Legal Experts Break Down Flaws in Trump Indictment

Contact Your Elected Officials
The Epoch Times Header

NEW YORKโ€”Following the unsealing of the indictment against former President Donald Trump on Tuesday, legal experts say the charges laid out in the indictment are vague, dubious, and lack merit.

โ€œThere is no part of the case that is not weak,โ€ Alan Dershowitz, an attorney who taught law at Harvard Law School for nearly 50 years and was part of Trumpโ€™s impeachment defense team in 2019, told The Epoch Times in an interview on Wednesday.

Trump was charged with 34 counts of felony-level falsifying business records, Chris Conry, a prosecutor at the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, revealed during Trumpโ€™s arraignment hearing on Tuesday.

Prosecutors allege that Trump directed one of his lawyers, Michael Cohen, during the 2016 presidential election to pay adult film actress Stormy Daniels $130,000 to prevent her from going public about an alleged affair between her and Trump in 2006, which the former president denies.  

Court filings allege that Trump then reimbursed Cohen through monthly checks and documented that payment as legal expenses in the Trump Organization, leading to 34 false entries in New York business records.

A felony falsifying records charge requires a prosecutor to prove that it was done with the intent to hide the commission of a second crime. 

The indictment and court documents do not specify this second crime. But Bragg, at a Tuesday press conference, mentioned three possibilities: a violation of state election law that bars any conspiracy to promote a candidate โ€œby unlawful means,โ€ a violation of a federal cap on campaign contributions, and a violation of state tax law.  

To legal experts, Braggโ€™s case stands on shaky ground on several fronts. 

First, arguing that state law was broken to hide a federal campaign finance law violation is unusual and some say this contention doesnโ€™t hold water. Then, it may be difficult to show that the hush money payment constituted a campaign expenditureโ€”rather than an expense in a personal matterโ€”which is a key element in proving an election law violation. 

Braggโ€™s lack of clarity on what the second crime actually is is also highly problematic, experts said.ย 

Byย Gary Bai

Read Full Article on TheEpochTimes.com

The Epoch Times
The Epoch Timeshttps://www.theepochtimes.com/
Tired of biased news? The Epoch Times is truthful, factual news that other media outlets don't report. No spin. No agenda. Just honest journalism like it used to be.

How The Big Beautiful Bill Will Keep Louisiana’s Energy Industry Strong

Renewable or not, our federal govt should not be rigging the deck against any energy sources, especially nuclear power that is both clean and consistent.

On Declaring War, Congress De Facto Amended the Constitution

Congress has de facto amended the Constitution by 55 years of refusing to debate matters of war and peace.

AOC โ€“ Acting On Cue

It is easy to dislike Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), also known as Sandy Cortez, because she is fraudulent and not to smart.

LGBTQโ„ข Propaganda Roundup: Tampon Tim Walz Fails the Test

LGBTQโ„ข Propaganda Roundup: Nip/tucking the latest social engineering fisted...

AI is Now an Existential Threat

We now see evidence that artificial intelligence is an existential threat to our future. It is coming to take American jobs!

DOJ Sues LA Over Sanctuary City Policies: 4 Things to Know

DOJ filed a lawsuit against Los Angeles over what it said are โ€œsanctuary cityโ€ policies that shield illegal immigrants from deportation efforts.

Rep. Dusty Johnson Will Run for Governor of South Dakota

U.S. Rep. Dustin Michael โ€œDustyโ€ Johnson has announced that he will run for governor of South Dakota during the general election to that office in 2026.

Moderna to Ask for Clearance for Combination COVID-Influenza Vaccine

Moderna is going to ask regulators to approve its combination vaccine against COVID-19 and influenza, the company said on June 30.

FBI Says Itโ€™s Uncovered โ€˜Largest Health Care Fraudโ€™ in American History

FBI and DOJ said $15 billion in losses was reported in โ€œlargest health care fraudโ€ investigation in U.S. history. Officials charged more than 300 people.

Federal Reserve โ€˜Should Be Ashamedโ€™ for Not Lowering Interest Rates, Trump Says

President Donald Trump said Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and his colleagues โ€œshould be ashamedโ€ for not lowering interest rates.

Canada-US Trade Talks Will End Until โ€˜Certain Taxesโ€™ Are Dropped, Trump Stresses

Trade discussions between Canada and the United States will end โ€œuntil such time as they drop certain taxes,โ€ U.S. President Trump said in an interview.

Trump Says US to Send Tariff Letters to Trade Partners Before July 9 Deadline

President Donald Trump said Sunday he will soon send letters to trading partners detailing the tariffs to be imposed on their exports to the United States.

Trump Says He Found a Buyer for TikTok

President Trump said he found a buyer for the Chinese-owned short video application TikTok, and that he will reveal the group in roughly two weeks.
spot_img

Related Articles