PUBLISHED ON: April 26, 2023
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From a legal perspective, one of the most interesting aspects of former President Donald Trump's arraignment on April 4 is the contrast between the indictment voted on by a Manhattan grand jury, and the accompanying statement of facts that was filed with the court and released to the public by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
The People v. Trump indictment is narrowly focused on multiple charges of falsifying business records, all of which grow solely out of Trump's hushmoney payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
The statement of facts casts a much wider net. It describes an alleged "catch and kill" scheme hatched by then-presidential candidate Trump and longtime ally David Pecker, then-CEO of the National Enquirer's parent company, in the summer of 2015, the purpose of which was to suppress negative press stories about Trump in order to help him win the presidency.
The statement alleges that this scheme was not limited to suppressing Daniels' story of her alleged brief affair with Trump.
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