Trump's Stormy Daniels Scandal: Which Laws Were Broken?

Former U.S. President Donald Trump was convicted of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, to keep an alleged affair quiet before the 2016 election. Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, paid Daniels $130,000 through a shell company and was reimbursed by Trump, whose company logged the reimbursements as legal expenses.

In 2024, Trump was convicted on numerous counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments to Daniels, although his sentencing was indefinitely postponed following his second election to the presidency. Trump's sentencing in the Stormy Daniels hush money case on January 10, 2025, made him the first president to be criminally sentenced.

Trump was found guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records

In May 2024, former US President Donald Trump was found guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. The charges were related to hush money payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, with whom Trump allegedly had an affair in 2006. The payments were made to cover up the alleged affair before the 2016 election.

Trump was sentenced to an 'unconditional discharge', meaning he received no jail time, probation, or fines. However, the conviction will remain on his permanent record.

Trump's sentencing came just 10 days before his second inauguration as President. Despite the lenient punishment, Trump will be the first US President to enter the White House as a convicted felon.

Trump's lawyers have vowed to appeal the decision, with Trump himself calling the trial a political witch hunt and claiming it was done to damage his reputation.

Trump's sentencing included an 'unconditional discharge' meaning no jail time, fines, or probation

On January 10, 2025, Donald Trump was sentenced to an unconditional discharge in the Stormy Daniels hush money case. This means that Trump will face no jail time, fines, or probation, but will remain a convicted felon.

The sentence was handed down by Manhattan Judge Juan Merchan, who could have imposed a sentence of up to four years in prison. The judge explained that he'd declined to impose any punishment because of Trump's upcoming presidential term and the "extraordinary" legal protections afforded to the office of the President of the United States. An unconditional discharge was "the most viable solution," he added.

Trump was found guilty by a jury of 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection with the payoff to Daniels to buy her silence during the 2016 campaign. Prosecutors with the Manhattan district attorney’s office argued that he sought to conceal the transaction to improperly hide an affair with Daniels from voters.

Trump's lawyers argued that he was immune from criminal proceedings as president-elect

In the Stormy Daniels case, Donald Trump was convicted of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. The charges were related to hush money payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to cover up an alleged affair before the 2016 election. Trump's lawyers argued that he was immune from criminal proceedings as president-elect and that some of the evidence used in the Manhattan trial violated the Supreme Court's immunity decision from the previous summer. They also argued that Trump is immune from criminal proceedings as president-elect and that the case was politically motivated.

Despite these arguments, Trump was sentenced to an unconditional discharge, meaning he received no jail time, probation, or fines. However, the conviction will remain on his permanent record, making him the first president to enter office as a convicted felon. The judge's decision to impose a "no-penalty" sentence was based on the principle of presidential immunity, which would take effect after Trump's inauguration.

The case involved hush money payments to Stormy Daniels to cover up an alleged affair

In 2024, Donald Trump was convicted on numerous counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, though his sentencing was indefinitely postponed following his second election to the presidency. The case involved hush money payments to Stormy Daniels to cover up an alleged affair.

The case in question revolves around allegations that, during the 2016 presidential election, Trump's lawyer, Michael Cohen, paid Daniels $130,000 through a shell company to keep quiet about an alleged affair with Trump. Cohen was then reimbursed by Trump, and the payments were logged as legal expenses by Trump's company. This was done to prevent the story from breaking before the election and potentially damaging Trump's campaign.

The case resulted in Trump being convicted of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. The seriousness of the charges meant that Trump faced the possibility of jail time. However, the charges were classified as 'E-level' felonies, the lowest level of felony in New York, meaning jail time was not mandatory. As a result, Trump received a ''no-penalty' sentence called an 'unconditional discharge', meaning no jail time, probation, or fines. However, the conviction will remain on his permanent record.

Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, was a key witness in the case

Cohen was the linchpin of the prosecution case, the only witness to testify that Trump had direct involvement in arranging his repayment. The verdict could hinge on whether the jurors believed him. Cohen's testimony was so important that Trump's lawyers fought to discredit him, pressing him on his own criminal history, past lies, and his recollection of key details.

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