Buckle up folks!
A Manhattan grand jury has voted to indict Donald Trump.
In an unprecedented move, Donald Trump has become the first current or former U.S. president to face criminal charges.
There’s no end to how far this witch hunt will go.
After earlier reports of the Manhattan grand jury taking an extended break from hearing evidence in the Stormy Daniels “hush money” investigation, the jury voted to indict Trump.
The grand jury did a 180, and the indictment is expected to be announced in the coming days.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg will reportedly reach out to President Trump’s attorneys to discuss his arraignment.
Read the breaking reports on Trump’s unprecedented indictment:
BREAKING: Manhattan Grand Jury has voted to indict Donald Trump. 🚨🚨🚨
— DailyNoah.com (@DailyNoahNews) March 30, 2023
BREAKING: Former President Donald Trump has been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury after a probe into payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels, becoming the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges. https://t.co/W4iPkU0q0v pic.twitter.com/6av8hwADCZ
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) March 30, 2023
Breaking News: A grand jury in New York has voted to indict Donald Trump over his role in a hush money payment to a porn star, according to four people with knowledge of the matter. https://t.co/2p3Rlr0abC pic.twitter.com/JhSJLKoMny
— The New York Times (@nytimes) March 30, 2023
BREAKING: Manhattan grand jury has voted to indict former President Donald Trump. https://t.co/kskOaOvXtt pic.twitter.com/ybwlj8zON9
— NBC News (@NBCNews) March 30, 2023
Although the indictment focuses on the Stormy Daniels “hush money” witch hunt, the exact charges aren’t yet known.
Donald Trump has been indicted!!!
https://t.co/fGM0Pdhu1Q pic.twitter.com/RXuSHBAx5d— Alejandra Caraballo (@Esqueer_) March 30, 2023
Newsmax reported:
Donald Trump has been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury after a probe into hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels, becoming the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges even as he makes another run for the White House, the New York Times reported on Thursday.
The charges, arising from an investigation led by Democratic Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, could reshape the 2024 presidential race. Trump previously said he would continue campaigning for the Republican Party’s nomination if charged with a crime.
While some Democrats are likely cheering because they think they finally ‘got Trump,’ some Republicans think the indictment will make Trump more popular than ever.
Chris Rock: “Y’all are really going into indict Trump? That’s only going to make him more popular. It’s like arresting Tupac. He is just going to sell more records.
ARE YOU STUPID??”Yes Chris, they are that stupid. Trump Indicted.
— Melissa Tate (@TheRightMelissa) March 30, 2023
https://twitter.com/catherine___c/status/1641559994767409152
Despite the political witch hunt navigating unchartered waters, Trump’s team has refused to back down.
From AP:
Tacopina said in a statement: “He did not commit any crime. We will vigorously fight this political prosecution in court.”
The district attorney’s investigation centered on money paid to porn actor Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, whom he feared would go public with claims that they had extramarital sexual encounters with him.
Trump, who has denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly attacked the investigation as politically motivated, was expected to surrender to authorities next week, though the details were still being worked out, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss a matter that remained under seal.
In bringing the charges, the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, is embracing an unusual case that had been investigated by two previous sets of prosecutors, both of which declined to take the politically explosive step of seeking Trump’s indictment.
The Washington Post noted what steps may happen following the grand jury’s decision to indict Trump.
Now that he is charged, will Trump be publicly arrested?
It depends. Once he is indicted, he could be placed in handcuffs and arrested. But prosecutors will most likely reach out to the former president’s lawyers and ask whether he would voluntarily turn himself in. That way, he could avoid being taken into custody in public view.
Trump posted on social media March 18 that he would be arrested, but Cominsky said it seems unlikely that the former president would be publicly arrested since his attorneys appear to be in communication with prosecutors and could arrange for him to surrender.
Should Trump refuse to surrender, prosecutors would need to go to officials in Florida, where Trump resides, and ask for permission to extradite him to New York.
cont.
And what happens once he is arrested?
Once a suspect who has been indicted is in police custody, police or other law enforcement officials process them behind closed doors, taking mug shots and fingerprints.
The process is identical whether the person has been arrested or has agreed — or negotiated through lawyers — to turn themselves in.
The first court proceeding after an arrest or surrender would be an arraignment hearing in a Manhattan courtroom. At the arraignment, a judge would determine whether Trump would need to pay bail or adhere to certain restrictions pending a trial — or whether he could be released with no bail or restrictions, which is known as being released on personal recognizance.
This is a breaking news story.
We’ll provide further updates as they become available.
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