Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen is reportedly expected to testify before a grand jury next week in the Stormy Daniels hush money case — in another sign that New York prosecutors are likely to soon indict the former president for his role in the matter.
Cohen, Trumpโs former fixer, is believed to be the last witness that Manhattan district attorney Alv๐in Bragg will question in the probe, the Friday.ย
At least seven other witnesses have already come before the grand jury, the outlet reports, and Cohenโs scheduled appe๐งarance in a Manhattan courtroom next week is the second strong indication that an in๐ฅdictment against Trump is near, and could come this month.
Lanny Davis, an attorney for Cohen, told the New York Times Friday tha๏ทบt โweโre cooperating with the investigation.โ
โWe appreciat๐e ๐the professionalism of Mr. Braggโs team,โ he added.
Trump, 76, has reportedly also been offered the chance to sit in front of the grand jury next week and defend himself before the indictmentโจ comes down.ย
The former commander-in-chiefย is likely to decline the offer โ which is usually only presented to potential defendants when criminal charges are close to being filed the Times reported Thursday๐.ย
If indicted, Trump would๐ ฐ be the first former president in US history to face cri๐minal charges.
The case Braggโs office has been investigating for the past five years centers on a $130,000 payment made to Daniels during Trumpโs๐ฆ 2016 presidential campaig๐n.
Daniels and Cohen al๐ฆlege thเฒat the payment was made to keep her quiet about a 2005 affair she claims to have had with Trump.
Cohen says he paid Daniels the hush money and Truโจmp lโคater reimbursed him in monthly installments.
Trumpโs fixer๐ท pleaded guilty in 2018 to federal charges related to the hush money scandal and was sentenced to serve three years in pr๐ณison.
Cohe๐ฐn was furloughed to home confinement in 2020, where he served out the remainder of his sentence.
It is believed that Bragg could accuse the former president of falsifying business records in the hush money case and then elevate that charge to a fel๊ฆบony by arguing that it was attached to a second crime.
The second crime, in thiโs case, would be that the $130,000 payment to Daniels amโฑounted to an improper donation to Trumpโs campaign because it kept the affair under wraps and benefited his candidacy.
The Times also reports that if convicted on these charges, Trump woul๐ฐd face a maximum of four years in prison โ but a prison sentence would not be ๐ mandatory.ย
On Friday, Trump that former Manhattan DA, the late Robert Morgenthau, would be โspinning in his grave if he were told that his Office was even thinking about bringing charges against the 45th President of the United States & leading Republican contender for the 2024 Nomination, based on a Scam conc๐erning Stormy โHorsefaceโ Daniels & her now incarcerated lawyer, Michael โSleazeBagโ Avenatti, working with convicted liar & felon Michael Cohen.โ
Trump on Thursday responded to the initial report of an imminent indictment โby arguing that he did โnothing wrongโ and calling the case a โWitch-Hunt.โ
โI did absolutely nothing wrเฒong,โ Trump wrote i๐n a Truth Social post.
โI never had an affair with Stormเตฉy Daniels, nor would I have wanted to have an affair with Stormy Daniels,โ he added.