Donald Trump could become the first US president since Ulysses S Grant to be arrested if Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bagg decides to indict him on charges related to a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.
The 45th president announced today that he expects to be arrested Tuesday by New York authorities after his lawyers paid Daniels a total of $130,000 to keep quiet about his alleged affair.
Trump, 76, has been dogged by legal troubles for the past few years but has never been arrested in connection with any crime.
He would be the first president to be handcuffed since Ulysses S. Grant was pulled over for speeding on his horse and buggy.
The eighteenth president was stopped by a police officer in 1876, and officer William West told him, “Duty is duty, sir, and I shall have to arrest you.”
Trump, 76, has been dogged by legal troubles for the past few years but has never been arrested in connection with any crime.
He would be the first president to be handcuffed since Ulysses S. Grant was pulled over for speeding on his horse and buggy.
A mother and her son were reportedly injured by a cyclist, and police discovered that the president was among the reckless cyclists in the area.
Grant was reportedly a “notorious speed demon” who had previously been warned about his speed and claimed he did not know he was going too fast.
Although his buggy did not have a speedometer, the second time he was caught running on the roads of the capital and finally paid $20 to walk for free.
Even if Trump is arrested in connection with the payments, he could still run for president and sit in the White House again.
The only rules for those who run for the highest office are that they be US citizens by birth and over 35 years of age.
President Richard Nixon also came close to being arrested after conspiring to cover up his administration’s involvement in the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, DC in 1972.
The Supreme Court ruled that recordings made on a recording system in the Oval Office must be turned over to government investigators, and the House charged Nixon with obstruction of justice, abuse of power and contempt of Congress in 1973.
He refused to be impeached and became the first president to resign in August 1974, resulting in nearly 50 people being convicted of various illegal activities in connection with the conspiracy.
The eighteenth president was stopped by a police officer in 1876, and officer William West told him, “Duty is duty, sir, and I shall have to place you under arrest.”
Trump also became the first president to have his home raided by the FBI, after they pounced on Mar-a-Lago in connection with classified files the former president had hidden in his Florida hideout.
President Richard Nixon also came close to being arrested after conspiring to cover up his administration’s involvement in the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, DC in 1972.
Nixon’s vice president, Gerald Ford, pardoned Nixon, citing national unity, meaning Congress lost the opportunity to hold him accountable.
However, following the measure, Congress passed the Presidential Records Act, which mandates how presidents and vice presidents must manage their records.
It means that the Archivist of the United States takes ownership of the presidential records after one or two terms and decides whether a president can retain documents.
Trump also became the first president to have his home raided by the FBI, after they pounced on Mar-a-Lago in connection with classified files the former president had hidden in his Florida hideout.
The archivist is the one who has been negotiating the return of the classified documents, and Trump faces the possibility of being disqualified from holding public office if he is found to have “deliberately and unlawfully concealed or removed” those documents.
A Trump spokesman said he is “rightfully highlighting his innocence and the use of weapons of our system of injustice.”
Trump’s lawyer said the former president continues to deny the substance of the allegations of a sexual relationship with Daniels (pictured with Trump), calling the $130,000 a “nuisance payment” that rich or famous people sometimes pay to make disappear a distracting situation.
Grant’s buggy did not have a speedometer, but the second time he was caught running on the capital’s roads and eventually paid $20 to walk for free.
Nixon refused to be impeached and became the first president to resign in August 1974, resulting in nearly 50 people being convicted of various illegal activities in connection with the conspiracy.
Kevin McCarthy, the Speaker of the House, said: “Here we go again: an outrageous abuse of power by a radical district attorney who lets violent criminals walk while seeking political revenge against President Trump.”
“I am directing the relevant committees to immediately investigate whether federal funds are being used to subvert our democracy by interfering in elections with politically motivated prosecutions.”
Last week, the former president and 2024 hopeful was invited to testify before a Manhattan grand jury, and his mediator and former attorney Michael Cohen testified Monday.
Cohen served jail time after pleading guilty in two criminal cases, one of which involved the use of campaign funds in connection with Daniels and another woman who allegedly had an affair with Trump.
He said he had been acting on his orders and that the bribes were supposed to keep love stories out of the public eye ahead of the 2016 election. Trump has admitted reimbursing Cohen
Daniels met with prosecutors Wednesday to answer more questions about the case, and his attorney, Clark Brewster, said he would also be available as a witness in the future, if necessary.
Cohen has also indicated that he has given the grand jury damning testimony implicating Trump. He testified for three hours on Monday.
Daniels met with prosecutors Wednesday to answer further questions about the case and tweeted his thanks to his attorney for “supporting me in our continued fight for truth and justice.”
The archivist is the one who has been negotiating the return of the classified documents, and Trump faces the possibility of being disqualified from holding public office if he is found to have “deliberately and unlawfully concealed or removed” those documents.
