In a historic move, Donald Trump is currently the first president in US history to face criminal charges – Trump was charged with a whopping 34 counts in a Manhattan court in New York on Tuesday, all for which he pleaded not guilty.
These relate to a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels – whom Trump reportedly had a sexual affair with, but denies having done so. Reportedly, Trump made a payment of $130,000 (£104,000) to Daniels before the 2016 presidential election to silence her. Daniels states that she was legally and physically threatened to stay silent, and accepted the money for the sake of her family’s safety, reports The BBC.
While such a payment is not illegal, spending money to aid a presidential campaign but not disclosing it violates federal campaign finance law. Legal experts say that jail time is unlikely, though Trump will almost certainly be fined.
Each of the charges carries a maximum of four years in prison, although a judge could sentence Mr Trump to probation if he is convicted.
While the charges relate to the payment to Stormy Daniels, prosecutors also released background documents which they say point to a pattern of trying to suppress potentially politically damaging stories. They listed two other payments they say were made via the National Enquirer, a US tabloid whose publisher is a long-time ally of Trump.
They allege $30,000 was paid to buy the silence of a doorman at Trump Tower who claimed Mr Trump had a lovechild, and $150,000 was paid to Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model who said she had a sexual relationship with Mr Trump.
Prosecutors on Tuesday alleged Trump was a part of an illegal conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the 2016 election.
A majority of Americans – 60% – approve of the indictment against Donald Trump according to a recent CNN poll, although respondents were split on whether they believe it benefits democracy. A majority also believe that politics played a role in the indictment, a fact that could threaten democracy by making people believe that the legal system can be influenced by partisan actions, The Guardian reports (although other sources state this is a take exclusively adopted by the right).
