Former president Donald Trump was today indicted by a Manhattan grand jury. Though the charge hasn’t yet been announced, it concerns his hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels, with whom he had an affair while his wife, Melania Trump, was pregnant. Trump is likely to be arrested “in the coming days.”
Mr Trump’s attorney, Susan Necheles, confirmed the indictment to CBS News, the BBC’s US partner.
He is expected to surrender to authorities next week, a source told the Associated Press news agency.
The Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg – who has been pursuing the case – is expected to inform Mr Trump and his lawyers about the indictment shortly.
Mr Trump – who lives in Florida – will be required to appear in New York City for his formal arrest and first hearing in court.
He won’t be subjected to a perp walk–those are discretionary treats for the media–but if he isn’t weighed, fingerprinted and mugshotted it’ll be a signal that special treatment is in play from the outset.
Trump’s the first American president, current or former, to face criminal charges. Michael Cohen, the lawyer who says he arranged the illegal $100,000 payment during Trump’s presidential campaign in 2016, now says that “no-one is above the law.”
