[Summary] Trump faces criminal charges from the Manhattan District Attorney's Office in New York, alleging that he paid hush money to a porn star. This case has had a profound impact on Trump's political career and reputation, as he attempts to fight the charges through legal defense. The case has received widespread attention and has important implications for the US political and judicial systems. Trump will continue to face the charges and defend himself in court.

According to The New York Times, Trump recently faced criminal charges from the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, alleging that he paid hush money to a porn star. This case has had a profound impact on Trump's political career and reputation, as he attempts to fight the charges through legal defense. The case has received widespread attention and has important implications for the US political and judicial systems. Trump will continue to face the charges and defend himself in court.

On April 4th, 2023, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office announced criminal charges against former US President Trump, alleging that he was involved in a conspiracy to prevent the exposure of a sex scandal during the 2016 presidential campaign. Trump is accused of multiple crimes, and refused to plead guilty and is facing 34 counts of felony charges related to falsifying business records, all centered on his involvement in paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels, who claimed to have had an extramarital affair with Trump.

Trump became the first current or former US president to face criminal charges. Tuesday's arraignment was the culmination of a nearly five-year investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and also marked the start of a lengthy legal process. Under New York state law, within 65 days after the defendant's initial appearance, the district attorney's office must turn over most of the evidence to the defense, a process called discovery. Prosecutors are seeking to bar Trump from posting evidence on social media or otherwise providing it to the media. They also want Trump to only view certain sensitive case materials in his lawyers' offices and prevent him from using evidence from the case for political purposes. Trump's legal team at least opposed one of these requests, and the protective order was not finalized on Tuesday.

The criminal charges against Trump stem from an investigation launched last summer by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg. The investigation involved the hush money case of Daniels, which was paid by Trump's former fixer Michael D. Cohen. Daniels' agent initially contacted the National Enquirer, trying to sell exclusive reporting rights. The publisher of the tabloid, David Pecker, a longtime ally of Trump's, had promised to keep an eye out for negative reports that could damage Trump's reputation during the 2016 campaign, and even agreed to purchase news of another woman's affair with Trump and bury it completely, a practice known as "catch and kill." But Pecker did not buy the rights to Daniels' story. Instead, he and the editor-in-chief of the tabloid, Dylan Howard, helped Cohen and Daniels' lawyer reach another agreement

Cohen paid $137,500 in hush money to Daniels to prevent her from publicly claiming that she had an extramarital affair with Trump. This money was seen as a potential illegal campaign finance expenditure during Trump's election campaign. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office launched an investigation into this and accused Trump of participating in the fabrication of business records and obstruction of justice.

Trump denied these accusations, claiming that they were part of political persecution. His legal team presented a series of defense measures and tried to seek non-recognition or dismissal of the charges. Trump also claimed that this was a political persecution against him, attempting to use his political status as a former president to avoid the charges. However, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office conducted an in-depth investigation into the case, accumulating a lot of evidence, including documents, emails, and witness testimonies, to support their charges.

Renowned New York lawyer Howard Lee pointed out that the criminal charges faced by Trump could have far-reaching effects on his political career and reputation. If found guilty, he could face imprisonment and fines. This case has also attracted widespread attention and has had profound effects on the US political and judicial system. Trump will continue to face the charges and defend his rights in court. The progress of this case will continue to be monitored and may have significant implications for future political and legal environments.