Former President Donald Trump has been indicted in a criminal case related to hush money payments made on his behalf during the 2016 presidential campaign. This marks the first time a former president has faced criminal charges.

The charges stem from a grand jury investigation into a $130,000 payment made to adult film actress Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels, in 2016. Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, paid Clifford through a shell company before being reimbursed by Trump’s company, the Trump Organization. The reimbursements were logged as legal expenses.

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The New York grand jury spent weeks meeting in secret to probe Trump’s involvement in the payment, which was made to keep Clifford from going public about an alleged sexual encounter she had with Trump years earlier. Cohen also arranged for former Playboy model Karen McDougal to be paid $150,000 by the publisher of the National Enquirer to prevent her story from being published, a practice known as “catch and kill.”

Cohen pleaded guilty to violating federal campaign finance law in connection with the payments. Federal prosecutors say the payments amounted to illegal, unreported assistance to Trump’s campaign. However, they declined to file charges against Trump himself until now.

What are Hush money payments and why are they illegal?

Hush money refers to payments made to silence someone and keep them from revealing damaging or embarrassing information. While it’s not necessarily illegal to make such payments, they become illegal when they’re made to influence the outcome of an election.

In the case of Trump, the payments made to Clifford and McDougal were seen as attempts to keep damaging information about the candidate from becoming public during the 2016 election. This is why prosecutors say the payments constituted illegal, unreported campaign contributions.

Hush money payments have become a common tactic in American politics. In 2021, a former Republican congressman named Duncan Hunter was sentenced to 11 months in prison for misusing campaign funds, including using them to pay for extramarital affairs.

Hunter’s case is just one example of how hush money can land public officials in legal trouble. It’s a reminder that even seemingly harmless payments can have serious legal consequences.

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In conclusion, the indictment of Donald Trump in the hush money case highlights the legal implications of using hush money to silence individuals during a political campaign. While it’s not inherently illegal to make such payments, they can become illegal when they’re made to influence the outcome of an election. The case is also a reminder that even seemingly harmless payments can have serious legal consequences.