Post by Admin on Apr 5, 2023 18:08:06 GMT
What do we know about the 'catch and kill' scheme?
Bragg's case rests on the idea that Trump regularly employed a "catch and kill" scheme to bury negative information.
Prosecutors cited three occasions in which they say Trump "orchestrated" such a scheme with executives at American Media Inc., the company that publishes the National Enquirer. All three took place after Trump announced his candidacy for president in June of 2015.
The first instance came that fall, when AMI paid $30,000 to a former Trump Tower doorman who claimed to have a story about a child that Trump had allegedly fathered outside of his marriage.
Even as the magazine concluded that the story was not true, executives agreed not to release the doorman from the agreement until after the election, prosecutors say, and the payment was "falsely characterized" in AMI's books and records.
The second instance took place in June of 2016 when Karen McDougal, a former Playboy playmate, alleged that she had an affair with Trump while he was married. Trump, his former lawyer Michael Cohen and AMI's CEO David Pecker "had a series of discussions about who should pay off [MacDougal] to secure her silence," prosecutors say.
Ultimately, AMI paid her $150,000 "on the understanding" from Cohen that Trump or his business would reimburse the publisher. (On the advice of AMI's general counsel, that reimbursement never took place.)
The final incident was the $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in October 2016, just before the election, to suppress her allegations of an affair at a celebrity golf tournament in 2006.
Trump has denied all three stories about the affairs.
Under New York state law, the falsification of a business record is only a felony if it was done with the intent to conceal or commit another crime.
In a news conference held after Trump's appearance in court on Tuesday afternoon, Bragg clarified what prosecutors view as two possible other crimes in the Trump case.
The first is New York state election law, "which makes it a crime to conspire to promote a candidacy by unlawful means," Bragg said. In this case, that "could include" false statements, like the misrepresentation to tax authorities of the payments to Cohen.
The second is federal election law, which caps the amount that can be donated to candidates in federal elections.
The indictment does not specify these other crimes. Bragg said he views New York state law as not requiring prosecutors to do so.
"I never thought anything like this would happen in America," Trump said to kick off his speech. "The only crime I have committed is to fearlessly defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it."
In remarks that lasted just around 25 minutes, Trump dismissed the other investigations he's facing, said DA Bragg had "no case" and attacked Judge Juan Merchan and his family as "Trump-hating" people.
Bragg's case rests on the idea that Trump regularly employed a "catch and kill" scheme to bury negative information.
Prosecutors cited three occasions in which they say Trump "orchestrated" such a scheme with executives at American Media Inc., the company that publishes the National Enquirer. All three took place after Trump announced his candidacy for president in June of 2015.
The first instance came that fall, when AMI paid $30,000 to a former Trump Tower doorman who claimed to have a story about a child that Trump had allegedly fathered outside of his marriage.
Even as the magazine concluded that the story was not true, executives agreed not to release the doorman from the agreement until after the election, prosecutors say, and the payment was "falsely characterized" in AMI's books and records.
The second instance took place in June of 2016 when Karen McDougal, a former Playboy playmate, alleged that she had an affair with Trump while he was married. Trump, his former lawyer Michael Cohen and AMI's CEO David Pecker "had a series of discussions about who should pay off [MacDougal] to secure her silence," prosecutors say.
Ultimately, AMI paid her $150,000 "on the understanding" from Cohen that Trump or his business would reimburse the publisher. (On the advice of AMI's general counsel, that reimbursement never took place.)
The final incident was the $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in October 2016, just before the election, to suppress her allegations of an affair at a celebrity golf tournament in 2006.
Trump has denied all three stories about the affairs.
Under New York state law, the falsification of a business record is only a felony if it was done with the intent to conceal or commit another crime.
In a news conference held after Trump's appearance in court on Tuesday afternoon, Bragg clarified what prosecutors view as two possible other crimes in the Trump case.
The first is New York state election law, "which makes it a crime to conspire to promote a candidacy by unlawful means," Bragg said. In this case, that "could include" false statements, like the misrepresentation to tax authorities of the payments to Cohen.
The second is federal election law, which caps the amount that can be donated to candidates in federal elections.
The indictment does not specify these other crimes. Bragg said he views New York state law as not requiring prosecutors to do so.
"I never thought anything like this would happen in America," Trump said to kick off his speech. "The only crime I have committed is to fearlessly defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it."
In remarks that lasted just around 25 minutes, Trump dismissed the other investigations he's facing, said DA Bragg had "no case" and attacked Judge Juan Merchan and his family as "Trump-hating" people.