Alvin Bragg Just Destroyed The Republican Defenses Of Trump

District Attorney Alvin Bragg wrecked the Republican defenses of Trump at a press conference after the indictment was unsealed.

Read the biggest developments from Michael Cohen's testimony.

Video of Alvin Bragg:

DA Bragg said at a press conference:

The evidence will show he did so to cover up crimes related to the 2016 election. Donald Trump, executives at the publishing company American media incorporated, Mr. Cohen, and others, agreed in 2015 to a catch-and-kill scheme. That is, a scheme to buy and suppress negative information to help Mr. Trump’s chance of winning the election as part of the scheme, Donald Trump and others made three payments to people who claimed to have negative information about Mr. Trump. To make these payments, they set up shell companies and they made yet more false statements, including, for example, American Media Incorporated business records they paid money to keep quiet a woman named stormy Daniels less than two weeks before the presidential election, Michael Cohen wired money.

That payment was to hide damages information from the public. The scheme was illegal it violated New York election law, which makes it a crime to conspire to promote a candidacy by unlawful means. The $130,000 wire payment exceeded the federal campaign contribution cap and the false statements in AMI’s books violated New York law. That is why Mr. Trump made false statements about his payments to Mr. Cohen. He could not say that the payments were reimbursements for Mr. Cohen’s payments to Stormy Daniels. To do so, to make that true statement, would have been to admit a crime. Instead, Mr. Trump said he was paying Mr. Cohen for fictitious legal services in 2017 to cover up actual crime committed the prior year in order to get Mike at — Michael Cohen his money back, they had a scheme. They planned to mischaracterize the payments as income to the New York state tax authorities the conduct I just described, and that which was charged by the grand jury is felony criminal conduct in New York state.

Republicans thought that Trump was going to be indicted for campaign finance violations. Republicans thought that Trump was going to be indicted the hush money payment, but what Trump was actually indicted for were crimes related to engaging in a conspiracy to undermine the 2016 election by suppressing negative information. Trump falsified the business records to cover up his crime. He couldn’t say what the payments to Cohen were actually for, because that would have been an admission of crime.

Trump and his Republican allies will attempt to fan the flames of outrage, but based on how DA Alvin Bragg crafted this indictment, House Republicans don’t have the jurisdiction to investigate him. Republicans also don’t have a leg to stand on to defend Trump.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association