House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan is attributing the potential arrest of former President Donald Trump to a "bookkeeping error," in relation to Trump's alleged role with hush-money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels, aka Stephanie Clifford, prior to the 2016 presidential election.
At a GOP retreat in Orlando, Florida on Monday, Jordan spoke to CNN reporter Manu Raju.
The Ohio Republican was specifically asked about Trump's possible arrest with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, roughly a year after Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg initially acknowledged there wasn't enough evidence to indict Trump in the Stormy Daniels case.
"And then what changed?" Jordan rhetorically asked Raju. "President Trump announces he's running for president and shazam! Now they are — we're going to have some bookkeeping error from seven years ago."
Jordan and two other House GOP chairmen have already sent a letter to Bragg, reportedly demanding the Manhattan DA deliver testimony as to what information the office has on Trump.
During his interview with CNN, Jordan claimed that Trump hadn't "broke the law at all" and reasoned that any potential charges would be at the "misdemeanor" level.
While speaking to Fox News on Monday, Jordan repeated his "bookkeeping error" comment, when saying, "now they come after [Trump] for some alleged bookkeeping error? You've gotta be kidding me!"
According to the Washington Examiner, a grand jury has already been assigned to the Trump-Daniels case; and on Monday, the jury was reportedly slated to hear testimony from a lawyer named Robert Costello.
Per the Examiner report, Costello plans to supply testimony that could rebut the Manhattan DA's star witnesses — Daniels and former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen.
The main issue between the Manhattan DA's office and Trump involves the apparent $130,000 payment from Trump to Daniels during the 2016 election cycle, in exchange for her staying quiet about an alleged affair with Trump a decade earlier.
According to the Examiner, prosecutors have been exploring whether Trump's alleged payment to Daniels amounted to a campaign finance violation. Also, the DA's office reportedly wants to know if the Trump Organization falsified records of the Daniels incident.
To combat the anticipated frenzy of a Trump arrest announcement, which could come as early as Monday or Tuesday, New York City officials have begun preparing riot police for pos.ble civil unrest.
Also on Monday, N.Y.C. workers began erecting barricades near a courthouse in lower Manhattan.
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