Trump's the victim in Stormy Daniels' hush-money case: ex-president's lawyer

Donald Trump's lawyer is insisting that his client is the "victim" in the Manhattan district attorney's investigation into the hush-money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels, Bloomberg reported Friday.

Attorney Joe Tacopina spoke out following a report Thursday in The New York Times that District Attorney Alvin Bragg appears close to indicting Trump in the case. The probe centers on a $130,000 payment to Daniels to keep her quiet about her alleged relationship with Trump ahead of the 2016 election. The payment was made by Michael Cohen, Trump’s former fixer, who has testified that he was following Trump's orders and was reimbursed by his boss.

“What all this shows is that the DA is targeting the former president because of political reasons and personal animus,” Tacopina texted Bloomberg in response to questions about Bragg's case.

“The mantra of our current DA is ‘one standard for all,’ but it should be ‘one standard for all — except for President Trump,’” added Tacopina. As for standards for all, Cohen has already served time in prison for the Daniels' payments.

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Cohen, who has been cooperating with the investigation, is meeting yet again with Bragg’s office Friday in an "extended session," according to Bloomberg, which could be another sign that indictments for Trump are close. The Times noted that prosecutors had offered Trump the opportunity to testify next week before the grand jury hearing evidence in the case. Such an offer would likely not be made unless indictments loomed, the newspaper reported.

Legal experts believe Trump could face campaign finance charges in the case that may amount to a "low-level" felony.

Trump has denied having an affair with Daniels. He blasted Bragg's probe in a post on Truth Social Thursday as a "witch hunt" designed to "take down" the leading candidate for the presidency.

Tacopina joined Trump's legal team last month. He has represented a number of notorious clients, and recently failed to keep a high-profile Capitol insurrectionist out of prison. Tacopina's client Julian Khater was sentenced to nearly seven years in prison last month after he admitted to using bear mace to spray several police officers during the siege, including Brian Sicknick, who died the next day following two strokes.

Neither Bragg nor Daniels could immediately be reached for comment about Tacopina's comments. Daniels has never wavered from her details about a sexual relationship with Trump.