Takeaways and key lines from the indictment against Donald Trump

CNN

The historic indictment against Donald Trump and the related court documents have been released.

Alvin Bragg, Manhattan District Attorney, investigated hush money payments made to women during the 2016 presidential election. He denies that they had extramarital affairs.

According to the charges, Trump "repeatedly and fraudulously falsified New York business records in order to conceal criminal conduct that hid harmful information from the voters during the 2016 presidential campaign."

Trump faces a specific criminal charge relating to one of his business records.

Trump has pleaded guilty to all charges.

Here is a breakdown of all the evidence and charges against Trump that were included in the indictment.

Prosecutors use Trump's illegal election influence scheme to support felony charges

Bragg has not charged Trump with violating election law or conspiring to commit another crime related to the alleged campaign-related conduct. Falsifying business records, which Trump is facing 34 counts of, is a felony only if they were falsified with intent to commit or hide another crime.

According to the indictment, Trump was charged with the following 34 counts: 'Intent to defraud' and 'intent' to commit another crime.

Bragg claimed in his Tuesday press conference that business records were falsified with the intent to conceal criminal conduct related to the 2016 campaign. Bragg referred to a New York state law which makes it illegal to conspire for a candidate's promotion.

In a footnote, the statement of facts warns that it does not include all facts pertinent to the charges.

Prosecutors say that Cohen and Trump reached a repayment agreement in the Oval Office.

According to the charges, Michael Cohen, then the editor-in chief and CEO of the National Enquirer, approached Cohen shortly after the Access Hollywood' tape was made public in October 2016. Cohen told Cohen that Stormy Daniels, an adult-film actress, claimed she had an affair.

According to the charges, Cohen was accused of having negotiated a hush money payment with Daniels in order to'secure Daniels' silence and prevent the disclosure of damaging information during the final weeks leading up the presidential election.

According to the statement, Trump allegedly concealed the Cohen reimbursement payments by marking monthly checks for legal services. This was a deal Trump and Cohen reached in the Oval Office.

Prosecutors allege that Trump signed checks to reimburse Cohen, including $130,000 for Daniels, in return for her signing a non-disclosure contract.

Prosecutors allege that he also agreed to pay Cohen $35,000 per month for one year.

According to the statement of facts, 'In February 2017, the Defendant met Lawyer A at the White House Oval Office and they confirmed the repayment arrangement.

These specific facts have been known for many years. Cohen revealed one of the $35,000 checks to Congress while testifying before Congress in 2019. This was to support his claim that Trump orchestrated the payment to Daniels.

Some of the payments that were central to Trump's charges were directly taken from his bank account

Prosecutors claim that checks were sent monthly from Trump's bank account to Cohen. These checks were claimed to be attorney payments, but they weren't.

Prosecutors wrote that each check was processed by Trump Organization and disguised it as payment for legal services rendered during a particular month in 2017 pursuant to retainer agreements.

The Trump Organization kept false New York business records and kept payment records. It was true that there was no retainer agreement and that Lawyer A was not being compensated for legal services rendered in 2017.

Prosecutors allege that participants in the scheme knew that illegal payoffs were being made.

The statement of facts states that Cohen and other participants in the alleged illegal Hush-money scheme admitted to paying off the women.

American Media, Inc. (AMI), publisher of The National Enquirer, reached a non-prosecution deal with the Southern District of New York's US Attorney's Office in relation to Karen McDougal, another woman alleged to have had an affair with Trump. He denies it.

AMI stated to authorities that they did not intend to publish McDougal’s story, and paid McDougal the sum so that she would not 'publicize damaging allegations' against Trump 'before 2016' and thereby influence that election.

Cohen's federal guilty plea was also included in the statement of facts. It states that Cohen conspired with Trump to pay McDougal, and Daniels for stories that could harm Trump.