Cohen said this was a long time coming

The fate of Donald Trump, the Witch-Hunt, and Alvin Bragg in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office: a shockwave of political persecution and election interference

A pattern of disregard for the law often leads to a criminal indictment, and that is the outcome Mr. Trump now faces. It was right for the federal and state prosecutors to set aside their concerns about the presidency and begin investigations of Mr. Trump’s conduct. The investigation by the Manhattan district attorney is the first to result in an indictment.

After hearing of the Supreme Court indictment, we contacted Mr. Trump’s lawyer to prepare for his surrender to the D.A.’s Office. Guidance will be given when the date is assigned, the spokesman for the Manhattan District Attorney said.

The decision is sure to send shockwaves across the country, pushing the American political system – which has never seen one of its ex-leaders confronted with criminal charges, let alone while running again for president – into uncharted waters.

“This is Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history,” Trump said in a statement Thursday night. He added that it was “an act of blatant Election Interference” that would “backfire” on Democrats, and he attacked the New York district attorney, Alvin Bragg, a Democrat who brought the charges.

The former president said in a statement that he believed the Witch-Hunt would backfire on Joe Biden. The American people are aware of what the Radical Left Democrats are doing. Everyone can see it. We will defeat Joe Biden first, then defeat Alvin Bragg, and we will oust all the Democrats out of office to make America great again.

The Grand jury’s decision to indict Donald Trump: a catastrophic escalation in the weaponization of the justice system, as warned by a former president

A healthy respect for the legal system also requires Americans to set aside their politics when forming judgments on these cases. While Mr. Trump routinely called for his enemies to be investigated by the F.B.I., to be indicted or to face the death penalty, his indifference to due process for others shouldn’t deny him the system’s benefits, including a fair trial and the presumption of innocence. At the same time, no jury should extend to him any special privileges as a former president. He should have to follow the same procedures as any other citizen.

Trump was caught off guard by the grand jury’s decision to indict him, according to a person who spoke directly with him While the former president was bracing for an indictment last week, he began to believe news reports that a potential indictment was weeks – or more – away.

Trump will be required to have certain procedures in place when a charge is brought against him. He is a former president who is now running for a Republican presidential nomination in four years, and that will bring with it additional security and practical concerns.

The decision to bring charges is not without risk nor does it guarantee a conviction. Trump’s lawyers could challenge whether campaign finance laws would apply as a crime to make the case a felony, for instance.

The Manhattan district attorney is under fire from Trump allies and his rivals in the next election as well as from House Speaker Kevin McCarthy who has vowed to launch an investigation into the matter.

Earlier this month, Jordan, along with House Oversight Committee Chair Jim Comer, R-Ky., and House Administration Committee Chair Bryan Steil, R-Wis., sent Bragg a letter demanding documents, communications and testimony related to his investigation of the former president.

Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, called the indictment “completely unprecedented” and said it is “a catastrophic escalation in the weaponization of the justice system.”

We have a judge. We have jurors. There are appeals. So I think in the end, justice will be done. If he’s guilty it will show up. But if not, I think that will be shown too,” Bacon told CNN.

Michael Cohen and the investigation of the alleged affair with the president of the National Enquirer, Karen McDougal, and the national newspaper, American Media Inc.

According to court filings when Cohen faced federal criminal charges, Trump Org. He was given $420,000 by executives to cover his original payment and tax liability and to be rewarded with a bonus. The company said the reimbursements were a legal expense in its books. Trump has denied knowing anything about the payment.

Prosecutors have asked at least one witness questions about a $150,000 payment the publisher of the National Enquirer made to the model, Karen McDougal, to buy her story about the alleged affair with Trump, the people said.

The witness was asked about other stories that American Media Inc. bought and later killed. The people said that Trump had a penchant for buying negative stories and planting positive ones. The Manhattan grand jury heard testimony from the man for the second time.

There wasn’t clear on whether the payment was being considered by the prosecutors as part of their investigation or as an indicator of a pattern of such deals.

After pleading guilty to two federal campaign finance charges in relation to the payments made to McDougal and Daniels, Michael Cohen will be deported. AMI got a non-prosecution agreement for cooperating with the federal prosecution. Pecker testified and received immunity in the federal investigation.

It might not seem like a big deal, but the last few weeks of the campaign made it clear to Cohen and the Trump team exactly how serious the situation was. They were performing a fraught and knife’s-edge balancing act to hold onto support from conservatives and evangelicals in the wake of the devastating Access Hollywood tape, a moment where vice presidential nominee Mike Pence seriously considered throwing in the towel himself. The follow-on of stories that were not family values-friendly could lead to an unrecoverable spiral. (It’s also worth remembering the still-suspicious interplay of these two threads: how, on a single Friday in October 2016, US intelligence leaders announced publicly for the first time that Russia was behind the election meddling, the Washington Post scooped the existence of the lewd Access Hollywood tape, and then, hours later, Wikileaks began dumping a fresh set of stolen emails from Clinton campaign chair John Podesta.)

Donald Trump’s actions against Stormy Clifford: Charges of collider and tax fraud against the alleged affair with the former president

The first appearances are usually public. If an arrest of a defendant is not needed, arrangements are made with them or their lawyers for a voluntary surrender to law enforcement. With their first appearance in court, defendants are usually booked and finger-printed. And if a first appearance is also an arraignment, a plea is expected to be entered.

Trump will “absolutely” voluntarily surrender to Manhattan law enforcement, the defense attorney said, adding the former president is “not going to hole up in Mar-a-Lago.”

The grand jury is looking into the payments that Michael Cohen made to Stormy Daniels in order to keep her from going public with allegations that she had an affair with Trump.

Trump has denied having had an affair with Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, although he has admitted reimbursing Cohen for money paid to her.

The lawsuit took nearly 18 months, ultimately reaching the U.S. Supreme Court, which twice ruled in Mr. Vance’s favor. And by the time Mr. Vance’s prosecutors obtained Mr. Trump’s tax returns in March 2021, they had broadened the investigation beyond the hush-money deal to examine his business practices.

The prosecutors quit the case. One wrote in his letter that a decision made in good faith could be incorrect. I believe that your decision not to prosecute Donald Trump now, and on the existing record, is misguided and completely contrary to the public interest.”

Michael Cohen was presented to a grand jury by Bragg. As the final step before an indictment, Trump was invited to testify. The former president claimed that it was a political witch-Hunt to take down the leader of the Republican Party.

Legal experts think the case Bragg is likely to bring could be hard to prove in court. While Cohen was convicted under federal law, New York state statutes might be an awkward fit for the alleged crimes.

Mark Pomerantz, a veteran prosecutor who played a role in the office’s probe and later resigned, said that Trump’s actions ran afoul of New York law.

“The money wasn’t for legal services,” Pomerantz told NPR’s Fresh Air last month. “That’s how the payments were documented.” false business records, which are a crime in New York, are the reason for the documentation of the reimbursement.

“He’s showing me all around and pointing to different paintings,” Cohen said. “And he says to me something to the effect of, ‘Don’t worry, Michael. Your January and February reimbursement checks are coming. FedEx came from New York. And it takes a while for that to get through the White House system.’

“As he promised, I received the first check for the reimbursement of $70,000 not long thereafter,” Cohen said, referring to the payment that combined two monthly installments.

CP and P.D. Sessions: The Case of Donald Trump, the Cosmic Witch Hunt, and Election Interference — NPR’s Andrea Bernstein

SUMMERS: I mean, we should just be clear here – this moment is historic. It’s something not seen before. But Andrea, based on your reporting, do you have any sense so far of how you believe that a criminal trial will play out in this case?

Trump’s social media response is much more heated. He writes, in part, (reading) this is political persecution and election interference at the highest level in history. I believe this witch hunt will backfire massively on Joe Biden. The American people realize exactly what the radical left Democrats are doing here.

BERNSTEIN: So typically, a defendant is notified and makes arrangements to surrender to authorities. We don’t know when that will be. Normally, it takes a number of days, but this is not usually the case. If you are accused of a crime, you need to turn yourself in at the Criminal Courts Building in Lower Manhattan early in the morning, get fingerprints and then walk to the courtroom in handcuffs. We don’t know what will happen this time. It is thought that Trump will plead not guilty when he faces the judge.

The summers are here. This is a developing story, of course. We’ll be looking for more from you and our other correspondents over the next few days. NPR’s Andrea Bernstein, thank you.

NPR transcripts are created on a very short deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

The FlaorIDO: The New York Grand Jury’s Indictment of a Former U.S. President Donald Trump and an alleged Fraud-Payment Compliance

The FlaorIDO is here. We’ve been speaking with former U.S. attorney and law professor Kim Wehle about the New York grand jury’s decision to indict former President Donald Trump. Thank you.

Wehle. We’ve been fretting over it for a very long time now, and so I’m not. It is good to have it actually happen. And hopefully we will see, in due course, the actual terms of the indictment. Because until we see that, it’s very hard to really do a fair analysis of it, I think.

It’s FlaorIDO. Yeah, I noted that we don’t yet know the specific charges that he faces, but you know the legal code. What charges might the former president be facing?

“I do think that the charges are much more serious against Trump related to the election,” Hasen said in his email. Misleading business records can be a crime. I am hesitant about combining that in a state court with a federal campaign finance violation.

Wehle: It is a Class E felony under New York law, so I think it is up to four years in prison. I think it is, that’s way down the line. We have to get through many hurdles. Due process is attached to Mr. Trump. It is important to distinguish political stakes from legal stakes, make sure that there are procedural, evidentiary and constitutional protections in place, to make sure that the far off question is fairly adjudicated.

FloorIDO: The Manhattan district attorney is bringing this case. His predecessor looked into these alleged hush-money payments also, but did not pursue charges, which raises a question, I think, about the strength of this case. What do you think?

Wehle. Well, I mean, he also – I think, at that point, reportedly, Cy Vance was looking into whether Donald Trump would be included in what ended up being an indictment and conviction of the Trump Organization for tax fraud and other crimes and, you know, the former CFO Allen Weisselberg’s guilty plea for that. And Mr. Bragg took some heat politically for not pursuing that, so, I mean, you could argue, you know, he was less aggressive on one, more aggressive on the other. You know, Alvin Bragg was – is an elected official, and all of this really is about the voters of Manhattan who chose him and Donald Trump’s – the grand jury of his peers that indicted him. And then ultimately, if it goes to trial, it will be other voters of Manhattan that will make those determinations as to whether he’s guilty as charged or innocent.

It is FlaorIDO. We’ve got about 20 seconds left. We don’t know precisely when these charges will be formally announced, but can you walk us in about 15 seconds what happens next?

Wehle. He will either be arrested or show up for an hearing, and then plead his case. You know, I worked on the Whitewater investigation many years ago. There were a lot of special circumstances when Bill Clinton was before a grand jury.

WEHLE: …That were given to him. Donald Trump will be given similar respect to that of a former President if he accepts them.

All of this plays into the air of resentment Trump has built up in order to get where he is. He’s argued, successfully with his base of supporters, that the left has it out for him – and, in turn, them – that the system is rigged, and that this indictment and investigation in New York are nothing more than a politically motivated attempt to derail his presidential campaign.

MONTANARO: You know, you’d think that an indictment would hurt someone running for office, but Trump seems to have insulated himself with his base, you know, convincing them that these are trumped up charges. Our poll, the NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll, this week showed that a majority – 57% – said the criminal investigations into him are fair. This is what’s important when it comes to a presidential primary – 8 in 10 Republicans agree with Trump and call the investigations a witch hunt. You know, a Quinnipiac poll out yesterday found that a majority of people say criminal charges should disqualify Trump from running for president. But three-quarters of Republicans don’t agree with that.

Trump’s controversies in the presidential election: How did Nixon and Burr go through the process? Why he shouldn’t have been president

Top officials accused of wrongdoing have historically found a way out of jail. Former President Richard Nixon got a preemptive pardon from his successor, Gerald Ford. Spiro Agnew resigned as vice president of Nixon after being caught up in a corruption scandal. Agnew didn’t have to go to prison after making a plea deal. Aaron Burr, also a former vice president, narrowly escaped a treason conviction. But then he left the country.

That’s a big wild card since we found that a lot of people think preserving democracy is one of the most important issues facing the country. And that’s true of persuadable voters. The economy and democracy were ranked second and third by independents. Trump’s brand has been a problem in the states he has ruled, and he is at risk with independents. Majorities don’t like him and think he shouldn’t be president.

MONTANARO: Very tough to say because 80% of them say they have a favorable opinion of Trump. Three-quarters of the population want him to be the president, and there isn’t a single Republican who is making a sustained effort against him.

Source: https://www.npr.org/2023/03/30/1167254662/trumps-historic-indictment-comes-during-his-presidential-primary-run

The Meltdown of Trump’s Surprise: A Tale of Two Criminal Inseminations and a Witch-Hunt

The person is FlaorIDO. Of course, this is a developing story. We’re looking forward to hearing more from you over the next few days, Domenico. Thanks to you, Domenico Montanaro.

What Daniels has said: For her part, Daniels, also known as Stephanie Clifford, met in March with prosecutors from the Manhattan district attorney’s office probing the payment, according to a tweet sent by her attorney, who said Daniels had “responded to questions and has agreed to make herself available as a witness, or for further inquiry if needed.”

She wrote a tell-all book in 2018 that described the alleged affair in graphic detail, with her then-attorney saying that the book was intended to prove her story about having sex with Trump is true.

It is easy to see that Hillary Clinton was a weak candidate, one whose speeches made her lose touch with the working-class voters of Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, just as her emails made her lose touch with working-class voters in other states. But the new indictment of Trump is an important historical corrective, a moment that makes clear how the US, as a country, must reckon with the fact that Trump’s surprise victory was aided by not one but two separate criminal conspiracies.

In the final phase of the election, which came down to incredibly narrow victories in just three states and where Trump lost the popular vote by 3 million votes, he was helped. The effort was paid for by a Russian billionaire who is now in charge of a mercenary army in Ukraine that is targeting US social media companies. According to the US Department of Justice’s exhaustive report, in the second arm of the Russian operation, the military intelligence service GRU hacked top Democratic officials, leaked their emails, and shifted the national narrative around Clinton and other Democrats. (Not to mention that this gave rise to the Pizzagate conspiracy theory and, arguably, QAnon.)

Over the past several years, Americans have lined up against Trump and the GOP even though they seemed to be unifying this version of the Republican Party behind him.

The Radical Left Democrats have been involved in a witch-Hunt since the day I walked down the golden escalator at Trump Tower.

The most significant hit heard during the 2016 campaign was the investigation by the special counsel about Russian interference in the presidential election; followed by two impeachments; and finally, the FBI search of his home where they recovered boxes of classified documents.

If Trump’s convicted, it will be harder for him to claim the charges were frivolous and politically motivated. If he is acquitted, you can imagine how Trump would feel. He did so even when the Mueller investigation didn’t exonerate him and after his second impeachment following Jan. 6 when a majority of senators – but not the two-thirds required for a conviction – found him guilty.

The Case of Donald J. Trump During the 2022 Midterms: The Case for an Extra-Centric Sheriff’s Exile and a Risk to His Reelection Campaign

When Trump took office, the GOP had unified control of power in Washington. Trump was in the White House, and Republicans were in charge of both the House and Senate.

In the 2022 midterms, lots of Trump-backed and Trump-styled candidates lost key races in swing states and competitive districts, costing the GOP. Instead of making big gains, as is usually the case for the president’s party in a first midterm, Democrats actually expanded their majority in the Senate. Republicans took back the House, but more narrowly than they had anticipated.

Republicans have now lost the popular vote in seven of the last eight presidential elections. The worst streak for either party has been since the creation of the Republican Party.

That was evident this week in the latest NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll that found 6 in 10 don’t want Trump to be president again, including two-thirds of independents.

The only way that could change, according to Republican strategists – and there’s no guarantee it would even work – is if other Republican candidates home in on Trump’s political vulnerabilities, including that he can only serve four more years, paint his legal troubles as emblematic of the chaos and drama that surrounds Trump and make that argument clear to the GOP base.

But Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, took to Twitter after the news of the DA’s request for Trump to surrender to say that his state would not help arrest and extradite the former president, should it come to that.

Though DeSantis has yet to announce his candidacy, he’s widely considered to be a top 2024 Republican presidential contender — and a threat to Trump’s bid for reelection.

The Response to the Indictment of the Former President and the Investigation of the 757-Flavor 757 Event in Florida – CNN’s Adam Wehle

The former president has repeatedly denied wrongdoing in the matter and continued his attacks on Bragg and other Democrats following news of the indictment.

The former president was first asked to surrender in New York but his lawyer said there was more time needed and he was expected in court on Tuesday.

As for the former president’s initial court appearance, it’ll look, in some ways, like that of any other defendant, and in others, look very different.

Many big questions have been asked, including that. Congress has rallied to Trump’s side, attacking the district attorney and accusing him of a political witch hunt.

And as part of the response to the indictment, Trump and his team will be rolling out surrogates beginning to hit Democrats, the investigation and Bragg across various forms of media as they work to shape the public narrative, according to sources close to Trump.

“It’s quite serious, even if the charge itself doesn’t reach the heights that some people would expect from a former president,” Wehle told NPR’s Adrian Florido on All Things Considered.

NPR hasn’t been able to independently confirm whether Trump is still in Florida. Five days after the 757 touched down in West Palm Beach, two reliable flight trackers haven’t registered movement on the plane.

According to an account from POLITICO, he said that he had no interest in getting involved in some type of manufactured circus by some of the people who had donated to him. He’s attempting to do a political spectacle. I’ve got real issues I’ve got to deal with here in the state of Florida.”

The grand jury decided to indict the former president on accusations of obstruction of justice and election interference, but the former president dismissed it as political persecution.

Defending Kevin McCarthy against charges of illegal interference with the House and a democratic DA in the case of a democrat or a republican

Kevin McCarthy, the speaker of the house, claimed that Bragg had damaged our country in an attempt to interfere with the election. Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel called the probe a “blatant abuse of power from a DA focused on political vengeance.”

Democrats also rallied around a party message, but theirs was one of the need for blind justice, best summed up by the phrase “no one is above the law.”

Even though they hold high office, the rich and powerful must be held accountable. “Especially when they do” stated Adam Schiff, a former impeachment manager.

“Now that the charges have been filed, it is better for the case to let the indictment speak for itself,” Cohen said. I stand by my testimony and evidence provided to the New York district attorney and I want to say that accountability matters.

We know that Trump will have to defend himself against charges, but we don’t know what those charges are. “And that’s a good reason to treat headlines and hot takes with a little bit of skepticism.”

Could he still run for president? Why would the adult-film star case move before any of the ones about protecting democracy? How could you possibly find an impartial jury?

What Happens When You Get Your Oasis: Some Questions that Have been Sensitive to the 2016 U.S. Presidential Elections

The answers to some questions that we have been getting, are from versions of these emails that were sent to subscribers of the What Matters newsletter.

He’s involved in four different criminal investigations by three different levels of government – the Manhattan district attorney; the Fulton County, Georgia, district attorney; and the Department of Justice.

It is more difficult for an indicted candidate to win votes if they are a convicted criminal. Trials don’t let candidates put their best foot forward. It’s not against the law for them to run or be elected.

There are a few asterisks both in the Constitution and the 14th and 22nd Amendments, none of which currently apply to Trump in the cases thought to be closest to formal indictment.

Term limits. Anyone who has been president twice will not be allowed to run again because of the 22nd Amendment. That doesn’t apply to Trump since he lost the 2020 election.

Impeachment. If a person is impeached by the House and convicted by the Senate of high crimes and misdemeanors, he or she is removed from office and disqualified from serving again. Trump was acquitted by the Senate twice, despite being twice impeached by the House.

No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any state, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.

The indictment in New York City with regard to the hush-money payment to an adult-film star has nothing to do with rebellion or insurrection. Nor do potential federal charges with regard to classified documents.

Potential charges in Fulton County, Georgia, concerning 2020 election interference or at the federal level concerning the January 6,2021 insurrection could be construed as a form of insurrection. But that is an open question that would have to work its way through the courts. The 2024 election is fast approaching.

If he were to be convicted of a felony in New York, Trump would no longer be allowed to vote in his home state of Florida.

Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/31/politics/trump-indictment-questions-answered-what-matters/index.html

The 2016 January 6 Indictment of Donald J. Trump is not a New Law. The Sixth Amendment protects the privacy of jurors

The payment was made in 2016 to Stormy Daniels. Trump has argued the statute of limitations has run out. Lawyers could argue the clock stopped when Trump left New York to become president in 2017.

We have no idea what those charges are, or what degree they rely on, as many have speculated. This indictment, which includes more than two dozen counts, should not be treated as something to do with Trump’s other misdeeds. Contrary to what Jones said, the conduct at issue in this case is directly tied to the 2016 election and the question of whether Trump cheated to win it.

Investigations in Georgia with regard to election meddling and by the Justice Department with regard to January 6 and his treatment of classified data also seem more consequential.

But these cases are being pursued by different entities at different paces in different governments – New York City; Fulton County, Georgia; and the federal government.

Ahead of the indictment, one federal law enforcement source told CNN’s John Miller that Trump’s Secret Service detail was actively engaged with authorities in New York City about how this arrest process would work if Trump was ultimately indicted.

The Sixth Amendment guarantees “the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed.”

The jury selection process in the New York State Unified Court System is explained in the trial juror’s handbook. Those accepted by both the prosecution and defense as being free of bias must take an oath to act fairly and impartially.

This is an important question since the rhetoric regarding Trump gets overheated on both sides of the political spectrum, and there are multiple recent examples of political violence. Keeping jurors anonymous is a good way to protect them. This procedure has been used for mob trials in the past, and is being used in another case involving Trump.

She says Trump raped her years ago and defamed her when he denied it. Trump denies any wrongdoing. The identities of jurors are being opposed by media organizations.

“I don’t expect Trump to be put in jail if he is indicted for any of these charges,” Hasen said. If he was found guilty and sentenced to jail time, he would be free.

The idea that Trump would ever see the inside of a jail cell still seems completely far-fetched. Hasen said that the Secret Service would have to take care of him in jail. The complexity of that is mind-boggling. Would agents be placed into cells on either side of him? Would they dress as inmates or guards?

In a video, CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig explained why it’s hard to send powerful people to prison. He added that any conviction would surely be appealed and that process, particularly when it features a former president, could go all the way up to the Supreme Court.

It seems too premature to be answerable at this time, but we have gotten the question multiple times. Let the legal process play out. Even though the former president is in jail, the Secret Service is still responsible for his safety.

They see this as an administrative movement where they have to protect Donald Trump from point A to point B and let him leave before the court. They are not playing that active role that we typically see them in.”

The New York Times published a report prior to the indictment and based on anonymous sources close to Trump that suggested he is, either out of bravado or genuine delight, relishing the idea of having to endure a “perp walk” in New York City. The “perp walk,” by the way, is the public march of a perpetrator into a police office for processing.

“He has repeatedly tried to show that he is not experiencing shame or hiding in any way, and I think you’re going to see that,” the Times reporter and CNN political analyst Maggie Haberman said on the network earlier in March.

“I do think there’s a part of him that does view this as a political asset,” said Marc Short, the former chief of staff to former Vice President Mike Pence, during an appearance on CNN prior to the indictment. The Department of Justice in Georgia is politically motivated and he can use it to paint the other legal jeopardy he faces.

But Short argued voters will tire of the baggage Trump is carrying, particularly if he faces additional potential indictments in the federal and Georgia investigations.

A Grand jury investigation into the financial statements of John Vance, aka John J. Trump, in his bid to overthrow the democratic system

For nearly five years, confidential records have shown a grand jury in Manhattan looking into the affairs of a man named John.

The assistant district attorneys he assigned did not get far: The federal prosecutors who charged Mr. Cohen asked Mr. Vance’s office to stand down until their own investigation was complete, which took nearly a year.

Mr. Trump had a long career in business but his annual financial statements were something that stood out to the prosecutors. The statements, they came to suspect, were a grand work of fiction that inflated the value of his hotels, golf clubs and other properties.

Mr. Pomerantz and Carey R. Dunne were responsible for the investigation into Mr. Trump. That inquiry had been joined and jump-started by lawyers from the office of Letitia James, the New York attorney general, who had been conducting a separate civil inquiry.

In Georgia and D.C., Trump is under criminal investigation for his attempts to influence the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. He tried a coup when he could not face consequences for breaching rules meant to protect the electoral system. He narrowly escaped conviction in his second impeachment for trying to overthrow the democratic system he was sworn to protect, but is now celebrating January 6 as a hero after his most recent campaign rally.

Still, we do know that the 23-person grand jury heard evidence in the case, including testimony from Daniels and Trump’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen. There was enough cause for the majority of the members to think that Trump committed a crime.

Bragg has said repeatedly that the justice system should treat a former president the same way as any other defendant, so Marritz thinks it’s likely Trump will have to go through the typical steps of an arraignment.

“It’s gonna involve lawyers, cops, the Secret Service, the ex-president himself,” Marritz says. “Trump is not known for hiding from cameras, and I’m certain there will be a lot of cameras there.”

The far-off question: a battle for Donald Trump and the New York county district attorney’s office, but what he could have to do

Behind closed doors, the processing would take place. After the charges are heard by the judge, defendants enter a plea.

“This is the first time that it really seems likely that the former president of the United States will be having a mugshot, being fingerprinted and having not just this indictment … but more indictments to come,” presidential historian Douglas Brinkley tells Morning Edition. We are in for a very rocky spring.

Kim Welhe is a law professor at the University of Baltimore and she says he’s still entitled to the same due process.

When asked about the potential charges against him and penalties they would carry, she says that’s “way, way down the line,” telling All Things Considered there are plenty of hurdles to get through first.

There are many procedural, evidentiary and constitutional protections in place to make sure that the far-off question is treated fairly.

Matthew Galluzzo was a former prosecutor in the New York County District Attorney’s Office and said that a conviction comes down to more than just the evidence.

Trump is unpopular in Manhattan because of his victory in New York City.

“If I had to pick which side to be on, and I had to win to save my life, I would probably choose to be on the prosecution’s side simply because the jury pool in Manhattan is so incredibly against Donald Trump,” he adds.

It could take a year to get to trial in most cases. He thinks that Trump will delay that process as much as possible.

Source: https://www.npr.org/2023/03/31/1167447880/trump-indictment-next-steps

Donald Trump, the New York grand jury, and the state statute of limitations: Will it go to trial? — An attorney’s perspective on the indictment filed by a Manhattan grand jury

“They’re not gonna make him an offer that he would accept,” he adds. I think that it’s more than just a matter of having an audience, he probably wants that public stage to play the victim.

Former President Donald Trump will not accept a plea deal in the indictment brought by a Manhattan grand jury but does plan to file “substantial legal challenges” to the indictment, his attorney Joe Tacopina said.

“I don’t know if it’s gonna make it to trial because we have substantial legal challenges that we have to … front before we get to that point,” Tacopina said when asked if he expects to take the case to trial.

Meanwhile, Trump attorney Jim Trusty said Friday he expects that the former president’s legal team will file motions to dismiss his indictment before a trial could potentially get underway.

There are going to be a lot of motions to dismiss talking about the hard-to-believe theory of stacking a federal crime into a state statute of limitations issue. That is part of the false record keeping charges. Trusty told CNN This Morning that that was not present here.

If it’s true that Trump has been charged on more than 30 charges, that means they’ve taken each transaction, but I don’t know the nature of those charges or how many there are.