He has been under criminal investigation for over a year. Donald Trump and whether he orchestrated the “silent bribery scheme” of porn star Stormy Daniels was considered deadlocked. The New York federal prosecutor’s office reviewed the case and declined to prosecute.

When Alvin Bragg took over as Manhattan District Attorney in 2022, he reportedly felt the case was lacking evidence and turned his attention to a tax fraud case against the former US president’s business empire.

“However, what many call a “zombie case” came back to life on tuesday, and flamboyant Trump was formally charged with 34 criminal offenses, ”comments the Financial Times. The 16-page indictment alleged that Trump simply falsified business documents to reimburse his former attorney, Michael Cohen, for the $130,000 he paid Daniels during the 2016 campaign in exchange for an agreement not to talk about Trump’s affair rumors. .

The criminal case — unprecedented both in terms of the legal theories it presented and the political implications of indicting a former president — was met with strong skepticism by many lawyers.

“Those who had long doubted the expediency of “investigating” this case immediately turned to the Democratic prosecutor.Even those who advocate Trump’s impeachment for other crimes have expressed their doubts. UCLA School of Law professor Richard Hassen, who previously called for Trump to be indicted as part of a separate investigation into the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riots 2021, said political and legal considerations should have prevented Bragg from continuing the investigation.

“Legal documents are sufficient. poor “If it was in federal court, I would expect a more elaborate theory of the case.”Khasen said. “If this case is weak… some might assume that all cases” against Trump are weak, he added, referring to investigations into alleged Trump interference in the 2020 presidential elections in Georgia and elsewhere.

When does a misdemeanor become a crime?

Falsifying business records is a crime in New York State and can only be considered a more serious crime if it is done with the intent to cover up another crime. “Skepticism is due to the fact that this additional crime was not solved”said Tanisha Palvia, a former Assistant U.S. Attorney for Manhattan who now works in the private sector.

In court, Assistant District Attorney Christopher Conroy said Trump gave the money to “cover up an illegal conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the 2016 presidential election.”

Other payments were reportedly made by Trump’s allies to the publisher of the National Enquirer magazine to silence a Playboy model who claimed she had an affair with Trump, as well as a former Trump Tower doorman.

For his part, Attorney Bragg stressed at a press conference that he acknowledged that the indictment “reduced to more than just one payment” citing state and federal election laws that Trump may have violated, as well as possible New York tax violations.. But he acknowledged that “the indictment does not list” any specific crimes, giving Trump an opportunity to challenge the validity of the charges.

“What struck me was the release of the data, which presented a picture that I think was connected to a conspiracy,” said Jim Roberts, a former Manhattan assistant district attorney.