Former President Trump Invited to Testify Before New York Grand Jury in Hush Money Investigation
Former President Donald Trump has been invited to testify before a grand jury in New York City as part of the investigation into hush money paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
Trump’s attorneys have confirmed that he has been asked to testify, and this invitation is a sign that a decision on moving forward with criminal charges against him could come later this month.
This comes as key witness and former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen was seen meeting with prosecutors for the 20th time, as he prepares to tell what he knows about Trump’s alleged hush money payments.
Cohen is expected to testify before the grand jury next week.
Trump has denied past affair with Daniels, and prosecutors will try to show that he falsified business records claiming the payments to Daniels were masked as legal fees, a possible misdemeanor.
The case could become a felony if prosecutors can show that the hush money payments were an undeclared effort to help his presidential campaign.
Veteran New York lawyer Robert Gottlieb believes state criminal charges will and should be brought, stating that “countless innumerable people are charged with less serious crimes than this.”
Meanwhile, in Georgia, prosecutors are looking into whether Trump tried to interfere in the 2020 election, and in Washington, a special counsel is also investigating Trump’s efforts to overturn the election as well as his handling of classified records.
Trump’s team points out that the federal government has already passed on the filing of criminal charges, and Cohen has been deemed a liar and the one to blame.
Nevertheless, this invitation for Trump to testify before the grand jury is a significant development in the ongoing investigations.
