Prosecutors Accuse Trump of Trying to Defraud Voters in Bribery Case

Trump bribed film stars and adult magazine models to keep their mouths shut. Thus, voters are not influenced.

AFP / VICTOR J. BLUE-POOL/GETTY IMAGES

Former United States President Donald Trump (left) and his lawyer, Todd Blanche, left the Manhattan courthouse in New York, United States, on Monday (22/4/2024).

NEW YORK, TUESDAY — The trial regarding alleged bribery by Donald Trump to film actresses and adult magazine models continues. Bribery was accused of being part of Trump's efforts to deceive voters in the 2016 Election.

The hearing on Tuesday (23/4/2024) presented David Pecker as a witness. The former general manager of the tabloid National Enquirer was reportedly aiding Trump and his lawyer, Michael Cohen, in implementing the "catch-and-kill" strategy. The strategy aimed to suppress negative information about Trump during the 2016 election.

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Pecker testified in court on Monday and Tuesday. Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo called Pecker and a number of other witnesses in the trial. "This is a planned, coordinated, and long-running conspiracy to influence the 2016 Election to help Donald Trump get elected through illegal payments to silence people about his bad behavior. This is election fraud, pure and simple," Colangelo said.

The prosecutor accuses Trump of falsifying business finances to cover up a payment of $100,000 to Stormy Daniels. The payment was an attempt to silence Daniels from disclosing her personal relationship with Trump.

AFP / ANGELA WEISS / POOL

Former United States President Donald Trump (left) and his lawyer, Todd Blanche, leave court in Manhattan, New York, on Monday (22/4/2024).

The prosecutor stated that there are recordings and documents related to conversations between Trump, Cohen, and Pecker regarding bribing witnesses. "The defendant, Donald Trump, designed a criminal scheme to interfere with the 2016 election. Furthermore, he covered up the criminal conspiracy by repeatedly lying in his business records in New York," said Colangelo.

Colangelo stated that bribery is a part of the tactic to silence negative news from the Trump camp. According to the prosecutor, when meeting with Trump and Cohen in August 2015, Pecker agreed to be the eyes and ears of the Trump campaign.

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His job is to look for negative stories about Trump and then destroy them. ”Pecker didn't act as a publisher, he acted as a conspirator,” Colangelo said.

In 2018, American Media, which publishes the National Enquirer, admitted paying $150,000 to former adult magazine model Karen McDougal. The payment was for the rights to stories about her affair with Trump in 2006 and 2007.

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Former United States President Donald Trump arrives at a court in Manhattan, New York, Monday (22/4/2024).

The American media never published that news because they have been collaborating with Trump. The tabloid also paid $30,000 to a doorman who told a story about Trump having a child out of wedlock. This story was later proven to be false.

Trump stated that the payment was personal in nature, hence not violating any election laws. He also denied having an affair with McDougal. Meanwhile, Pecker has not been charged with any crime.

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Trump's lawyer, Todd Blanche, denies that his client is guilty or has committed any crimes. As such, this tactic is a part of democracy. Prosecutor for the Manhattan District, Alvin Bragg, should not have brought the case to trial.

"It doesn't hurt to try to influence the election. That's called democracy. This demand makes the idea seem like something evil, as if it is a crime," he said.

Dozens of indictments

In this case, Trump was charged with 34 criminal offenses related to falsifying business records. He pleaded not guilty to all charges. Prosecutors said he forged checks and invoices.

Currently, Trump is still facing three other criminal cases. Out of the four cases, it is highly likely that this bribery case will be the only case that can be brought to trial before the US Election on November 5, 2024. The other three cases are probably not possible to be held before the US Election.

Three other charges include attempts to overturn the defeat in the 2020 elections and handling confidential documents after leaving the White House in 2021. Trump pleaded not guilty in these cases. He claimed that all of these charges were an effort to undermine his campaign by Joe Biden's camp in the Democratic Party.

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Based on facts that have been published since 2018, some legal experts consider this case to have the smallest impact on Trump's demands. This means that a guilty verdict in this case will not prevent him from serving as president. However, this trial could harm him in the nomination process.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll shows that half of independent voters and one out of four Republican voters say they will not vote for Trump if he is proven to have committed a crime. (AP/AFP/REUTERS)