Trump is “angry and shocked”: How will he deal with the unprecedented indictment?
The Washington Post, on Saturday, quoted an informed person as saying that former US President Donald Trump appeared “disturbed, angry, shrunken and shocked” following the grand jury in Manhattan, New York, filed the criminal indictment once morest him last Thursday.
The Manhattan District Attorney directed,Alvin Braggwhose office belongs to the jurisdiction of New York State, has officially charged the former president, who aspires to return to the White House in the 2024 elections, in the case of paying $130,000 to a pornographic actress. Stormy Danielswhose real name is Stephanie Clifford, to buy her silence before the November 2016 presidential election.
According to the “Washington Post”, some indicated that Trump remained “very calm” and “sober” to some extent, pointing out that the former president began contacting Republicans in Congress, promising to fight the indictment.
“He (Trump) was shocked at first,” Trump’s attorney, Joe Tacopina, said on NBC’s “The Today Show” on Friday, indicating that he had decided to “fight” over something he believed was an “injustice.” “His knees don’t bend, so now he’s in a combat-ready position,” Tacubina added.
Trump’s lawyer told AFP on Friday that the former US president will appear in court on Tuesday.
At least one felony charge
Trump faces multiple counts of falsifying business records, including at least one felony count, in the indictment released by a Manhattan grand jury, two people familiar with the matter told the Associated Press on Friday.
He will be formally arrested and tried in the silent money case on Tuesday, setting the scene for a shocking historic moment when a former president must stand before a judge to hear criminal charges once morest him.
The indictment remained sealed, and the specific charges were not immediately known, but details were confirmed by people who spoke on condition of anonymity to the Associated Press to discuss information that has not yet been released.
When Trump turns himself in, he will likely be taken into custody like everyone else facing charges, fingerprinted, but not expected to be handcuffed, the agency reports, and he will enjoy Secret Service protection and will almost certainly be released the same day.
Trump’s defense team vs. Prague’s team
Meanwhile, Trump’s legal team prepared its defense, while the attorney general’s office defended the grand jury investigation, which moved the matter toward trial. Congressional Republicans, as well as Trump himself, maintain that the whole thing is “politically motivated”.
Leslie Dubik, general counsel in the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, wrote a letter sent Friday to three Republican House committee chairmen, and a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press: “We urge you to refrain from these sensational accusations, and to withdraw your request.” To obtain information, and to allow the criminal justice process to proceed without unlawful political interference.”
And major Republicans are beginning to close ranks around Trump, with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy promising to use congressional oversight to investigate Prague. Representatives James Comer, Jim Jordan and Brian Steele, the committee chairs who received the letter, asked the attorney general’s office for grand jury testimony, documents and copies of any communications with the Justice Department.
Congressional oversight includes review, oversight, and oversight of federal agencies, programs, and activities and policy implementation. Congress exercises this power largely through its committee system.
The Washington Post stated that Trump’s legal team and his campaign team spent weeks preparing for the issuance of the indictment once morest the former US president, noting that they searched for plans to attack Prague, and Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer and assistant, who is one of the main witnesses in the case.
“They have drafted fundraising statements and appeals, as well as a broad plan for Trump allies, legal, political and media,” she added.
The Trump campaign said it raised more than $4 million in the first 24 hours following the indictment was announced.
Security arrangements
An earlier report revealed,Washington PostOn Friday, the agents of the “Secret Service” (a government agency affiliated with the US Department of Homeland Security) toured the courtroom before which Trump will appear, to draw a map of his path inside and outside the building.
On Friday, the newspaper reported, according to people familiar with the arrangements, that Trump will travel to New York on Monday and stay overnight awaiting his appearance before a specially secured court in Manhattan on criminal charges.
The newspaper saw that the first-ever indictment of a former US president, who hopes to return to the White House in 2024, brings unusual security challenges to the court complex in Lower Manhattan, in addition to the constant disturbance of the political scene.
Trump will be tried in the same courtroom in Manhattan where his company was tried and convicted of tax fraud last December, and where American producer Harvey Weinstein, accused of rape, was tried.
Court officers sealed off and secured access to the 15th floor, where Judge Juan Manuel Merchan, who is handling the Trump case, was continuing his work on unrelated cases. Trump, in previous posts on his social media platform TruthSocial, said of Judge Merchan: “He hates me.”
Lawyers involved in some cases and some employees were allowed to remain in the court on Friday following it closed, according to the Associated Press, but the officers were strict once morest the media and reporters who were standing in front of a barrier, as officers shouted at reporters who ventured to the courtroom, saying: They said, “This floor is closed,” and told them to leave.
“The officers have been warned to remain vigil and maintain situational awareness, both within the courts and during perimeter patrols,” the court said in a statement.
