Trump claims statute of limitations has ALREADY expired on Stormy Daniels case – as his ally Robert Costello prepares to testify against Michael Cohen before grand jury with ex-president bracing for indictments
- Trump wrote on Truth Social Monday that the statute of limitations is two years
- He also said that “there was no crime” regarding the payments made to Stormy Daniels
- Ally Robert Costello is expected to be one of the final witnesses to testify before the Manhattan Grand Jury on Monday
Donald Trump said early Monday morning that the statute of limitations has already passed on charges he expects in the Stormy Daniels case as his ally prepared to appear before the grand jury.
The former president wrote on Truth Social, “They are MANY years past the statute of limitations, which in this case is TWO YEARS. More importantly, THERE WAS NO CRIME!!!”
He posted as attorney Robert Costello who would testify before the Manhattan grand jury investigating hush money payments to the porn star, for which Trump says he will be arrested Tuesday.
Costello, a Trump ally, could defend the president’s position that he should not be charged and attack the prosecution’s key witness, Michael Cohen.
It could be one of the last testimonies members of the panel hear before a decision is made on whether to indict Trump.
Donald Trump said early Monday morning that the statute of limitations has already expired on charges he expects in the Stormy Daniels case, while his ally prepared to appear before the grand jury
The former president wrote on Truth Social, “They are MANY years past the statute of limitations, which in this case is TWO YEARS. More importantly, THERE WAS NO CRIME!!!”
The two-year statute of limitations Trump is referring to is for accounting fraud related to the Trump Organization reimbursing Cohen for paying Daniels $130,000.
The silent payment, just before the 2016 election, was over the adult film actress’s allegation that she had an affair with Trump.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is investigating allegations that Trump and company concealed the real purpose of the payments and instead falsely filed them as legal advances.
Trump said Saturday he expects to be arrested Tuesday on those charges, which carry a four-year prison sentence.
Accounting fraud, a felony only in New York, has a two-year statute of limitations as a misdemeanor, but five years as a misdemeanor.
Under New York law, that can be extended if the defendant is out of jurisdiction for a long period of time.
Trump lived in the White House until January 2021 and spends most of the year in Florida at his Mar-a-Lago club.
The New York Times also reported that the statute of limitations had been extended by one year during the COVID pandemic.
Prosecutors in Manhattan could also consider another charge that Trump violated state election laws with the payments.
The suggestion would be that Trump paid Daniels to remain silent about the alleged affair to benefit his election campaign.
Costello was asked to appear by the Manhattan district attorney’s office after he said he had information that raised questions about the credibility of Cohen.
He briefly acted as legal counsel to Cohen after the FBI raided Cohen’s home and apartment in 2018.
Cohen was under investigation at the time for both tax evasion and payments he helped orchestrate in 2016 to buy the silence of two women who claimed to have had sexual encounters with Trump
He placed as an attorney that Robert Costello would testify before the Manhattan grand jury investigating the porn star hush money payments, for which Trump says he will be arrested Tuesday.
Costello (left) was asked to appear by the Manhattan district attorney’s office after he said he had information that raised questions about Cohen’s credibility. He is pictured with members of Steve Bannon’s legal team after the former Trump aide was indicted for contempt of Congress