Attorney: Trump probably won’t talk to grand jury in Stormy Daniels case
WASHINGTON – Former President Donald Trump probably will not testify before a New York City grand jury that is considering indicting him over hush money to an alleged former mistress, his attorney said Monday.
“We have no plans on participating in that proceeding,” Trump attorney Joe Tacopina told ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “Decision needs to be made still. There’s been no deadline set, so we’ll wait and see.”
A Manhattan grand jury is investigating the $130,000 that went to former porn star Stormy Daniels just before the 2016 election.
Michael Cohen, the former Trump attorney who made the payment, is to testify to the grand jury in the coming days.
The grand jury reportedly is investigating whether the hush money amounted to an improper campaign contribution and was planned in order to evade campaign finance laws.
Trump, who has denied an affair with Daniels, has protested the prospect of an indictment. On the Truth Social media site, he said recently that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg “only cares about ‘getting Trump.’ ”
Bragg told MSNBC over the weekend that politics has nothing to do with it: “We follow the facts. It doesn’t matter what party you are, it doesn’t matter your background. What did you do? And what does the law say?”
The Daniels case is one of several investigations looming over Trump, even as he pursues another White House bid.
Trump faces probes in Atlanta and Washington over his efforts to overturn his loss in the 2020 presidential election and the subsequent insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021.
Trump also is under investigation over his handling of classified documents.