Donald Trump indicted by New York grand jury: Top points about the 2016 case, Stormy Daniels

Former US President Donald Trump is expected to surrender to the Manhattan district attorney’s office on Tuesday next week after a New York grand jury on Thursday voted to indict him in connection with a $130,000 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election.

The office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg confirmed the indictment on Thursday evening.

His lawyers told NBC News that Trump is expected to appear before Judge Juan Merchan on Tuesday after 2.15 pm, which is subject to change.  

Trump is the first former US president to be charged with a crime of this kind. The indictment comes on the back of the 2024 presidential race, where Trump is a leading contender.  

The number of charges Trump faces in the indictment was not disclosed on Thursday.

Here are the top points about the case and Stormy Daniels

1. What’s being investigated

Donald Trump is being investigated for alleged hush-money payments, which were made on his behalf to Stormy Daniels, a former adult film star who went public with claims the pair had an affair.

Trump, a real estate tycoon then, met Daniels at a golf tournament in July 2006. Daniels was 27 at the time and Trump was 60.  

Daniels has penned down her encounter with Trump in her book "Full Disclosure", which was published in 2018.

2. Trump denied charges

Trump has denied the charges and said they never had any sexual encounter. He has accused Daniels of "extortion" and a "total con job."

3. Micheal Cohen    

In 2016, when Trump was the Republican presidential nominee, his personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen paid a $130,000 "hush money" payment to Daniels in exchange for her silence about the 2006 tryst.  

4. Cohen's statement

The Manhattan prosecution of Trump comes more than four years after his lawyer and fixer Cohen turned on Trump and began cooperating with federal, state, and local law enforcement officials in New York.  

5. Cohen pleaded guilty

Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to federal criminal charges that included campaign finance violations for the Daniels payment, and in another similar case involving model, Karen McDougal.

6. Cohen said the payments were done to protect Trump’s chances in that election when he faced Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

7. During the investigation, the investigators met Cohen over 20 times. He testified over two days last week before the grand jury in Manhattan Criminal Court. That panel began meeting in late January and heard testimony from multiple witnesses before Cohen.

8) What are the charges?
The indictment has not yet been unsealed, so it's not clear on what charges Trump has been indicted.

However, experts believe that Trump could be charged with falsifying business records, which can be a misdemeanour or a felony under New York law.

9) Trump’s reaction

Trump said he cannot have a fair trial in New York, the largely liberal city from which the jury will be selected.  

“They only brought this Fake, Corrupt, and Disgraceful Charge against me because I stand with the American People, and they know that I cannot get a fair trial in New York!” he wrote on his Truth Social platform earlier.

Reacting to the news, adult film star Daniels celebrated the indictment on Twitter. She thanked her supporters and quipped that she could not respond at present because she does not “want to spill [her] champagne”.

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