Former United States President Donald Trump has been accused by New York prosecutor Matthew Colangelo of corrupting the 2016 election in his criminal hush money trial.
Colangelo alleged that Trump’s actions constituted breaking the law and corrupting the 2016 election by attempting to conceal sexual encounters with a porn star and a Playboy model.
In what marks the first trial of a former US president, Trump faces charges of falsifying business records to conceal a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016, aimed at keeping quiet about a sexual encounter she claimed they had a decade earlier.
The prosecutors framed the payment as a deliberate attempt to manipulate voters during a time when Trump was already facing other allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct.
Describing the scenario, Colangelo stated, “This conspiracy was premeditated, coordinated, and ongoing, with the intention to sway the 2016 election and assist Donald Trump in getting elected by unlawfully silencing individuals with negative information about his actions.”
He added, “It was a clear case of election fraud.”
However, Trump’s attorney, Todd Blanche, informed the jury that the former president did not engage in any criminal activities, further arguing that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg should not have pursued the case.
“There is no harm in trying to influence an election. It’s a fundamental aspect of democracy. They have unfairly vilified this concept as criminal activity,” Blanche asserted.