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5 takeaways from Donald Trump's indictment documents

During his 2016 campaign, Trump hired a media company that managed negative publicity and paid people to keep quiet, according to the indictment.
Posted at 7:31 PM, Apr 04, 2023
and last updated 2023-04-05 03:25:44-04

Former President Donald Trump was charged with 34 felony counts in New York Tuesday. Here are five of the big takeaways mentioned in the statement of facts document released by the court:

1.  Shortly after announcing his run for presidency, Donald Trump met with the CEO of American Media, Inc., which owns and publishes magazines and tabloids. The company agreed to be the “eyes and ears” for Trump’s campaign during the election, to mitigate negative stories and publish negative stories on his competition.

2. Donald Trump allegedly has a secret baby. The indictment says that a former Trump Tower doorman was trying to sell information regarding a child that Trump allegedly had out of wedlock. The document says the claims were never fully investigated by the CEO of American Media, Inc. AMI paid the doorman $30,000 for the rights to the exclusive story.

3.  Around June 2016, about 5 months before the presidential election, a woman came out alleging she had a sexual relationship with Donald Trump while he was married. The woman was ultimately paid $150,000 by American Media, Inc. to not speak out. There was documentation alleging the Trump Organization would reimburse the media company.

4. In October 2016, a second woman came forward with a story claiming she had a sexual  encounter with Trump while he was married. This woman’s lawyer and Trump’s lawyer at  the time negotiated a $130,000 payout for the rights to her account.

5. The document mentions that in summer 2017, Donald Trump invited the American Media, Inc. CEO to the White House for dinner to thank him for his help during the campaign.

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