Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office has asked former President Donald Trump to testify before a grand jury investigating a hush money payment to a porn star in the final stretch of the 2016 presidential campaign, according to the New York Times, in a strong signal that an indictment against the ex-president is near.
Daniels went public with the alleged affair in 2018, arguing she had a right to do so since Trump did not personally sign her non-disclosure agreement. Trump has denied the affair ever took place. Cohen pleaded guilty to eight felony counts in August 2018—including a campaign finance charge over negotiating the NDA. Cohen agreed to void the NDA the following month.
Trump’s potential indictment could send shockwaves across the 2024 presidential campaign, as prominent Republicans—including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former Vice President Mike Pence—mull entering the race. It could also be the first domino to fall in what could end up being a string of criminal charges against the former president, following years of investigations and mounting legal pressures. Trump is facing a federal special counsel investigation looking into his role in the January 6 storming of the Capitol and his potential mishandling of classified government records, while a Georgia special grand jury recently wrapped up a probe into Trump’s efforts to overturn the state’s 2020 election results. Trump is also facing criminal investigations into his business practices in New York state related to alleged financial fraud. Trump has been accused of illegally inflating his assets to secure loans from banks while downplaying them to save money on tax bills.