Donald Trump invited to testify before grand jury

• The Manhattan district attorney has been investigating Mr. Trump.
• Ms. Daniels claims she received $130,000 in exchange for silence.
• A grand jury is set up by a prosecutor.

Prosecutors in New York have called former US President Donald Trump to testify before a grand jury in the Stormy Daniels case, according to his lawyer.

For the past five years, the Manhattan district attorney has been investigating Mr. Trump for alleged hush money payments made on his behalf to the ex-porn star.

Experts believe that summoning him to a grand jury means that he may face prosecution.

Ms. Daniels claims she received $130,000 in exchange for silence about an alleged romance prior to the 2016 election.

A grand jury is set up by a prosecutor to determine whether there is enough evidence to pursue charges in a case. It is held in secret, and several former aides of Mr. Trump have reportedly testified in this case.

If prosecutors pursue the case, it could be the first time a former US president has faced criminal charges.

Mr. Trump was called to testify before the grand jury, according to the New York Times.

If the Manhattan district attorney’s office has summoned Mr. Trump, it means the office is considering indicting him, according to Catherine Christian, a former financial prosecutor in District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office.

She believes Mr. Trump will decline the opportunity to testify.

“Most people decline for a host of reasons. You waive immunity, you open yourself up, if you lie, to perjury charges,” she said. “You’re also letting the district attorney know what your defense is.”

Mr. Trump is being investigated in multiple cases, including the Stormy Daniels case, though he has not been charged in any of them and denies wrongdoing in each.

They come as the 76-year-old Republican prepares to run for President again.

Prosecutors have not commented on the invitation, which was widely reported in the American media and confirmed by Mr. Trump’s legal team.

The action arises from allegations that Mr. Trump authorized his former lawyer to pay adult film actress Stormy Daniels to prevent her from coming out about an alleged affair.

Michael Cohen, the lawyer, was later imprisoned on various offenses. Cohen stated under oath that Mr. Trump authorized him to make the $130,000 (£110,000) payment only days before the 2016 presidential election.

Mr. Trump admitted to reimbursing the cash but denied the affair and any wrongdoing in violation of campaign statutes.

According to Ms. Christian, the former president could face two charges for his acts.

The first, she said, may be a simple misdemeanor charge of manipulating business documents, as prosecutors believe he categorized Cohen’s payments as legal fees.

The district attorney’s office may possibly seek to charge Mr. Trump with a low-level felony, but she says that would be a considerably more challenging legal case.

Mr. Trump would face a felony charge for altering business records with the purpose to conduct or conceal a second crime.

Prosecutors might argue Mr. Trump’s efforts to hide his payments to Ms. Daniels were election campaign-related, as he allegedly did so to shield voters from knowing he had participated in an “illicit relationship” with Ms. Daniels, Ms. Christian said – something she termed “a novel theory”.

“That doesn’t mean they can’t prove it and get a conviction, but it’s going to be tough.”

If convicted, Ms. Christian said Mr. Trump could face probation or a fine.

“But it would still be a felony, and who wants to be charged with a felony, and who wants to be convicted of a felony? Certainly not a former president,” she said.

Mr. Trump labeled the inquiry a political witch-hunt by a “corrupt, perverted, and weaponized legal system” on his social media network Truth Social.

Before a meeting with the Manhattan DA on Friday, Cohen told media he “applauded” Mr. Bragg for “providing Donald the opportunity to come in to give his narrative”.

“Well, knowing Trump as well as I do, I understand that he doesn’t speak the truth,” Cohen said. “It’s one thing to turn around and lie on your deception social. It’s one thing to turn around and lie in front of a grand jury.”

Throughout Trump’s administration, there was a legal battle over Ms. Daniels’ allegations.

A federal investigation into the Stormy Daniels issue was abandoned after he left office in 2021, but the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has been conducting its own investigation since 2018.

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