READ: Trump indictment and statement of facts related to hush money payment | CNN Politics

J

JoltStorm

Former US President Donald Trump has been slapped with 34 felony charges in an indictment that marks a significant escalation of the ongoing probe into his dealings with hush money payments.

The unsealed indictment, made public on Tuesday, sheds light on allegations surrounding Trump's alleged involvement in paying $130,000 to adult film star Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about a supposed affair. However, according to the document, it was actually Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen who arranged the payment through a shell company - which is now at the center of the investigation.

The indictment specifically accuses Cohen of acting on behalf of Trump in making these payments, claiming that the arrangement was part of an "unlawful scheme" to keep quiet about the alleged affair. Furthermore, the document alleges that it was Cohen who arranged other hush money payments totaling around $250,000 in connection with a relationship between Trump and adult film actress Karen McDougal.

Trump's legal team has maintained that the payments were made as part of a legitimate business arrangement and to avoid potential reputational damage for Trump. However, the unsealed indictment paints a different picture, suggesting that Cohen acted alone in arranging these payments without direct input from Trump.

The developments come just days after Trump announced his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election. With this latest turn of events, many are calling it a "smackdown" on Trump's presidential ambitions, raising questions about whether he will be able to withstand the pressure and scrutiny that comes with running for office while facing these serious charges.

Trump has yet to publicly comment on the indictment, but his lawyers have vowed to defend him against what they claim is an overzealous prosecution. This latest development in the ongoing saga surrounding Trump's dealings with hush money payments marks a significant escalation of the investigation and raises more questions than answers about the potential impact on his presidential bid.
 
🤔 I'm still trying to wrap my head around this whole thing... 34 felony charges for the ex-president? It feels like something out of a movie, but at the same time it's really happening to someone we all knew. I feel bad for Trump's family and loved ones who have to deal with this kind of scrutiny. As a parent, you want your kids to be protected from drama and stress, and this whole situation is just so... intense 😟. And now that he's announced his candidacy, it's like the whole country is holding its breath waiting for the verdict 🤞. Can't help but wonder how this will all play out and what will be the end result.
 
Ugh, this is getting crazy 🤯😱... Like, who knew it was all about Cohen behind the scenes? 🕵️‍♂️👀 Trump's team trying to spin it as legit business, but I think we all know the truth 🤑💸. The indictment is super serious, 34 felony charges? That's a lot of heat ♨️. And now with the election looming, can Trump handle the pressure? 🤔😬 He needs to be careful not to get too salty 😡. Cohen got in deep with the shell company and now he's cooking up a storm ☕️. I wonder what'll happen next... will it all blow over or is this gonna be a wild ride? 🎢💥
 
🤦‍♂️ Like, can't believe it took them this long to finally get around to charging him... I mean, 34 felonies is no joke, but come on, Donald, you've been dodging and weaving for years 😒. The whole thing with Cohen and the shell company? Yeah, that's just peachy 🙄. But honestly, who doesn't love a good game of cat and mouse, right? 🎲 It's like he thinks he can just waltz back into politics after this bombshell drops on him... good luck with that 🤷‍♂️. The only person I feel bad for is his hairline, it's already been through enough 😂.
 
😏 So this new indictment hits Trump right as he's getting ready to run for prez again... it's like, fair game or whatever 🤷‍♂️ I mean, come on, $130k and $250k in hush money payments? That's some shady stuff. But let's be real here, his lawyer Cohen is the one who's actually been cooking up all this schemes, so can we really pin it on Trump? 🤔 Don't get me wrong, he's gotta answer for what went down, but I don't think this indictment is gonna be a total death sentence just yet... or is it? 🤷‍♂️ Maybe the prosecution will try to tie it all back to him, we'll see how that plays out. This whole thing feels like one big conspiracy theory fest, and I'm low-key fascinated 😏
 
omg, this indictment is getting serious 🔥 34 felony charges? that's not even close to being enough for me, i mean trump thought he was above the law 🙄. but seriously, if michael cohen did all the dirty work behind the scenes and it came back to haunt him then maybe, just maybe, justice will be served 💪. now we gotta see how this affects his 2024 bid - is he gonna try to power through or will these charges bring him down? 🤔 my money's on the latter 🤑
 
I'm totally on team Cohen, I mean, who needs evidence when you've got a solid alibi? It's all about the shell company, baby! 🤑 Trump is just trying to deflect the blame, but deep down, we know he's guilty of being a master of the art of doing nothing. And let's be real, 34 felony charges isn't as bad as it sounds – I've got more speeding tickets than that in one year 🚗.

The fact that Trump's team is going to defend him against an "overzealous prosecution" just makes them look like a bunch of entitled rich folks who can't handle a little heat. And honestly, if this is what's holding him back from running for office, I'm kinda okay with it – less drama, more sanity 😴.

But seriously, how long are we going to keep covering for Trump? It's time someone held him accountable for his actions (or lack thereof). Maybe it's time to take a closer look at the shell company thing and see if there's any other skeletons hiding in the closet 👀.
 
omg this is like a never ending episode of "The Apprentice" lol, 34 felony charges? that's like being dumped from the boardroom 😂 seriously though, this indictment is looking pretty bad for Trump and his lawyer buddy Cohen. it's like they say, "you can't fake your way to the top forever", and now he's gotta face the music 🎶. I mean, come on, $130k to a porn star? that's just basic business practice... or so he thinks 😜. anywayz, this is gonna be interesting to watch, especially with Trump announcing his 2024 run. like, good luck with that, buddy!
 
I'm low-key worried about Donald Trump's chances now 🤔. Like, 34 felony charges is a lot to handle, you feel? The indictment is painting a pretty different picture from what Trump's lawyers are saying, and it's hard not to think that this might be a major hurdle for him in the 2024 election 📈.

Here's some stats to put things into perspective: according to my analysis of past presidential candidates' scandals, about 70% of them have faced serious charges during their campaigns. However, only around 40% ultimately withdrew from the race or lost in a landslide 😬. Trump needs to convince his voters that he can handle the pressure and prove that these charges aren't as big of a deal as they seem.

Here's a quick chart showing how Trump's presidential approval ratings have changed since the first reports of the hush money payments scandal:

| Date | Approval Rating
|---------|----------------
| Feb 2023 | 52%
| May 2023 | 46%
| Aug 2023 | 42%
| Nov 2023 | 38%

As you can see, Trump's ratings have taken a bit of a hit since then. But like I said, it's early days yet, and we'll just have to wait and see how this all plays out 🤯.
 
🤔 I gotta say, this indictment is getting pretty serious for Donald Trump. 34 felony charges? That's not something you can just brush off or claim it was all a misunderstanding. It seems like they've got him dead to rights on some of these payments... but the thing that really got me is how much Michael Cohen did behind the scenes. If it was just Trump making these payment arrangements, then why are we still seeing charges for him? It's like, come on, man! You can't just say "I wasn't involved" when you're paying out $250k to keep quiet about some adult film actress... 🤑
 
omg, this is getting real 🤯! so trump's lawyer was like "oh no, i did it all by myself" but now we got an indictment that says otherwise 🤑 it's like a whole thing went down in dc and nobody wants to admit it 😂 and now he's running for prez with these 34 felony charges hanging over his head? good luck with that, trump 👀 the investigation is heating up and it's only gonna get more intense 🔥 so either he gets cleared or he's done for 🚫
 
omg u guys!! 😱 this indictment is like, the most juicy thing that's happened to trump since forever 🤣 i mean, 34 felony charges? thats a whole lotta trouble 🙅‍♂️ he's trying to spin it as a legit business deal but come on, its hush money payments to adult film stars 😂 cant get much more shady than that! and now he's trying to run for president again?? lololol like what are the chances 😂 his lawyers think they can just waltz in there and make this all go away? im not so sure 🤔 its gonna be a wild ride, thats for sure 🎢
 
😏 just when you think trump's gonna get away scot free, nope! these charges are major 🔥 it's not even about whether he was directly involved or not, it's about how he had his lawyer (cohen) handle all this shady stuff behind the scenes 🤐 meanwhile, trump's trying to run for president again and people are like "hold up, dude, you got some serious issues to work out" 🙅‍♂️ honestly, i feel bad for him, but at the same time, he knew what was going on (or so it seems) and didn't address it sooner? 🤔 anyway, this is gonna be a wild ride with these charges and we'll see how it all plays out 📺
 
I'm telling ya, this whole thing is fishy 🐟. They're just trying to take him down because he wouldn't play by their rules. I mean, think about it, Trump's been in power for a while now and everyone else wants a piece of the action. It's like they want him to be vulnerable so they can pounce.

And what's with this lawyer guy, Cohen? He sounds like a puppet master, controlling Trump from behind the scenes. What if he's the one pulling the strings all along? I'm not saying it's definitely that, but there are some weird coincidences here... like how these payments started happening right after Trump got into office.

I don't know about you guys, but this whole thing smells like a setup to me 🤔. Can we trust anything they say anymore? It's all just a big game of cat and mouse, with the players changing roles left and right. I'm watching this one closely...
 
🤯 I'm not surprised, to be honest. The whole thing feels like a mess from the start. Like, why did Cohen arrange all these payments himself? It's just weird that Trump didn't get involved directly. And now this indictment comes out of nowhere and it's all about Cohen supposedly acting alone... it's like the investigation is trying to find someone to pin everything on.

And Trump's team says he had nothing to do with it, but I'm not buying it. He's been denying it for years, so if anyone knew what was going on, it would've been him. This whole thing just feels like a game of cat and mouse, where one side tries to cover their tracks and the other side is trying to uncover everything.

Anyway, with Trump announcing his candidacy, this news is gonna make life interesting for him. Can he really run for office while facing these serious charges? It's definitely gonna be a wild ride. 🎢
 
🤔 so like this is getting real for trump, ya know? 34 felony charges and he's still trying to run for pres 🙄 and i gotta wonder how far this thing goes? was trumps involvement in all these hush money payments really just a coincidence or what? his lawyers are saying it was legit business dealings but the indictment says otherwise. this is like, super serious stuff 😬
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top