Prosecutors and defense attorneys announced on Thursday that a Manhattan grand jury had indicted former US President Donald Trump, making him the first former American president to be charged with a crime and upending his campaign to retake the White House.
The charges were still under seal as of late Thursday, but the focus of the investigation was on payments made to bury allegations of an extramarital affair during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Prosecutors said they were working to coordinate Trump’s surrender, which could happen early next week.
Trump’s indictment comes as he makes another run for the White House.
Trump said he was “completely innocent” and indicated he would not drop out of the 2024 presidential race.
Trump has accused Bragg, a Democrat, of trying to hurt his chances of winning re-election against Democratic President Joe Biden.
Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican nomination according to polling, received support from a number of his potential challengers on Thursday including Florida Governor Ron Desantis and former Vice President Mike Pence.
Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, has said she received money in exchange for keeping silent about a sexual encounter she had with Trump in 2006.
The former president’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen has said he coordinated with Trump on the payments to Daniels and to a second woman, former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who also said she had a sexual relationship with him.
Trump has denied having affairs with either woman.
While the White House did not comment, Democrats said Trump was not immune from the rule of law.
