Trump indicted in Stormy Daniels probe as first ex-US president to face criminal charges
Donald Trump is heading to New York today ahead of a historic moment on Tuesday, when the former president will be the first to face criminal charges.
The former president announced on Truth Social on Sunday that he will leave his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida at noon ET on Monday to head to Manhattan for his in-person arraignment on charges connected to a hush money payment to an adult film star in the lead-up to his 2016 campaign.
Law enforcement is on high alaert and barricades have been rected around Manhattan Criminal Court where Mr Trump will appear before Judge Juan Merchan at 2.15pm on Tuesday following a criminal indictment announced last week.
On Sunday, Mr Trump’s attorney Joe Tacopina told ABC that his client is “gearing up for battle” in the case.
This is far from Mr Trump’s only troubles, with The Washington Post reporting that the US Department of Justice is pursuing an obstruction of justice case against the former president over the classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago.
FULL STORY: Trump attorney says he is ‘gearing up for battle’ as New York braces for arraignment
Donald Trump’s attorney has said that the former president is “gearing up for battle” as he heads to New York on Monday to face criminal charges over hush money payments to Stormy Daniels.
Lawyer Joe Tacopina gave a fighting talk on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday as he vowed that the former president’s team is “ready for this fight” and vowed that he will be exonerated on the unspecified charges.
“He’s someone who’s going to be ready for this fight,” Mr Tacopina said.
Read the full story here:
Rachel Sharp3 April 2023 14:10
Former Manhattan DA suggests Trump’s comments about Alvin Bragg could lead to further charges
Former Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr has suggested that Donald Trump’s comments about Alvin Bragg could land him with further charges in the hush money case.
Mr Vance – who launched the investigation before he left office and was succeeded by Mr Bragg – told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that he was “disturbed” about the former president’s comments in light of his criminal indictment.
“I’ve got to say that I was disturbed to hear the former president speak in the way he spoke about the district attorney Bragg, and even the trial court in the past week,” he said.
“And I think if I were his lawyer — and believe me, no one has called up to ask for my advice — I would be mindful of not committing some other criminal offense like obstruction of governmental administration, which is interfering with or by threat or otherwise the operation of government.
“And I think that could take what perhaps we think is not the strongest case — when you add a count like that, put it in front of a jury, it can change the jury’s mind about the severity of the case that they’re looking at.”
Both before and in the days after his criminal indictment, Mr Trump has rolled out the violent rhetoric about the man who is pursuing criminal charges against him.
In one Truth Social post prior to the indictment, he shared an image of himself wielding a baseball bat next to Mr Bragg’s head.
In another, he warned there would be “death and destruction“ if he was to be indicted.
Rachel Sharp3 April 2023 13:50
Trump attorney says former president is ‘gearing up for battle’ over New York charges
Donald Trump’s attorney has said that the former president is “gearing up for battle” as he heads to New York on Monday to face criminal charges over hush money payments to Stormy Daniels.
Lawyer Joe Tacopina gave some fighting talk on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday as he vowed that the former president’s team are “ready for this fight”.
“He’s someone who’s going to be ready for this fight,” Mr Tacopina said.
“We’re ready for this fight. And I look forward to moving this thing along as quickly as possible to exonerate him.”
Rachel Sharp3 April 2023 13:30
Why wasn’t Donald Trump charged earlier over the Stormy Daniels hush payments?
The former district attorney for Manhattan has finally shed some light on why Donald Trump is just now being charged over alleged criminal activity which occurred as far back as 2016.
Cy Vance appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday to discuss news of the criminal indictment against the former president, which a grand jury voted to approve a few days earlier. During the interview, he was asked why his office did not empanel a grand jury during the Trump presidency to hear evidence related to Mr Trump’s hush payments to Stormy Daniels.
John Bowden reports from Washington, DC.
Oliver O’Connell3 April 2023 13:10
Trump plans to deliver Mar-a-Lago speech hours after New York court appearance
Donald Trump is planning to deliver remarks from Mar-a-Lago during prime time on Tuesday night, just hours after he is arraigned in Manhattan following his criminal indictment.
The former president will speak at 8.15pm from his Palm Beach estate in Florida after returning from New York, where he is scheduled to appear in front of a judge at 2.15pm to answer to the criminal charges brought against him.
Oliver O’Connell3 April 2023 12:50
New polls show Trump grew lead over DeSantis but half of Americans agree with indictment
The findings of new polls by YouGov and Ipsos, conducted following the indictment of Donald Trump, deliver both good and bad news for the former president.
Oliver O’Connell3 April 2023 12:30
Justice Department reportedly pursuing obstruction case against Donald Trump
The Department of Justice is reportedly building a case around the issue of obstruction of justice, as it investigates Donald Trump for potentially mishandling classified documents stored at Mar-a-Lago.
The Washington Post reported the development first on Sunday, citing multiple sources familiar with the ongoing investigation.
According to the Post, Mr Trump is under investigation for potentially obstructing authorities as they attempted to secure all the classified materials retained by Mr Trump without the permission of the National Archives from his days in the White House. Some of those retained documents had classified markings, prompting the review into whether any classified information was mishandled.
Were Mr Trump to be indicted on a charge or charges of obstructing justice by the Department of Justice, it would illustrate the problems caused by Mr Trump’s own stubborn refusal to acquiesce to demands from the federal government to return the documents in question. When similar troves were discovered at the residences of Mike Pence and Joe Biden, attorneys for those two men handed them over immediately.
It would also, however, potentially play into the hands of the former president and his allies, who have already argued that the indictment brought against him in New York is politically motivated and an effort to bog down Mr Trump as he pursues a 2024 bid for the presidency.
To counter that very narrative, the DoJ has appointed a special counsel charged with overseeing the decision whether or not to prosecute the former president. Mr Trump has baselessly attacked the special counsel and the agency as corrupt.
Rachel Sharp3 April 2023 12:10
Could Team Trump get trial moved to Staten Island?
Lawyers for Donald Trump have considered trying to move his criminal case from deep-blue Manhattan to the more conservative New York borough of Staten Island, according to a new report.
A Manhattan grand jury indicted Mr Trump last week on charges related to a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election. The money was paid in an effort to prevent Ms Daniels from publicly revealing an affair she claims she had with the president years ago. Mr Trump has long denied the allegations.
Bloomberg reported that Mr Trump’s legal team is weighing the change in venue but would likely wait to see the charges against the former president when the indictment is unsealed on Tuesday.
Oliver O’Connell3 April 2023 11:40
Trump appears to be enjoying his social media platform
Donald Trump appears to be enjoying his social media platform Truth Social.
On Sunday night, the former president simply posted: “TRUTH SOCIAL IS HOT, HOT, HOT!!!”
Mr Trump set up the platform after he was banned from the likes of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube following the January 6 Capitol riot.
Rachel Sharp3 April 2023 11:10
What other major lawsuits and investigations is Trump also facing?
Josh Marcus and Louise Hall have compiled everything you need to know about all the major investigations and lawsuits against Donald Trump.
Oliver O’Connell3 April 2023 10:40