Former President Trump has made it clear that he will not be testifying in the investigation being conducted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg into the hush-money payment that was made to adult star Stormy Daniels prior to the 2016 presidential election.
In a letter that was sent on Monday to the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation Jocelyn Strauber, attorney for Trump Joseph Tacopina wrote, “He will not be participating in that proceeding — a proceeding that we and most election law experts believe is with absolutely no legal merit.” Tacopina’s statement was made in reference to a proceeding that “we and most election law experts believe is with absolutely no legal merit.”
Earlier in the day, Tacopina had stated to the anchor of ABC’s “Good Morning America,” George Stephanopoulos, that the investigation being conducted by the Manhattan DA is “outrageous.” He also stated that the payment made in October 2016 to Daniels, who claims that she had an affair with Trump in 2006, was not “directly related” to the presidential campaign. Daniels is the woman who claims that Trump had an affair with her.
On Thursday, the lawyer for Donald Trump had confirmed that Bragg had offered the former president an opportunity to testify before a grand jury. This is an indication that the district attorney could be nearing a decision on charges in the investigation, which would represent the first criminal indictment of a former president of the United States.
The investigation is focused on a payment of $130,000 made to Daniels by Michael Cohen, who once served as personal attorney to Donald Trump. Cohen claims that later on, Trump reimbursed him in monthly installments, but that Trump mistakenly reported these payments as a legal retainer fee.
Later on, Cohen entered a guilty plea to various crimes, after which he was sentenced to one year in prison. Since then, Cohen has been cooperating with prosecutors and even testified in front of Bragg’s grand jury on Monday. On Monday, Tacopina said to Stephanopoulos, “I anticipate justice to prevail, and if that’s the case, George, there shouldn’t be an indictment.” Stephanopoulos agreed with Tacopina’s statement.
“This case is outrageous, really,” he added. “There should be a healthy dose of disgust from the bar, the legal community, prosecutors, defense lawyers alike. It’s not what we do. This is not what we do. We are distorting laws to bag President Trump.”
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