SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – A New York grand jury has chosen to indict former President Donald Trump over allegations that he used funds to silence claims of a sexual encounter he had with the porn star, Stormy Daniels.
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As this news ripples throughout the country, it's becoming clear that this case might have some effect on Trump’s bid for president in 2024.
"It's important to remember what the crime is," said KCBS Political Analyst Marc Sandalow. "It's not a crime to be a terrible person."
Essentially, Trump could have gone ahead and had an affair with a porn star while his wife was recovering from giving birth, call the mistress "horse face," and lie about it, all of which Trump has been accused of.
"But none of that is illegal," said Sandalow. "The crime is much more questionable."
The crime itself centers on when Trump had his lawyer, who himself has served time over this case, pay money to the porn star to keep the encounter quiet during the 2016 presidential campaign.
"It was listed first of all, as a business expense, rather than as a personal expense, meaning that it's tax-deductible," he said.
Trump allegedly paid Stormy Daniels $130,000.
That's the first crime. What would make it a felony is if it was done to cover up a second crime, a campaign finance violation, which this indictment seems to suggest.
Essentially, the grand jury has said that there's enough evidence to charge Trump with a crime. But the indictment has not yet been made public.
This isn't the only crime hanging over Trump's head, and while other politicians have bounced back from crimes, Trump might not be able to.
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