By Success Nwankwo
Donald Trump faces criminal charges on Monday, making history as the first US ex-president to face legal action as the presumed Republican nominee seeks to reclaim the White House.
The scandal-ridden 77-year-old is charged with fabricating company documents as part of a plot to hide an alleged sexual encounter with adult film actress Stormy Daniels in order to prevent negative publicity from being directed towards his 2016 campaign.
Out of the four criminal proceedings that are pending against Trump, some legal observers believe that the so-called hush money incident is the least serious.
However, it was gathered that the actual possibility that Trump may be found guilty of a crime and may have to serve time in prison adds an unprecedented wild card to an already volatile election.
Trump has declared that he will enter the witness stand in the case, which begins at 1330 GMT. This is an uncommon and frequently dangerous move for defendants.
“I have more indictments than Al Capone, the legendary mobster,” Trump boasted to jubilant supporters during a rally on Saturday in Pennsylvania, a crucial swing state.
He emphasised, “There is nothing at all here.” “There are no federal crimes, no felonies, and no misdemeanours.”
But before Trump gives his testimony, the trial will begin on Monday with the selection of 12 jurors and their alternates, which is expected to be a drawn-out and difficult procedure.
In the last few weeks of the 2016 election campaign, Stormy Daniels allegedly had a sexual encounter with Trump. Trump is accused of paying Cohen, his longtime lawyer and fixer, illegal transfers to conceal the affair.
The trial was described as “a full-frontal assault on American Democracy” by his campaign staff. The Trump campaign team released a statement saying, “These charges are entirely fabricated to interfere in the election.”
There isn’t much sympathy in New York, where Trump has been a mainstay for decades as a politician, businessman, playboy, and now criminal defendant.
Caretaker Alberto Vasquez, 45, said, “I don’t know if he’ll get a fair trial, but whatever happens, he caused it on himself.”
