In an unprecedented legal case, former President Donald Trump faced a high-profile trial in Manhattan related to alleged irregular payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign. Trump was ultimately convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records. The payments were reportedly to suppress negative information that could have influenced the election, making this case both a legal and political landmark.
The controversy surrounding Trump and Daniels came to light in January 2018 when the Wall Street Journal revealed a $130,000 payment made to Daniels shortly before the 2016 election. Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, claims she had a brief affair with Trump in 2006, an allegation Trump has consistently denied. The payment, made by Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen, was intended to keep Daniels silent about the alleged affair.
In the documentary 'Stormy' on Peacock, Daniels explained that she accepted the payment to protect her family. She expressed fear, saying, 'I was absolutely sure I was going to die.' According to the charges, Trump tried to undermine the integrity of the 2016 election by concealing damaging information. Prosecutors argued that Trump 'repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal criminal conduct.'
In her 2018 book 'Full Disclosure,' Daniels offered a detailed account of her alleged relationship with Trump and her life in the adult entertainment industry. Originally from Louisiana, Daniels moved to California as a teenager to pursue a career in adult films, where she gained fame under her stage name. According to Daniels, she and Trump met at a golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, in 2006, leading to the alleged affair.
The legal saga included many key dates and milestones. Notably, in November 2016, Trump won the presidential election, and by early 2017, Cohen began making payments to Daniels, which were later mislabeled as 'legal expenses' by the Trump Organization. The payments totaled $130,000, raising questions about their legality and the potential violation of campaign finance laws.
Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, played a central role in this case. He admitted in federal court to making the payment to Daniels and confessed to illegal campaign contributions intended to aid Trump's campaign. These admissions and subsequent investigations led to Trump's indictment by a Manhattan grand jury on 34 felony counts in March 2023.
The trial concluded on May 30, 2024, with the jury finding Trump guilty on all charges. This historic verdict marks the first time a former president has been criminally convicted. The sentencing, which will reveal the legal consequences for Trump, is expected in the coming weeks.
- Daniels revealed in an interview with CBS in 2011 that she had negotiated to sell her story to In Touch magazine for $15,000 but backed out due to threats from Cohen.
- In 2018, Daniels sued Trump to invalidate the non-disclosure agreement but lost, resulting in her being ordered to pay nearly $300,000 in legal fees.
- Daniels has reported receiving numerous threats since the affair became public. She told Piers Morgan that recent threats have become 'much more specific and graphic.'
- The trial featured significant closing arguments from Manhattan prosecutor Joshua Steinglass, who presented what he called a 'mountain of evidence' and alleged that Trump orchestrated a complex fraud scheme to win the presidency.
