The Donald Trump-Stormy Daniels hush money saga explained in a nutshell

Donald Trump and Stormy Daniels allegedly met in 2006. (Image: @realdonaldtrump/Instagram, @thestormydaniels/Instagram)

The scandal involving former US President Donald Trump and adult film actress Stormy Daniels, which erupted in 2018, is a complex legal case that raises many questions about the conduct of the president and his associates, the role of the media, and the integrity of the American legal system.

The story began in 2006, when Trump, then 60, allegedly had an affair with Daniels, then 27, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford. According to Daniels, the affair lasted several months, and included at least one sexual encounter. Trump has denied the affair, but evidence suggests that he and his team paid Daniels hush money ($130,000) to keep quiet about the affair just weeks before the 2016 presidential election.

The payment, which was made through Trump's personal attorney Michael Cohen, is at the center of the case. Cohen pleaded guilty to several crimes related to the hush money payment, including campaign finance violations, and was sentenced to three years in prison.

The case has raised questions about whether Trump and his team broke the law by making the payment, and whether the payment constituted an illegal campaign contribution. The legal issues involved are complex, but the basic question is whether the payment was made to benefit Trump's campaign, which would make it subject to campaign finance laws.

Trump and his team have argued that the payment was made to protect Trump's personal reputation, not his campaign, and that it was therefore not subject to campaign finance laws. However, many legal experts disagree, and argue that the payment was clearly made to benefit Trump's campaign, as it occurred just weeks before the election, and was intended to prevent damaging information from becoming public.

The case has also raised questions about the role of the media in reporting on the affair and the hush money payment. Daniels initially sold her story to a magazine for $15,000, but the story was never published. She later went public with her story in a television interview, and has since become a prominent figure in the media. She also said that was threatened physically several times to keep mum on the matter.

The media coverage of the case has been extensive, with many news outlets investigating the affair and the hush money payment, and some pundits and commentators criticizing Trump and his team for their actions. Some have also raised questions about the ethics of paying hush money to silence accusers, and the impact that such payments can have on the legal system.

Trump is now the only US President to be indicted i.e. he has been criminally charged in the hush money case adding a new obstacle course for the Republican businessman to meander on his way to the 2024 Presidential elections.