Debate arises over potential charges against Trump for falsifying business records related to Stormy Daniels payment in 2016
Uncertainty lingers over the specific charges former President Donald Trump may face in connection with the 2016 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. While the details remain undisclosed, experts speculate that Trump could be charged with either a misdemeanor or a felony for falsifying business records.
A misdemeanor conviction would result in a fine, but a felony charge could lead to a maximum sentence of four years in prison. Though the payment made by Trump’s lawyer to silence Daniels regarding an alleged affair with Trump in 2006 is not illegal, failing to report it as an election expenditure in public financial disclosures to the Federal Election Commission is, according to US law professor Richard Painter.
Painter told the BBC, “New York is not a place for criminals to launder their money or falsify business records in order to cover up their own crimes, and that is the charge he is likely to face in this indictment.” He estimates that the case could take one or two years, during which Trump may request an extension to the trial and mobilize his political base. “That’s what authoritarians do, he’ll try to turn this into a political circus,” Painter added.
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