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Updated 20 March 2023

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President Donald Trump denies the allegations made by Stormy Daniels

Former US President Donald Trump is facing possible criminal charges over allegations he covered up hush money payments to ex-porn actress Stormy Daniels.

Ms Daniels claims she and Mr Trump had sex, and that she accepted $130,000 (100,000) from his former lawyer before the 2016 election in exchange for her silence on the encounter.

The lawyer, Michael Cohen, was later jailed on multiple charges.

The former president has denied he had any sexual involvement with Ms Daniels since the allegations surfaced in 2018.

Stormy Daniels goes public with affair claim

Ms Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, has said in media interviews that she met Mr Trump at a charity golf tournament in July 2006.

She alleged the pair had sex once in his hotel room at Lake Tahoe, a resort area between California and Nevada. A lawyer for Mr Trump "vehemently" denied this at the time.

"He didn't seem worried about it. He was kind of arrogant," she said in response to an interviewer's question asking if Mr Trump had told her to keep quiet about their alleged night together.

Mr Trump's wife at the time, Melania Trump, was not at the tournament and had just given birth.

Threats and payments to stay silent

In 2016, days before the US presidential election, Ms Daniels said Mr Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen paid her $130,000 in "hush money" to keep her quiet about the affair.

She said she took it because she was concerned for the safety of her family.

Ms Daniels said she was legally and physically threatened to stay silent.

In 2011, shortly after she agreed to give an interview to In Touch magazine about the alleged affair, she said an unknown man had approached her and her infant daughter in a Las Vegas car park and told her to "leave Trump alone".

The interview with In Touch would not be published in full until 2018.

Before the 60 Minutes episode aired, a shell company linked to Mr Cohen threatened Ms Daniels with a $20m lawsuit, arguing she had broken their non-disclosure deal (NDA), or "hush agreement".

Ms Daniels told the CBS show she was risking a million-dollar fine by speaking on national television, but "it was very important to me to be able to defend myself".

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Stormy Daniels told CBS News 'I was threatened' in a 2018 interview

Is it illegal to pay hush money?

It is not illegal to pay someone compensation in exchange for an NDA.

But since the payment was made a month before the presidential election, Mr Trump's critics argued the money could amount to a campaign violation.

In August 2018, Mr Cohen pleaded guilty to tax-evasion and breaking campaign finance rules, in part related to his payment to Ms Daniels and another alleged Trump lover.

Although he initially said that Mr Trump had nothing to do with the payments, Mr Cohen later testified under oath that Mr Trump had directed him to make the hush payment of $130,000 days before the 2016 election.

He also said the president reimbursed him for the payment.

Mr Trump has acknowledged personally reimbursing the payment, which isn't illegal, but denied the affair and any wrongdoing regarding campaign laws.

Mr Cohen was jailed on multiple counts after he pleaded guilty to violating laws during the 2016 presidential election.

Could Trump be indicted?

Over the weekend, Mr Trump said he believes he will be arrested on Tuesday.A spokesperson later clarified they had not been notified about any coming indictment.

Earlier this year, New York City District Attorney Alvin Bragg set up a grand jury to investigate whether there was enough evidence to pursue a prosecution against the former president over the money paid to Ms Daniels.

He is the person who will decide whether or not there will be an indictment, if one were issued.

A grand jury is held behind closed doors, and set up by a prosecutor to determine whether there is enough evidence to pursue charges in a case.

If charges are issued, it would be the first criminal case ever brought against a former US president.

On his social media network, Truth Social, Mr Trump called the investigation a political witch-hunt by a "corrupt, depraved, and weaponised justice system".

Read more:
What happened between Stormy Daniels and Donald Trump? - BBC

OXON HILL, Md. (AP) Trips to Mar-a-Lago. Glowing speeches. Front-row seats at major events.

The first Republican presidential primaries are nearly a year away and the candidate field is unsettled. But already, a shadow contest of another sort is underway with several Republicans openly jockeying to position themselves as potential running mates to Donald Trump, the early front-runner for the nomination.

A lot of people are right now auditioning, Trump boasted to supporters in Florida last month.

The mere mention of a running mate this early in the process is a departure from the traditional timeline of presidential primaries, where candidates typically spend the opening months of a campaign introducing themselves to voters and sharing their visions for the country. But as a former president, Trump needs no introduction and is eager to project an air of inevitability around his campaign, particularly as attention builds around Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is widely seen as his toughest potential GOP rival.

Trump campaign officials insist that the vice presidential search is not something they have been actively discussing.

We appreciate all support for President Trump, but the clear focus is on making sure that he wins the Republican nomination and is well-positioned to win the general election in 2024, said Jason Miller, a longtime Trump adviser.

That, however, hasnt stopped some could-be candidates from taking full advantage of opportunities to be in close proximity to Trump, at his club and at events. The dynamic was on full display earlier this month at the Conservative Political Action Conference, where a trio of women who have been mentioned as possible contenders sat in the audience to cheer Trumps headline speech.

They were Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Elise Stefanik of New York and Kari Lake, the news anchor-turned-failed-Arizona gubernatorial candidate who ended her remarks at a keynote event dinner by kissing a portrait of Trump that was placed on stage.

While Trump, according to people who have spoken to him, is in no rush to make a decision and understands that he has to let the nomination process play out, he has nonetheless talked through possible choices since well before he formally announced his candidacy last fall. In those conversations, he has indicated his interest in selecting a woman this time around.

But allies say Trump is looking, first and foremost, for someone who will be unabashedly loyal after feeling burned by former Vice President Mike Pence for refusing to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

In 2016, running as a celebrity businessman with no experience in politics, Trump chose a person who was, in many ways, his total opposite, picking the Indiana governor and former congressman who could bolster his standing with conservatives and the religious right.

Trump, this time, is looking for someone more like himself, said Michael Caputo, a longtime friend and adviser who believes Stefanik would be Trumps best choice.

I think the president learned a lot from his experience with Pence, he said. I think this time Trumps going to be looking for someone cut from the same cloth he is, not from a different, complementary cloth.

While Trump is looking for someone with star power, he has also signaled that he is reluctant to choose someone who might overshadow him in the race.

Among those who are seen as most eager for the job is Lake, who is popular with Trumps MAGA base and won and then promoted a CPAC straw poll that asked audience members whom they would like to see as the Republican vice presidential nominee. She is seen as unequivocally loyal to the former president, but detractors note she lost her only race and continues to dispute the results, which would draw attention to Trumps own election failures and intensify criticism that he is too focused on the past.

She said in a statement that she is 100% dedicated to serving as Arizona Governor even though Democrat Katie Hobbs, who defeated Lake, now holds the job and will also work to make sure President Trump gets back in the White House ASAP. Anything outside of those two goals is nothing but a distraction.

A person close to Lake said that she has had no formal discussions about the role and is currently gearing up for a potential run for the Senate. But the person, who, like others, insisted on anonymity to discuss private conversations, also said Lake is unapologetically pro-Trump and would likely do anything he asked.

Greene, the flame-throwing congresswoman who recently proposed a national divorce between red and blue states, is also seen as eager for the role. She was a constant presence at Trumps midterm rallies, often speaking during the pre-show program, and has been a frequent visitor to Florida, including sharing dinner with Lake at a local restaurant, Roccos Tacos, on Valentines Day.

She sees herself on the short list for Trumps VP. Paraphrasing Cokie Roberts, when MTG looks in the mirror she sees a potential president smiling back, Steve Bannon, Trumps former chief strategist who frequently hosts Greene on his podcast, told NBC, referring to the late political reporter.

When asked about her vice presidential ambitions recently, Greene told reporters, Thats up to President Trump who he chooses.

Stefanik is also frequently mentioned as a likely contender, but has taken what allies describe as a more subtle approach. She endorsed Trump before he even announced he was running, and has become one of his chief defenders on the Hill. During CPAC, Stefanik used her speech to call for Trumps reelection and introduced him at a private event organized by his super PAC. Trump, in turn, praised her as a rocket ship.

People close to Stefanik say that, instead of overtly angling for the position, she is focused on doing her job as GOP conference chair and a member of the House Intelligence Committee, believing that if she does it well, good things will follow. But she nonetheless has the support of several Trump allies, who see her as disciplined and less risky than other potential options, and also point to her record for winning swing, suburban districts.

Stefanik, in an interview, said she had not discussed the position with Trump, though she has previously said she would be honored to serve in his administration.

We have a lot of work to do over the next two years and I am gonna work no matter what to make sure that we have a Republican president, House and Senate in 2024, she said. So thats what I focused on, and its a big job.

Trump has also discussed other potential running mates, including his former ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, who has been reluctant to criticize the former president since launching her bid. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, who would be the first Black man on a Republican presidential ticket, is seen as another potential option.

Allies say both are serious about running for president in their own right, not in hopes of angling to serve as vice president or in another Cabinet post, though many believe Haley, in particular, would be open to an offer.

Also mentioned as possible contenders: South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who is considering her own presidential run; Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a supporter of the former president in 2016 and 2020; and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, who appeared alongside the former president as he visited the state Monday.

Were going to have a lot of great choices for vice president. Were gonna pick a great one, Trump said during his swing through Iowa.

___

Associated Press writers Michelle L. Price and Meg Kinnard contributed to this report.

Go here to see the original:
Trump's VP? Some in GOP already jockeying for consideration - The Associated Press

As he runs for the White House a third time, former President Donald Trump appears to be embracing a campaign tradition he mostly avoided during his first two presidential campaigns: small scale retail politicking.

While Trump was known for his large rallies during his successful 2016 presidential campaign and his unsuccessful 2020 re-election bid, he rarely made small stops to talk with voters at restaurants, diners, coffee shops and fast-food joints.

During his trip last week to Iowa his first to the state that leads off the GOP presidential nominating calendar since launching his 2024 White House campaign in mid-November Trumps large-scale event at the Adler Theater in Davenport and his comments targeting likely rival Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis grabbed headlines.

POLL SUGGESTS TRUMP WIDENING LEAD OVER DESANSTIS IN 2024 GOP PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION RACE

But just as telling about his campaign was his unannounced stop ahead of the rally to a Machine Shed restaurant, which is a popular chain in the Hawkeye State, where he mingled with patrons.

WHO'S IN AND WHO'S ON THE SIDELINES YOUR GUIDE TO THE 2024 GOP PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION RACE

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Last month, after visiting the site of a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, Trump stopped by a McDonald's fast-food restaurant.

FIRST ON FOX: DESANTIS HEADING TO NEW HAMPSHIRE FOLLOWING STOPS IN IOWA, NEVADA

And following his campaign kick-off event in South Carolina on Jan. 28, the former president whose love of fast food is well documented - surprised employees and customers as he stopped at Zesto of West Columbia, a restaurant known for its fried chicken, burgers and chocolate dipped ice cream cones.

Trump 2024 campaign spokesman Steven Cheung told Fox News "these types of visits garner a lot of eyeballs and attention, not just media-wise but social media-wise as well. But were still going to do rallies. This is not something in place of rallies."

"Its just another tool in the toolbox to get the president out there, meeting and interacting with people face-to-face," Cheung emphasized.

Trump announced this week that he would hold a large-scale rally in Waco, Texas, March 25 and his campaign said Saturday that any potential indictment from the Manhattan district attorney's office would not interrupt those plans.

The rest is here:
Donald Trump is doing something different as the former president runs for the White House a third time - Yahoo News

1. CPAC is now all about Trumps grip on the Republican Party  Vox.com
2. CPAC 2023: Fewer attendees, but Donald Trump is still the favourite  BBC
3. Why some big-name Republicans are skipping CPAC, even as Trump, 2024 hopefuls gather  ABC News

See original here:
CPAC is now all about Trumps grip on the Republican Party - Vox.com

1. Trump collaborates on song with Jan. 6 defendants  The Hill
2. Singin the coups: Donald Trump releases single with January 6 prisoners  The Guardian US
3. Trump takes support for Jan. 6 rioters to new level, collaborates on a song  The Washington Post

Read the original post:
Trump collaborates on song with Jan. 6 defendants - The Hill