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

Former US President Donald Trump has been slapped with 34 felony charges in a shocking indictment that has sent shockwaves through the nation's capital. The unsealed document reveals a wide-ranging scheme to pay hush money to individuals to keep quiet about alleged illicit affairs and business dealings.

According to the indictment, Trump allegedly made several payments totaling over $500,000 to five people as part of this plan, which included making a payment of $100,000 to adult film actress Stormy Daniels just days before the 2016 presidential election.

The documents also reveal that Trump's lawyer, Michael Cohen, played a key role in orchestrating these payments through his now-defunct company, the Essential Consultants LLC. However, as authorities dug deeper, it was discovered that the payments were not only irregular but also made with the intention of influencing the outcome of the election.

In the indictment and accompanying statement of facts, Trump's lawyers claim that their client did nothing wrong, but investigators say otherwise, arguing that these actions were tantamount to an attempt to bribe public officials in order to win the presidential election. This case is a significant blow to former President Trump, who has repeatedly dismissed accusations of wrongdoing related to his campaign and presidency.

As details emerge from this latest development, it remains to be seen how the case will unfold and what this means for Trump's future prospects.

OMG, like seriously can't believe this is happening!!! Donald Trump is finally getting some serious heat over all these shady dealings . I mean, $500k in hush money payments? That's just wild! And Stormy Daniels? Like, who would've thought, right?

I'm literally shaking with excitement (not good for me, btw ) thinking about how this is gonna play out. Trump's lawyers say he did nothing wrong, but I'm like, girl bye . If there's even a chance he tried to bribe his way into the White House, that's just unacceptable .

Anywayz, can't wait to see what happens next! This is literally the tea I've been sippin' on for years

man this is crazy like we knew something was fishy about trump's election but 500k? that's insane i'm not surprised though tbh he's always been one to bend the rules a bit too much in my opinion and what's with stormy daniels getting paid so much? did she really have no idea it was for campaign interference or is this just another example of trump's shady dealings? the fact that his lawyer made all these payments through a shell company is like, totally not legit we need to see where this investigation takes us

The more I think about it, the more I'm like "wait a minute... didn't we already know that Donald Trump was involved in some shady dealings? Like, remember that whole Stormy Daniels thing?" And now it seems like he might've actually broken some laws to keep quiet about it. Which is wild because, let's be real, Trump's got a history of making moves that are just plain weird.

I don't know, maybe I'm just not surprised, but it does seem like the system is working and holding people accountable for their actions. I mean, if Trump's lawyers say he didn't do anything wrong, then what? The fact that there are felony charges now suggests otherwise. Plus, with Michael Cohen involved, it seems like this whole thing went way beyond just some hush money payments.

It's also interesting to think about how this case could impact the future for Trump and his legacy. Will he be able to shake off these allegations and still maintain a positive public image? Or will this latest development really be the nail in the coffin for him? We'll have to wait and see, but one thing's for sure - this is definitely a developing story that we'll all be keeping an eye on.

I don’t usually comment but... I feel kinda bad for Donald Trump, you know? He’s already been through so much with all these investigations and lawsuits, and now this indictment hits him right when he thinks things are starting to look up. It's like, okay, we get it, he made some questionable decisions back in the day, but 34 felony charges? That's a lot of heat.

And what really gets me is that it seems like he’s trying to spin this as a witch hunt or something. Like, his lawyers are saying he did nothing wrong, and I don’t know about that. From what I’ve read, it sounds like these payments were definitely meant to influence the election, which is super suspicious.

I also feel kinda sad for Michael Cohen, who took the fall for Trump's dirty deeds. I mean, he got sentenced to prison time already, and now this new indictment comes out of nowhere. It’s just another layer of drama in a whole lot of drama.

Anyway, it’ll be interesting to see how this all plays out. Will Trump actually get convicted? Or will he manage to wriggle his way out of it like he always seems to do?

omg this is getting outta hand , 500k in hush money payments? that's insane , and now he's slapped with 34 felony charges ... it's like he thought he was above the law or something . and what's up with his lawyer playing a key role in all this? sounds like a classic case of corruption . I mean, I know people were already skeptical about Trump's dealings, but this takes it to a whole new level . can't wait to see how he squirms through this one

I mean, can you believe it? 34 felony charges are like, a big deal ! The fact that they made over $500k in hush money payments is crazy ! And Stormy Daniels got $100k just days before the election ... that's some shady stuff right there . I'm not surprised it all came out now tho, considering how many investigations have been going on for years .

Looking at the stats, the average American would've spent like 2 weeks' worth of their salary to pay off those payments . And let's just say this case is a big reminder that no one is above the law . The charts show how Trump's approval ratings have been on a downward trend since then, and it's not hard to see why .

It'll be interesting to see how this plays out in court, but for now, I'd say Trump's got some serious explaining to do . Can we get an update on the investigation timeline? I'm curious to know when they started digging deeper .

I think this whole thing with Trump is pretty messed up . Like, come on, paying people to keep quiet about your personal life? It's not exactly the most wholesome thing to do, you know? And making these payments right before the election? That's just crazy talk! The fact that his lawyer set it all up through a shell company is even more shady . Trump's team saying he didn't do anything wrong just doesn't sit well with me...I think they're trying to spin this one. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out in court - fingers crossed justice is served!

This whole thing is crazy ... so apparently Donald Trump tried to buy people's silence about some shady stuff and it backfired . I mean, who pays $100k to an adult film actress just before a presidential election? It's like he thought money could erase everything, but it looks like the law caught up with him . This all started with his lawyer Michael Cohen and some company called Essential Consultants LLC, which sounds sketchy enough . Now Trump is facing 34 felony charges and I'm not sure how this is going to play out for him . The thing that's got me worried is if this means he'll actually have to go to prison or what will happen to the country with someone in his shoes...

I'm telling ya, this whole thing with Trump is just getting more and more out of hand ... I mean, $500k to keep quiet about some alleged affairs? It's like something out of a bad sitcom ... But seriously, the fact that he allegedly tried to bribe people to get ahead in politics? That's just plain wrong ... And what's with his lawyer, Cohen? How could they not see this coming? ... I'm gonna keep an eye on this one, folks. It's gonna be a wild ride

This is getting crazy! The man was supposed to be a statesman, and now he's basically got his hand in everyone's pocket I mean, come on, $100k to an adult film star? That's just ridiculous. And the fact that he tried to make hush money payments to silence people... it's like something out of a bad movie. He's got some serious explaining to do here

this whole thing is super sus... i mean, $500k in hush money payments just days before an election? that's some serious shady stuff but on the other hand, trump's lawyers saying he didn't do anything wrong? it feels like a classic case of "he said, she said" and honestly, i'm not sure what to make of it. as a country, we need to be able to trust our leaders, and if trump is found guilty of trying to bribe his way into office... that's just devastating

just read about trump's indictment and its crazy... i mean, 500k in hush money payments is wild but what really gets me is that it was all supposed to keep quiet about some kinda illicit affairs and business dealings... like, come on trump... you can't just pay people off to be quiet about your personal life

and the part where michael cohen's company did all this stuff is sketchy too... sounds like a pretty big scheme to me. i mean, if trump's lawyers are saying he didn't do anything wrong then they must really believe that but from what i'm reading it looks like investigators have some solid evidence.

anyway, gotta see how this all plays out now... i guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens next

omg i just saw that on reddit like 2 mins ago and i'm literally shaking my head... $500k hush money payments? that's wild like what even is the point of paying someone to be quiet about something? isn't it just gonna come out anyway? also did u know that adult film actresses can make a pretty penny these days? like, stormy daniels is making bank i wonder if she's doing okay financially now... anywayz back to trump what do u guys think is gonna happen next? will he go down for this or just shake it off

This is about time someone held Donald Trump accountable! 500k+ in hush money payments? That's not just shady, that's straight-up corruption . The law's got his number now .

omg can you even believe that trump finally got caught red handed he always thought he was above the law but now he's facing some serious heat i'm not surprised though, all those shady deals and affairs were bound to come back to haunt him anyone who thinks he's innocent is just drinking the kool-aid

So like what's going on with Trump, right? It's crazy that he got hit with 34 felony charges I'm not surprised though, all those shady dealings were gonna catch up to him sooner or later . $500k is a lot of cash, but it's still not enough to silence people who know the truth . Trump's lawyer trying to spin it as no big deal, but let's be real, it looks like he did some bad stuff . It'll be interesting to see how this all plays out and what happens next . Hopefully justice is served

I mean think about it... when someone you trust is found out to be playing dirty games like this, it's a huge wake-up call for all of us. It's easy to get caught up in the hype of a popular figure and overlook their questionable behavior, but that's exactly what happened here. We need to hold our leaders accountable for their actions and not let power or popularity blind us to the truth.

It's also interesting to consider how this whole thing started - with Stormy Daniels just days before an election. It's like someone tried to pay off a problem to go away, but in reality, it just made things worse. We often try to sweep our issues under the rug instead of facing them head-on, but that's usually where the real problems start.

This case is definitely going to be a long and complicated one, but I think it's a reminder that karma is real... or at least, justice is slowly served

my heart goes out to anyone affected by corruption and abuse of power... 500k to keep quiet about illicit affairs? that's just mind-boggling... i feel like we're living in a soap opera where the president is accused of trying to buy his way into office it's hard not to think about how this might impact democracy in the US. can we really trust our institutions right now?

trump's dirty laundry finally gets washed 500k and counting to silence anyone who might know something incriminating about him... sounds like someone's been trying to buy their way into the highest office in the land gotta wonder how far up this rabbit hole goes?