Judge signs off on DA request to publicly disclose Trump indictment that was returned, records show
Judge signs off on DA request to publicly disclose Trump indictment that was returned, records show
From CNN’s Lauren del Valle
The judge overseeing the case against former President Donald Trump signed off on an order Thursday which granted Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s request to publicly disclose an indictment — currently under seal — that was returned by a grand jury earlier in the day against former President Donald Trump.
The court ordered district attorney authorization to disclose the grand jury decision “upon a finding that this disclosure to the public that the grand jury has returned a true bill in the above captioned case and that said indictment has been filed with the Court would be in the public interest and an appropriate exercise of this Court’s discretion,” according to the document.
The filing reading — The People of the State of New York, against Donald J. Trump – is among the first to be unsealed in the case as the public awaits the unsealing of the indictment.
Ivanka Trump says she is “pained” for her father and country in Instagram post following indictment
From CNN’s Kit Maher and David Wright
In an Instagram Story on Friday morning, Ivanka Trump – who has remained largely silent in political matters concerning her father in the fallout of the 2020 election – expressed gratitude to people “across the political spectrum expressing support and concern” over former President Donald Trump’s indictment.
“I love my father, and I love my country. Today, I am pained for both. I appreciate the voices across the political spectrum expressing support and concern,” she posted.
Ivanka Trump was a senior adviser in the Trump administration during his presidency.
Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, called the indictment “troubling” during an appearance at the FII Institute’s Priority Summit in Miami Beach on Friday.
“I think what was announced last night was also very unprecedented. And as an American, it’s very troubling to me to see the leader of the opposition party be indicted,” Kushner said, according to video posted by Bloomberg News.
“And I think that that shows, obviously, the fear that the Democrats have of Trump and the political strength that he has,” Kushner continued. “And just as a family member, obviously, Ivanka and I love him very much. It’s been hard to watch the opponents of him politically continue to break every norm over the last years to try to – to try to get him, and you know we’ve seen them accuse him of colluding with Russia, we saw them impeach him, we saw them raid his home. And all this is a continuation of that.”
Kushner, who served in the White House during Trump’s administration, added that “what I’ll say is I’ve been by him during a lot of these instances, and it’s only made him stronger – and his resolve to take on big challenges, to fight for change, to fight for the American people, has only gotten stronger.”
Like his wife, Kushner is not involved in his 2024 campaign and has largely steered clear of political matters tied to the former president since he left office.
These are the security measures the Secret Service will implement for Tuesday’s Trump court hearing
From CNN’s Evan Perez
The US Secret Service hasn’t played a role in the negotiations between the Trump lawyers and the Manhattan District Attorney over former President Donald Trump’s Tuesday court appearance, a person briefed on the matter said.
The Secret Service has limited its involvement to coordinating security arrangements, which have been in the works for weeks.
The agency is using its standard protocols, which means Secret Service employees will test the magnetometers at the courthouse to ensure they are up to Secret Service standards.
The plans, which have already been worked out, include Secret Service employees at the magnetometers before Trump arrives. They will enforce distance requirements to make sure no one comes close to the former president. His detail will be with him as he is processed, fingerprinted and photographed for mug shots.
At this point, the former president isn’t expected to be handcuffed as he will be surrounded by armed federal agents for his protection.
Trump is expected to be arraigned in Manhattan on Tuesday afternoon, sources say
From CNN’s Gloria Pazmino and Lauren Del Valle
Former President Donald Trump is expected to be arraigned in Manhattan criminal court around 2:15 p.m. ET Tuesday, two sources with knowledge of the matter tell CNN.
Officials involved in the planning of Trump’s appearance are considering pausing all other case activity at the court during the time that the former president is expected to appear, according to a source with knowledge of the plans.
An adjournment of all other matters at the courthouse Tuesday afternoon would reduce the amount of foot traffic in the building for security reasons, the source said.
Trump will travel to New York on Monday ahead of court appearance on Tuesday, sources say
From CNN’s Alayna Treene
Former President Donald Trump will travel to New York on Monday before his arraignment in the Manhattan criminal court on Tuesday, two sources familiar with his plans tell CNN.
Trump will remain at Mar-a-Lago, his Palm Beach estate, over the weekend.
Trump lashes out at the judge he is expected to appear before next week
From CNN’s Kara Scannell and Kristen Holmes
Former President Donald Trump lashed out online at the judge he is expected to appear before Tuesday, accusing Judge Juan Merchan of “railroading” former Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg in a previous case.
Calling the allegations against him a “Witch Hunt Case,” Trump claimed in a Truth Social post that the judge “HATES” him.
Merchan is the “same person who ‘railroaded’ my 75 year old former CFO, Allen Weisselberg, to take a ‘plea’ deal,” Trump wrote.
“He strong armed Allen, which a judge is not allowed to do, & treated my companies, which didn’t ‘plead,’ VICIOUSLY,” the former president added.
Some context: Merchan oversaw the criminal tax fraud case against Weisselberg and two Trump Organization entities. Weisselberg pleaded guilty and Merchan approved his plea deal, under which Weisselberg would serve five months in jail if he pleaded guilty to 15 felonies and testified truthfully at the trial of the Trump companies. Weisselberg is expected to be released from Rikers Island next month.
The judge warned Weisselberg at his guilty pleas that he could face up to 15 years in prison if he deviated from this agreement.
At sentencing, Merchan said he found it “offensive” that Weisselberg fabricated a paycheck so his wife could receive federal benefits and wished he could have sentenced him to “a much greater” sentence.
During the investigation, the judge held the Trump entities in criminal contempt and fined them $4,000 for failing to comply with multiple grand jury subpoenas. The judge kept his ruling under seal until after the verdict so it wouldn’t prejudice the case. The Trump entities were found guilty of multiple counts of tax fraud and falsifying business records. The judge handed down the maximum sentence, a fine of $1.6 million.
Pence says Trump indictment will “only serve to further divide” the US
From CNN’s Veronica Stracqualursi
Former Vice President Mike Pence on Friday called the indictment of former President Donald Trump an “outrage” and a “political prosecution” – echoing his first comments about the matter on CNN last night.
“The unprecedented indictment of the former president of the United States for a campaign finance issue is an outrage, and I think it’s clear to the overwhelming majority of American people that this is nothing short of a political prosecution,” Pence said at a National Review Institute summit in Washington, DC.
“Every American deserves equal treatment under the law, and I believe the American people will see this for what it is,” he said.
Pence argued that the indictment will “only serve to further divide our country” when the US is “facing large intractable challenges at home and abroad,” calling for Americans to find ways to come together.
He said that in traveling the country, “nobody” brought up the different legal investigations surrounding Trump – dismissing it as “drama that is an obsession of much of the national media.”
Pence said that the key for Republican leaders is to “not to be preoccupied on these issues but to continue to focus on the real challenge facing the American people at home and abroad, and ensure that we elect leadership that will turn this country back to common-sense conservative principles in 2024.”
Watch here:
Here’s what happens after an indictment — and expected next steps in the Trump case
From CNN’s Tierney Sneed and Henrik Pettersson
A Manhattan grand jury’s indictment of former President Donald Trump will set in motion a criminal process that will in some ways work like that of any other defendant, and in other ways, look very different.
The charges that the grand jury approved against Trump are currently not public, but here’s a look at expected next steps now that there is an indictment:
Trump indictment not expected to be unsealed before Tuesday, sources say
From CNN’s Kara Scannell and Paula Reid
The Manhattan district attorney’s office does not expect to seek to unseal the indictment of former President Donald Trump before his arraignment in New York on Tuesday, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Because the filing is under seal and would require a court order to unseal it, prosecutors are not expected to share a copy of the indictment with Trump before the Tuesday court hearing, the source said.
Trump’s legal team also does not expect to obtain or seek to unseal the indictment ahead of Tuesday’s hearing, another source familiar with the matter told CNN.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-indictment-hush-money-stormy-daniels-03-31-23/h_dbcce6edb5a7e2b0ca90121ec249b797
