Former President Trump has been indicted in New York City on

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charges related to a $130,000 payment by his former attorney Michael Cohen to adult film star Stormy Daniels in the closing days of the 2016 presidential campaign, money allegedly paid to prevent the actor from publicly saying she was having an affair had with Trump.

the unprecedented indictment,

reported Thursday by multiple media outlets,

is the first time in history that a former US president has been prosecuted. It comes as Trump faces separate, ongoing investigations into his alleged involvement in the 2020 election interference by his supporters and the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, along with his handling of classified documents after leaving office.

Trump is a declared candidate for president in 2024, and his

Republican allies have attempted to portray Manhattan Dist’s work. thoughtful Alvin Bragg as politically motivated, with the former president calling on his supporters in a social media post Saturday to protest and “take our nation back.” About the last year

Bragg revived the investigation, which had started in 2018 but was repeatedly put on the back burner over the past year.

Trump, who turned down an invitation to testify before the grand jury, has denied the affair with Daniels, claiming she demanded money because of his vulnerability as a presidential candidate. Earlier this month, the grand jury heard Cohen, who pleaded guilty in 2018 to several charges, including federal campaign finance crimes related to the payment of hush money. Federal prosecutors shut down the payment, which came shortly after Trump faced criticism

,

was an improper donation to Trump’s campaign.

Anus

Trump made

repeated over a weekend

advocates for supporters to protest on his Truth Social platform, predictive

possible death and destruction that could be catastrophic for our country if he is charged with a crime.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) urged people not to protest, but instructed relevant congressional committees to determine “whether federal funds are being used to undermine our democracy by meddling in elections with politically motivated prosecutions.” “

The Republican Chairs of the House Judiciary Committees,

on House

administration, and

on

In a joint letter Monday, Oversight and Accountability demanded that Bragg testify before Congress about his investigation, which they called “an unprecedented abuse of prosecuting power.”

They also ordered Bragg to turn over material from his investigation, an unusual demand from lawmakers in an ongoing criminal investigation.

Before the indictment was announced, Trump attorney Joe Tacopina called on the New York City Department of Investigation, the city’s inspector general, to investigate what he called the arming of the district attorney’s office.

Law enforcement in New York, Florida and Washington, D.C., have prepared for the protests that Trump and his allies encouraged, though it’s not clear how big they are. On Monday, a bike rack was placed around the Capitol and the New York Police Department placed steel barricades outside the Manhattan Criminal Court c. Three other criminal investigations involving Trump are pending. The Fulton County Dist. attentive Fani Willis’ district attorney in Atlanta is considering possible charges arising from Trump’s attempts to alter Georgia’s election results in the weeks following the 2020 election. in February,

Portions of Georgia’s highly anticipated special jury report

were released, although the recommended costs and potential targets remain secret. Special Counsel Jack Smith, who was appointed by US Atty in November. Gene. Merrick Garland, oversees two dual investigations: one to determine whether Trump intentionally withheld classified information after leaving office and failed to comply with a subpoena to return the m documents, and another to investigate Trump’s actions whether he broke the law by trying to stay in office after losing the presidential election. Grand juries have met in both investigations and are actively hearing from witnesses. Potential indictments from the Special Counsel’s investigations are likely to be months away.