Comparing Donald Trump's hush money trial to John Edwards, Bill Clinton cases
Donald Trump's hush money trial is underway in New York, and the historic case is drawing attention to past incidents of high-profile litigation involving political stars and allegations of salacious affairs.Trump is facing felony charges related to a payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in the weeks before the 2016 presidential election.The former president denies any wrongdoing.So-called "hush money" is not new to American politics.Some have compared Trump's case to the prosecution of John Edwards, a former Democratic senator who was indicted for an alleged plot to conceal an extramarital relationship and child during his 2008 presidential run.Others have tried to draw a comparison with it former President Bill Clinton's settlement with Paula Jones in 1998 to end a yearslong sexual harassment lawsuit.Here's a look at the cases, and how they are alike and how they differ.Donald Trump's New York trialManhattan District Attorney Bragg brought a 34-count indictment against Trump in April 2023, alleging he falsified business documents to hide damaging information from coming out during the 2016 campaign.The allegedly falsified business records, Bragg said, were meant to hide a $130,000 payment Trump's then-attorney Michael Cohen made to Daniels to prevent her from going public with an allegation of a 2006 sexual encounter with Trump -- an allegation he has long denied.
Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations and other crimes, including lying to Congress, for his role in orchestrating the payment to Daniels.At trial, prosecutors raised payments to other accusers -- not part of the criminal charges -- which were also meant to keep negative stories about Trump from becoming public.Other examples, Bragg said, were America Media Inc.
payments to another women who alleged to have had a sexual relationship with Trump and to a doorman who peddled a false story about a child Trump allegedly had out of wedlock.David Pecker, former executive for AMI, t...