The potential indictment in the hush money case is hanging over Trump and his advisers

Inside the Trump Investigations: CNN Primetime Observations on Donald Trump’s alleged role in a scheme to pay hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels

The legal drama surrounding Donald Trump is discussed by CNN. Watch “CNN Primetime: Inside the Trump Investigations” Tuesday, March 21 at 9 p.m. ET.

Officials in New York and Washington, DC, are preparing for potential protests as a grand jury empaneled as part of the investigation into Donald Trump’s alleged role in a scheme to pay hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels continues to weigh possible charges.

In New York City – where the grand jury has been meeting – all NYPD officers are expected to be in uniform and ready for deployment Tuesday, according to an internal memo that a source shared with CNN. There is currently no credible threat after law enforcement officials told CNN that Tuesday is a high alert day.

Trump made calls for protesters in Washington, DC after his loss in the 2020 election, and the memo was in response to his calls for his supporters to protest in response to a potential arrest. While Washington police are similarly preparing, the US Capitol Police force “is not currently tracking any direct or credible threats to the US Capitol,” according to a department intelligence assessment obtained Monday by CNN.

The potential indictment of Trump in New York is not affecting the pace of charging decisions in the Fulton County case, where charges could come as soon as this spring in that case, CNN has previously reported.

A lawyer for Trump testified on Monday to question the testimony of Michael Cohen, a key witness for the prosecution. Cohen, who was on standby that day to testify as a rebuttal witness, left without being called, leaving the door open for him to be called back if prosecutors believe they need him.

Cohen made himself available to the DA’s office as a rebuttal witness Monday but was “not needed,” according to a statement provided to CNN by his lawyer.

Investigating the Hush Money Payment Scheme to Stormy Daniels: The New York District Attorney’s Office Turns It Over to a Manhattan District Attorney

Expectations are high that Bragg, a Democrat, is getting ready to make a decision on a potential indictment against Trump any day now over a hush-money payment scheme to adult film star Stormy Daniels. Bragg isn’t saying much about the status of the investigation or if Trump will be charged.

On Capitol Hill, leaders from the Judiciary and Oversight Committees said they’ll investigate Bragg’s office if they use federal public safety funds for the grand jury probe.

A spokesperson for Bragg responded by saying that the district attorney’s team “will not be intimidated by attempts to undermine the justice process, nor will we let baseless accusations deter us from fairly applying the law.”

“In every prosecution, we follow the law without fear or favor to uncover the truth. Our lawyers are hard at work.

The former president has other legal problems such as the hush money investigation. Sources told CNN Tuesday night that the Justice Department had convinced a federal judge that Trump used one of his defense attorneys to commit a crime or lie to the court about the existence of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.

According to sources close to the Trump family, the president has resigned himself to the fact that he will likely be indicted by the Manhattan district attorney, as he has celebrated how it would help him politically and complained about how unfair it is.

Even as there are signs that the investigation into Donald Trump’s alleged role in the hush money scheme to Stormy Daniels is about to end, it is not certain whether the former president will be indicted or charged at a later time.

In the latest twist in the case, CNN reported exclusively Tuesday evening that communications between Daniels and an attorney who is now representing Trump have been turned over to the Manhattan district attorney’s office. When Daniels was seeking legal representation, the exchanges raise the possibility that the Trump attorney could be thrown out of the case.

CNN has not seen the records in question, and Tacopina denies that there is a conflict or that confidential information was shared with his office. He didn’t meet or speak to Daniels. Ethics experts said the impact that the disclosure will have on the case will depend on the circumstances and the substance of the communications.

Jack Smith, a special counsel, is investigating Trump’s handling of classified documents. Sources told CNN there had been a flurry of activity over the past couple of days after a district court judge ruled that the Justice Department had evidence that could implicate Trump in a crime.

Trump is scheduled to travel to Waco, Texas, on Saturday for his first major campaign rally since announcing his third presidential bid, though an adviser questioned whether an indictment from the New York grand jury could derail those plans.

Over the weekend, Trump on his social media page called for protests of what he said was his impending arrest. But he’s moved away from that language in recent days after calls from allies and advisers to tone down his rhetoric, a sign he may be listening to those around him.

Federal officials, including those at the FBI and Department of Homeland Security, have been watching online calls for “civil war” since Trump made those calls. The US officials and security experts told CNN that so far it has only been chatter and lacks actionable information that would have helped before the Capitol attack.

The extraordinary legal peril surrounding Donald Trump is reaching a fever pitch at the same time the former president is forging ahead in a 2024 Republican primary that is increasingly dominated by criminal investigations in New York, Washington and Atlanta.

New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office has suggested to an attorney for at least one witness in the past 24 hours that they might need to provide more testimony to the grand jury in its hush money probe, according to one source familiar with the probe.

As the investigation nears its final stages, prosecutors are considering the historic nature of prosecuting a former president – an unprecedented act, sources tell CNN. Other sources tell CNN the DA’s office is taking a moment to regroup after the events of the past week.

The appeals court gave the Justice Department and Trump’s lawyers just hours to file briefs in a case that appears to the appeals court to be a crucial case that must be decided quickly.

The former president of Georgia is under investigation by the FBI over his role in efforts to overturn the election in the state. The final report from the special grand jury in Fulton County has been asked to be thrown out.