(MENAFN) According to a source who spoke to CBS News on Saturday, former President Donald Trump is facing a felony charge for falsifying business records in the first degree, a felony in the state of New York. The charge is related to alleged hush money paid in 2016 to adult film star Stormy Daniels to buy her silence regarding an affair she claimed to have had with Trump. However, the details of the charge are not immediately available as the indictment handed up by a New York grand jury remains sealed.
Trump will be the first former president in U.S. history to face criminal charges. He is expected to be arraigned before Judge Juan Merchan on Tuesday, and the indictment would be read to him at that time.
Reportedly, there are approximately 30 counts in the indictment, according to two sources familiar with the matter who spoke to CBS News on Friday.
In response to the news of his indictment, the former president issued a statement calling it "Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history." He accused Democrats of "weaponizing our justice system to punish a political opponent, who just so happens to be a President of the United States."
Two of Trump's attorneys, Joseph Tacopina and Susan Necheles, also issued a statement, vowing to "vigorously fight this political prosecution in Court." They maintain that the former president "did not commit any crime."
However, prosecutors did not inform Necheles and Tacopina of the charge, they told CBS News. This latest development is just one of many legal challenges Trump has faced since leaving office in January.
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