(Daily Mail) The highly anticipated indictment against Donald Trump can be revealed today along with a bombshell 13 page statement that lays bare how he is said to have falsified business records in 2017 to cover up hush money payments to squash three scandals the first time he ran for president.
Trump has been charged with 34, Class E felony counts of falsifying business records by allegedly misclassifying payments to his attorney, Michael Cohen, as being for legal services when they were in fact reimbursements for hush money bills.
The 76-year-old appeared before a judge in Manhattan today where he pleaded not guilty on all counts, before returning to Mar-a-Lago.
His next court appearance is in December, though he is expected to make a statement tonight about the unprecedented case, which he insists is politically motivated and has no legs.
For weeks, there has been rampant speculation over the indictment and what it might contain. Contrary to what was expected, it is not just the hush money payment to Stormy Daniels that Trump is now facing charges over.
The statement of facts also describes his ‘catch and kill’ scheme with former National Enquirer owner David Pecker, whereby his team of journalists and editors bought up unflattering stories about Trump to stop other outlets publishing them, before the 2016 election.
Three payments are described; the $130,000 to Stormy Daniels, another of $150,000 to a second woman believed to be Karen McDougal, and $30,000 to a Trump Tower doorman who said he wanted to go public with a story claiming he had a love child.
THE CATCH AND KILL SCHEME
In June 2015, Trump made a deal with AMI and its boss, David Pecker.
The statement of facts describes how they met at Trump Tower to discuss Trump’s election chances, and how they could help.
Donald Trump and David Pecker in 2004. According to Bragg’s indictment, it all began with their ‘catch and kill scheme’ to squash negative stories and get Trump into the Oval Office
The first scandal that Trump wanted to cover up was in October 2015 when Dino Sajudin, a doorman at Trump Tower, tried to sell a story to the press
‘The AMI CEO also agreed to publish negative stories about the Defendant’s competitors for the election,’ according to the paperwork released today.
THE DOORMAN’S STORY
The first scandal that Trump wanted to cover up was in October 2015 when Dino Sajudin, a doorman at Trump Tower, tried to sell a story to the press.
He claimed Trump had a child out of wedlock, and that he could prove it through his access to the family.
The story has been reported in the past by DailyMail.com.
AMI paid him $30,000 for the exclusive rights to the story, preventing him from taking it to other outlets.
The document does not specify if Trump ever reimbursed AMI for suppressing the doorman’s story.
Instead, it says he invited the AMI CEO to his inauguration.
WOMAN # 1 – KAREN MCDOUGAL
In June 2016, a woman believed to be Karen McDougal, a former Playboy bunny, came forward with claims that she and Trump had had an affair.
According to Bragg’s office, Trump, Cohen and the Editor in Chief of AMI then had multiple conversations about who would ‘pay her off’.
AMI paid her $150,000 allegedly to stop her from going anywhere else with the claims, but also for two covers and a series of articles.
AMI ‘falsely’ characterized this payment, according to the statement of facts.
Cohen told Trump he would open a shell company to transfer the money, according to the documents, which say their call was recorded.
In June 2016, a woman believed to be Karen McDougal, a former Playboy bunny, came forward with claims that she and Trump had had an affair
‘So what do we got to pay for this? 150?’ Trump asked, then suggesting that it be paid in cash, according to the paperwork.
Cohen disagreed and said it should be paid via check.
Weeks later, Cohen set up a shell company called Resolution Consultants, LLC, which was then used to pay.
Cohen agreed to buy the rights to the story from AMI for $125,000, according to the paperwork, but AMI later reneged.
WOMAN # 2 – STORMY DANIELS
In October 2016, just a few weeks before the election and after Trump was shamed by the ‘grab ’em by the p***y’ Access Hollywood tape, Cohen and AMI heard that a second woman – Stormy Daniels – was preparing to come forward with her own story.
Trump and Stormy Daniels at the golf tournament where they met and where she claims they slept together
AMI had helped him initially by introducing him to Stormy’s representatives, according to the papers
THE CHARGES – TRUMP ‘FALSIFIED BUSINESS RECORDS’ 34 TIMES TO REPAY COHEN FOR THE PAYMENTS
The deal was made, but rather than reimbursing them for the $130,000 payment, Trump and Cohen – along with Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg – agreed that Trump would repay $420,000 total to them, according to the documents.
They agreed that over the next 12 months, Cohen would receive the payments in monthly installments of $35,000, Bragg claims.
