mug shot from his arraignment and any visuals from his courtroom appearances could provide fodder for rivals.

Some 44% of Republicans said he should drop out of the race if he is indicted, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released last week.

Trump’s allies and fellow Republicans criticised the indictment as politically motivated, while Democrats said he is not immune from the rule of law.