Manhattan DA to Revive Its Criminal Investigation Into Trump’s ‘Hush Payments’ to Stormy Daniels

 

The Manhattan District Attorney’s office is reviving its criminal investigation into Trump’s ‘hush payments’ to porn star Stephanie Clifford, AKA, Stormy Daniels.

Trump has been accused of paying Daniels ‘hush payments’ in a scheme to silence her about their alleged affair.

Trump has denied the affair.

House Democrats previously launched the inquiry into the hush payments ahead of the 2020 election cycle as a way to bog down Trump and slow down his 2020 re-election campaign. 

Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s predecessor previously rejected the Trump ‘hush payments’ case because it wouldn’t stand up in court.

Fast-forward a couple years and now the Manhattan DA is going to revive the Stormy Daniel hush payments probe to counter Trump’s 2024 White House bid.

According to the New York Times, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg will be using a new strategy when pursuing the ‘hush payments’ case: Prosecutors will pressure former Trump Org CFO Allen Weisselberg to cooperate.

Recall, Weisselberg pleaded guilty to tax charges and recently testified that Trump and his sons were in the dark about the tax fraud scheme.

Since Weisselberg has not turned on Trump, prosecutors are now going to turn the screws on him by considering a new round of charges related to insurance fraud – unrelated to the Stormy Daniels hush money.

The New York Times reported:

The Manhattan district attorney’s office has moved to jump-start its criminal investigation into Donald Trump, according to people with knowledge of the matter, seeking to breathe new life into an inquiry that once seemed to have reached a dead end.

Under the new district attorney, Alvin Bragg, the prosecutors have returned to the long-running investigation’s original focus: a hush-money payment to a porn star who said she had an affair with Trump.

The district attorney’s office first examined the payment to the actress, Stormy Daniels, years ago before changing direction to scrutinize Trump’s broader business practices. But Bragg and some of his deputies have recently indicated to associates, supporters and at least one lawyer involved in the matter that they are newly optimistic about building a case against Trump, the people said.

The renewed scrutiny of the hush money comes amid an intensifying swirl of legal and political drama around Trump. On Friday, Merrick Garland, the U.S. attorney general, appointed a special prosecutor who vowed to proceed quickly with two federal investigations into the former president. It is unclear whether Bragg or the special counsel will ultimately seek charges against Trump, who just announced a third presidential run.

Click here to read the full report by The New York Times.