but he isn't the first former presidential candidate to be indicted or for that indictment to involve a hush-money payment.

但他並不是第一個將被起訴或該起訴涉及封口費的前總統後選人。

Just over 10 years ago, Democrat John Edwards stood trial for money and gifts given to his mistress.

就在 10 多年前，民主黨的約翰·愛德華茲因為贈與金錢與禮物給其情婦而受審。

There's nothing illegal about giving somebody hush-money not to talk about it.

給他人封口費不談及某個問題並不違法。

If it was done specifically for the purpose of promoting your candidacy for a federal office, that's where the problem comes in.

如果是專門為了推廣自身聯邦職務候選資格目的，這就是問題所在。

Here's how the two cases compare and what we can learn about the potential strengths and weaknesses of the one against Trump from the other.

以下是兩起案件的比較，以及我們可以從川普案與另一件案子中了解各自潛在的優、劣勢。

Let's start with what happened with John Edwards.

讓我們從約翰·愛德華茲事件開始說起。

A senator from North Carolina, he became John Kerry's 2004 running mate before running in the 2008 presidential primary against Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

他是一位來自北卡羅來納州的參議員，於 2004 年成為約翰·凱瑞的競選夥伴，之後於 2008 年總統初選中對上巴拉克·歐巴馬與希拉蕊・柯林頓。

He did OK in Iowa, but quickly dropped out.

他在愛荷華州的表現尚可，但很快就退選。

It's time for me to step aside so that history can....

我是時候退出了，這樣歷史才能夠⋯⋯

... so that... so that... history can blaze its path.

這樣才能夠開闢歷史新道路。

That year, tabloid stories surfaced about him having a child from an affair,

該年，出現了關於他外遇並育有一子的小報新聞浮出水面，

which, after two years of denying,

而在接連兩年否認後，

Tabloid trash is full of lies.

小報垃圾充斥著謊言。

... he admitted to.

⋯⋯他承認了。

The scandal had everything.

這起緋聞無所不包。

Could be the biggest political sex scandal of our generation.

可說是本世代最大的政治性醜聞。

I just turned to him and said, "You're so hot."

我就轉身對他說：「你真的很性感。」

Hundreds of thousands of dollars given to him by supporters.

支持者給予他數十萬美元。

Private jet flights and luxury hotel rooms.

私人飛機和豪華酒店住宿。

While his wife was battling terminal cancer.

正直他妻子與癌末搏鬥時。

John Edwards' sex tape details revealed.

約翰·愛德華茲的性愛錄影帶細節曝光。

It was a huge scandal at the time.

這在當時是一起巨大醜聞。

People loved Elizabeth Edwards; Elizabeth Edwards really helped John Edwards' reputation mammothly.

人們很喜愛伊麗莎白·愛德華茲，她真的很大程度地幫助約翰·愛德華茲的名聲大振。

So, they really sold themselves as, you know, a loving, everyday American family.

他們真的是以身為有愛、平凡的美國家族來推銷自己。

Here's what the Justice Department said happened during the campaign.

以下是司法部在競選期間關於事發經過的說法。

Campaign worker Rielle Hunter, pregnant with John Edwards' daughter while his wife, Elizabeth, was dying of cancer,

在約翰·愛德華茲妻子伊麗莎白當時因爲癌症瀕臨死亡時身懷其女的競選工作人員蕾兒·亨特，

was given cash, luxury hotel stays, apartments, and rides on private planes by a wealthy member of his campaign and a wealthy donor to be kept out of sight.

被愛德華茲競選團隊一名富裕成員以及捐贈者給予現金、豪華酒店住宿、公寓、私人飛機旅程，以避人耳目。

These were also given to a close aide, who falsely claimed to be the baby's father.

這些東西也同樣贈與給了一名親近的助手，他謊稱自己是嬰兒的父親。

None of this money came directly through the campaign or Edwards himself.

這些錢都不是直接透過競選收益或愛德華茲本人支付。

Prosecutors argued Edwards orchestrated this web of money and that the payments were made to help his campaign.

檢察官認為愛德華茲策劃了這個金錢網絡，並表示這些支付行為是為了幫助他的競選活動。

A federal grand jury indicted Edwards on six federal counts of campaign-finance law violations.

聯邦大陪審團因為愛德華茲涉及違反競選財務法而對他提出六項聯邦罪。

John Edwards is a lousy human being, but I think this is a really lousy and flimsy criminal case.

約翰·愛德華茲是個糟糕的人，但我認為這是一起非常糟糕的且脆弱的刑事案件。

Melanie Sloan founded this government accountability group and still works in ethics in campaign law.

梅蘭妮・斯隆創辦了這個政府問責小組，並持續在競選法中從事道德方面的工作。

She followed the Edwards trial closely.

她當時密切關注了愛德華茲的案件。

There was no evidence that John Edwards personally gave the money.

沒有證據顯示約翰·愛德華茲親自支付了這筆錢。

Regardless of whether that had happened, there still would've been the question about why.

不管那件事是否發生過，仍然會有一個問號。

Is the money a campaign donation?

這筆錢是競選捐款嗎？

Is it being spent to advance your candidacy or is it money being spent to hush this up for some other reason, i.e., to protect your family?

這筆錢是否用於推動候選資格，還是出於像是保護家人等其他原因作為遮口費？

While I do not believe I did anything illegal or ever thought I was doing anything illegal,

雖然我不認為我犯了法，也不曾想過我在做任何違法的事，

I did an awful, awful lot that was wrong.

我做了很多、很多的錯事。

New York prosecutors argue, with Trump, the reason was clearly because of the 2016 election.

紐約檢察官辯稱，川普則很明顯是為了 2016 的選舉。

Trump denies any wrongdoing.

川普否認任何不當行為。

Here's what prosecutors say happened.

以下是檢察官所說的情況。

In 2016, porn star Stormy Daniels' lawyer went to the "National Enquirer",

2016 年，色情演員史多美·丹尼爾的律師聯繫了《國家詢問報》，

yes, that same tabloid,

沒錯，同樣一份八卦小報，

to sell her story about an alleged sexual encounter with Trump from a decade prior.

目的在於銷售她自稱與川普十年前的性事。

The CEO of the tabloid's publisher, David Pecker, was able to connect her with Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen, who eventually paid her $130,000 to keep quiet.

該小報出版商的執行長大衛·佩克得以與川普的律師麥可·科恩接洽，後者最終支付她 13 萬美元作為封口費。

Cohen was later reimbursed by submitting monthly invoices for legal services, which were paid by Trump through the Trump Organization.

科恩後來透過提交月度法律服務發票領取報酬，而這些錢是由川普透過川普集團所支付。

New York prosecutors say those payment records were false business records.

紐約檢察官表示，這些付款記錄都是虛假的商業記錄。

The 34 charges came out of the same set of facts.

34 項指控都源自於同一組事實。

Each time there's an invoice and each time there's a payment and each time there's a bookkeeping record,

每當出現發票、付款、記帳紀錄時，

that is all the crime of falsifying the business records in order to cover up a crime.

都是為了掩蓋犯罪所犯下的捏造商業紀錄罪。

With Edwards' case, this donor had died, and this one was 100 and never testified.

至於愛德華茲的案件，這位捐贈者已經死了，而這位則已經百歲並從未作證。

A jury acquitted him on one charge and deadlocked on another five.

陪審團在一項指控上宣告他無罪，在另外五項則陷入僵局。

So, the trial ended in a mistrial.

因此，該案件以審判無效告終。

Jurors said there wasn't enough evidence tying him to the money.

陪審員表示，沒有足夠的證據將他與金錢做連結。

We all thought that he knew, but there just was not the evidence there to prove it.

我們都認為他知情，但就是沒有可以證實的證據。

It was just a lack of evidence.

就只是證據不足。

With Trump, prosecutors say they have evidence that he was involved in the payments.

至於川普，檢察官表示，他們有證據顯示他參與了這些付款行為。

Besides Trump's name and signature on the checks and that the intent of the payments was to help his campaign,

除了支票上川普的名字和簽名以及付款意圖為幫助其競選活動外，

Cohen has already pleaded guilty and served time in jail for these payments being campaign-related.

科恩已經認罪證實這些付款行為與競選有關，並因此入獄服刑。

And prosecutors say Trump directed Cohen to delay Daniels' payment until after the election,

檢察官也說，川普指示柯恩將丹尼爾的付款延到選舉後，

because, then, it would not matter if the story becomes public.

因為這樣一來，即便故事公開也不要緊。

Prosecutors also point to a similar payment made to another women, who alleged she had a sexual encounter with Trump, Karen McDougal.

檢察官還指出，有一筆給予凱倫·麥克道格這名女性的類似付款，她聲稱自己曾經與川普有過性關係。

They say Pecker and Cohen worked out a deal that ultimately paid McDougal $150,000 for her silence,

他們說，佩克和科恩與達成了協議麥克道格，最終向其支付 15 萬美元以換取沉默，

and that there are audio recordings of Trump and Cohen discussing this arrangement.

並且有川普和科恩討論此一安排的錄音檔。

Testimony from Pecker says he made the connections to the two women to ensure no damaging allegations would be published before the election and thereby influence that election.

佩克在證詞中表示，他與這兩名女性聯繫以確保選戰前不會有影響選舉結果的有害指控出現。

The indictment and statement of facts particularly do not suggest in any way, shape, or form that this was ever about hiding it from his wife.

尤其起訴書和事實陳述中，並為以任何形式暗示這些都是為了向他妻子隱瞞。

In fact, they make it very, very clear that what they wanna do is hide it during the course of the presidential election.

事實上，他們非常明白地點出其目的是在總統選舉期間掩飾消息。

Federal prosecutors, when charging Cohen on 2019, declined to indict Trump, who was still in office.

當聯邦檢察官在 2019 年控訴科恩時，拒絕起訴仍在位的川普。

These charges were filed in a New York State court.

這些指控是在紐約州法院提出的。

Experts like Sloan argue that this case may not even be as strong as the one against Edwards, which was in federal court, even with these connections.

像斯隆這樣的專家認為，這個案子甚至可能沒有比愛德華茲在聯邦法遠案件有力，即便有這些聯繫。

I don't think this is a slam dunk by any means.

我覺得這完全不是勝券在握的狀況。

The fact that it's not being a federal case,

因為它並非聯邦案件、

that it's actually not being done by the Justice Department when you have a federal campaign-finance law, and that it's being bootstrapped into a state court,

當涉及競選財務法卻並非由司法部執法，且被導往州法院，

that is unprecedented.

這是史無前例的。

Trump pleaded not guilty to all 34 charges.

川普對 34 項指控都是以無罪回應。

He denies the alleged sexual encounters.

他否認了所謂的性關係。

This fake case was brought only to interfere with the upcoming 2024 election.

這起假案件目的只是為了干擾與即將到來的 2024 年選舉。

And it should be dropped immediately. Immediately.

它應該立即被撤銷。馬上撤銷。

He's not likely to face jail time if convicted.

即使被定罪，他也不太可能面臨監禁。

And the trial, if it happens, isn't expected to move quickly.

而審判如果發生，也不會快速進行。

The next court date is in December of 2023.

下一次開庭日是在 2023 年 12 月。