The 2016 presidential campaign revealed Trump had a secret affair with the real-estate tamperer Leonissio: Donald Trump falsified evidence of a hidden payment
Trump is accused of multiple counts of falsifying business records to keep an alleged affair secret at the end of the 2016 campaign. Although his criminal trial in New York is relatively less serious than some other trials, it would be the first trial against a sitting or former president.
This, as Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, is running against the man who defeated him in 2020, President Biden. His legal troubles are connected to the 2020 and 2016 campaigns: He faces federal and state charges related to trying to overturn the results in 2020. He also faces federal charges related to his handling of classified documents.
During the 2016 campaign, Michael Cohen, then Trump’s personal attorney, learned that Stormy Daniels, the adult film actor, was planning to go public with news of an alleged affair with the real-estate mogul. The release of the Access Hollywood tapes where Trump bragged about grabbing women’s breasts when he was a star was potentially damaging for Trump.
Cohen, who has since turned against Trump, has said he didn’t think the campaign could withstand another blow of this kind. Consequently, he set up an LLC to pay Daniels to keep quiet. Trump allegedly agreed to a scheme to pay Cohen back by calling the reimbursements a “legal retainer,” which they were not — a felony if District Attorney Alvin Bragg can prove Trump falsified the records to cover up another crime: making an illegal payment to benefit his campaign, in this case, the hush-money payments.
Jury selection in the trial was scheduled to start Monday, but federal prosecutors released more than 100,000 documents that could be related to the case. Trump, who has pleaded not guilty, called that release malfeasance, though Bragg says the documents help his case against Trump.
Last week Trump argued to an appeals court that a bond to cover that amount was “a practically impossibility,” because he doesn’t have the cash to guarantee it right now. An appeals appeals court decision is pending.
The Up First newsletter: Israel Defense Minister Visits the U.S.; 4 men charged with terrorism for the connection to the Moscow concert hall attack
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The defense minister of Israel is in Washington today to have a discussion with the defense secretary. Gallant said he will discuss U.S. military aid. But some Democrats say Israel’s actions may disqualify it from aid. At a time when the two allies are not easy to impress, Gallant’s visit comes at a time of increasing tensions between them.
Russia said that four men had been charged with terrorism for their connection to the Moscow concert hall attack that killed more than 130 people. The United States agrees with the claim of responsibility made by the Islamic State. Putin claims the attackers were caught as they tried to flee to Ukranian.
Source: Israeli defense chief visits U.S.; 4 men charged in Moscow concert hall attack
From the Inside Out: The Stories of the Georgia Insurrectionists and the Former South Korean President’s Discrimination to Other Cultures
The controversial statements the former president made during his term are the focus of most of the news. But who are his supporters, and what’s it like from the inside? There are shirts with Make America Great Again in them. And then there are the Jan. 6 insurrectionists singing the national anthem. One person at the Georgia rally compared it to a rock concert.
Korean food is climbing the list of Michelin Star-awarded cuisines. While in Seoul, one chef is reinterpreting traditional Korean dishes, another kitchen in New York is leaning into the city’s openness to new experiences and offering authentic Korean food that simply tastes good. The popularity of Korean food can be traced to the support from the government of South Korea’s other cultural exports.