These are archival updates from our live blog on the indictment of former president Donald Trump by a New York grand jury.
Click here to see live updates and catch up on what to know:
New York gets ready for Trump arraignment on Tuesday — 9:37 p.m.
Globe wire services
On Tuesday, the former president will be whisked downtown by police officers and Secret Service agents to surrender at the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. He will then be arraigned in the Manhattan Criminal Courts Building, where his supporters plan a rally outside.
It is not clear whether Trump plans to make a statement in New York after he is indicted. Even if he does, signs are scant that the overt coordination of mass protests that characterized the weeks and months before Jan. 6 has taken place.
Following his court appearance, Trump plans to return to Mar-a-Lago for a press conference Tuesday evening. At least 500 people have been invited, according to a Republican familiar with the planning and granted anonymity to discuss it. Invitees include members of Congress who have endorsed Trump’s presidential campaign as well as donors and other supporters.
Trump adds new lawyer to team handling Manhattan DA’s criminal indictment — 6:55 p.m.
by The Washington Post
Former president Donald Trump has added an attorney from New York City’s oldest law firm to the legal team that will defend him in a criminal prosecution in Manhattan, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Todd Blanche, a white-collar criminal defense lawyer, was most recently a partner at the law firm Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft. The people familiar with the hire, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss it, said he resigned from the firm to represent Trump, as first reported by Politico.
He could appear with Trump as early as Tuesday, when the former president will be arraigned on charges levied by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Among Blanche’s previous clients is Igor Fruman, a key player in Trump’s first impeachment. Fruman and fellow Ukrainian American Lev Parnas worked with Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani to dig up dirt on Joe Biden, then a candidate for office.
Blanche also led the Cadwalader legal team that represented Paul Manafort, a former Trump campaign chair, in a financial fraud case brought by District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., Bragg’s predecessor. The case was ultimately dismissed on the grounds of New York state’s double-jeopardy law, which aims to prevent the re-prosecution of a defendant on similar charges already faced in federal court.
Trump’s white Bronco moment? Networks go live for an uneventful trip. — 5:16 p.m.
by The Washington Post
It was the airport trip seen round the world - or at least all over cable news.
With all the breathless reporting of a major event, CNN, Fox News and MSNBC broke into their midday newscasts to cover the mundane spectacle of former president Donald Trump . . . leaving his house and getting on an airplane.
Multiple network cameras followed Trump as he departed his Mar-a-Lago resort and was driven to Palm Beach International Airport, where he boarded a Trump-branded plane en route to New York City.
The news peg, of course, was that Trump was on his way to report on Tuesday for arraignment on still-undisclosed charges handed down last week by a New York grand jury. The first president in history to be indicted is a major story - or will be when Trump actually surrenders.
In the meantime, the cable guys were on the scene - live! - for what CNN anchor Phil Mattingly called an “O.J.-like convoy,” a reference to the live TV coverage in 1994 of O.J. Simpson traveling in the back seat of a white Ford Bronco as a posse of Los Angeles police cars slowly tailed him down the Santa Monica Freeway. So many made the reference online, in fact, “O.J. Simpson” briefly trended on Twitter.
New York Mayor Eric Adams warns protesters to behave — 3:57 p.m.
by The New York Times
As Donald Trump was taken from his Florida home by motorcade past cheering supporters Monday to fly to New York for his arraignment, Mayor Eric Adams held a news conference at City Hall with a very different tone.
Adams warned Trump’s supporters — particularly Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. — to behave themselves at protests and rallies.
“Although we have no specific threats, people like Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is known to spread misinformation and hate speech, she stated she’s coming to town. When you’re in town, be on your best behavior,” Adams said.
In a midday news conference at City Hall, Adams singled out Greene, a staunch Trump supporter who has criticized the decision to indict Trump. She has advertised a demonstration planned for Tuesday with Jack Posobiec, an internet conspiracy theorist, and Graham Allen, a right-wing commentator.
Trump arrives in New York ahead of arraignment — 3:36 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Former president Trump flew from Florida on Monday, arriving in New York in the afternoon. His arraignment is scheduled for Tuesday.
What to know about Trump’s indictment and what’s next — 1:50 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Former president Donald Trump’s court appearance Tuesday will kick off an intense legal battle as the 2024 Republican presidential candidate also fights to return to the White House.
Trump is expected to turn himself in and be arraigned in a New York courtroom, a stunning moment in American history as he becomes the first former president to stand before a judge to answer for criminal charges.
Trump reportedly taps white-collar criminal defense lawyer to lead indictment team — 12:58 p.m.
By Shannon Larson, Globe staff
Former president Donald Trump has hired Todd Blanche, former federal prosecutor and a top-white collar criminal defense lawyer, as his lead counsel to handle the Manhattan district attorney’s criminal indictment of Trump, Politico reported Monday.
Blanche recently stepped down from his role as a partner at the elite New York law firm, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft. He said in an e-mail obtained by Politico that he was resigning “because I have been asked to represent Trump in the recently charged DA case, and after much thought/consideration, I have decided it is the best thing for me to do and an opportunity I should not pass up.”
He previously served as a former assistant US attorney in the Manhattan US attorney’s office, Politico reported, and has represented allies of Trump, including Paul Manafort.
Trump departs Florida, heads to New York amid tight security ahead of his surrender — 12:46 p.m.
By The Associated Press
Former president Donald Trump boarded his private plane Monday and flew from Florida toward New York ahead of his expected booking and arraignment, as the nation’s largest city bolstered security and warned potential agitators that it is “not a playground for your misplaced anger.”
Trump’s ground journey from his Mar-a-Lago club to his red, white and blue Boeing 757, emblazoned with “TRUMP” in gold letters was carried live on national television and took him past supporters waving banners and cheering the former president. They slammed the case against him — stemming from hush money payments during his 2016 campaign —as politically motivated.
Happening now: Trump motorcade arrives at Florida airport for departure to New York.https://t.co/g4TwIc8M48 pic.twitter.com/I8JHV7WLQ7
— Dan Linden (@DanLinden) April 3, 2023
Donald Trump has boarded his plane to depart West Palm Beach, Florida, for New York City before his arraignment Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/mcboOGouoZ
— The Recount (@therecount) April 3, 2023
NYC Mayor Eric Adams says the city is ‘prepared’ ahead of Trump’s arraignment — 12:16 p.m.
By Shannon Larson, Globe staff
During a security briefing at City Hall in New York on Monday, Mayor Eric Adams said officials “are prepared” for former president Donald Trump’s scheduled arraignment on Tuesday afternoon. Adams said he does not have any safety concerns and that there have been no specific credible threats to the city related to Trump’s appearance.
“We can manage several different things at one time,” he said. “All New Yorkers should go on with their regular activities.”
Trump supporters have planned a rally at the courthouse Tuesday morning, probably before Trump appears before a judge as part of the arraignment. Adams urged the use of public transit due to street closures in the area.
“While there may be some rabble-rousers thinking about coming to our city tomorrow, our message is clear and simple: Control yourselves. New York City is our home, not a playground for your misplaced anger,” Adams said.
Ahead of Donald Trump’s arrival, NYC Mayor Eric Adams (D) calls out Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), “who is known to spread misinformation and hate speech”:
— The Recount (@therecount) April 3, 2023
“She stated she’s coming to town … Be on your best behavior.” pic.twitter.com/FOFTJu5WXt
Join us at City Hall for an important public safety update. https://t.co/3dNxm2ClWm
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) April 3, 2023
Trump supporters plan to rally in New York late Tuesday morning — 11:40 a.m.
By The Associated Press
Donald Trump supporters, including one of his staunchest defenders in Congress, Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, planned a rally in New York late Tuesday morning, probably before Trump would have to stand before a judge as part of the arraignment.
Trump and his aides were eagerly embracing the expected media circus, which might even involve network television helicopters tracking his progress from Mar-a-Lago to the airport for his flight to New York. After initially being caught off guard by news of the indictment when it broke Thursday evening, Trump and his team are focused on using what they call a weak case against Trump to his advantage.
Trump will be arraigned tomorrow. Here’s what you need to know. — 9:29 a.m.
By The Associated Press
Former president Donald Trump was planning to leave Florida for New York on Monday for his expected booking and arraignment the following day on charges stemming from hush money payments during his 2016 campaign — answering for a criminal case unlike any his country has seen.
Trump, already in the midst of a third presidential campaign to try and reclaim the White House he lost to President Joe Biden in 2020, said he will fly to Manhattan in the afternoon and go to Trump Tower before turning himself in to authorities on Tuesday.
In days before Trump appears in court, few signs point to a Jan. 6 repeat — 8:08 a.m.
By The New York Times
Former president Donald Trump’s expected appearance Tuesday in a Manhattan court is a volatile moment for the country with an unpredictable outcome, but law enforcement officials have not yet seen indications of a disruptive, organized backlash akin to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
The New York City Police Department, state law enforcement agencies, the Secret Service and the US Marshals Service have been coordinating efforts, while increasing intelligence gathering and mobilization. The police, for instance, sent a stand-ready order to about 35,000 officers, a force larger and better trained than some national armies.
Trump faces setbacks in other probes as NY case proceeds — 12:21 a.m.
By The Associated Press
Former President Donald Trump faces the most urgent legal challenge of his life this week in New York, where he’s set to be arraigned Tuesday on charges arising from hush money payments during his 2016 campaign.
But as much of the attention will be on the courthouse in lower Manhattan, investigations from Atlanta to Washington will press forward, underscoring the broad range of peril he confronts as he seeks to reclaim the presidency.
As Trump arraignment looms, New York City braces for a day of tumult — 5:01 p.m.
By The New York Times
Even for a city accustomed to celebrity appearances, the two-day visit during which Donald Trump is expected be arraigned in Manhattan is likely to be a striking spectacle: There will be protests and celebrations, an all-hands-on-deck police presence and a crush of media attention on the moment in which the first American president is charged with a crime.
Trump is expected to arrive in New York on Monday from his estate in Florida and head to his erstwhile home in Trump Tower, where he began his pursuit of the presidency in 2015 by descending a golden escalator. The exact timing of the former president’s arrival was unclear, though he was expected to stay the night there before heading to a courthouse in lower Manhattan on Tuesday.
Trump to deliver remarks Tuesday night after his arraignment — 1:28 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Former President Donald Trump will deliver remarks Tuesday night in Florida after his scheduled arraignment in New York on charges related to hush money payments, his campaign announced Sunday.
Trump is set to deliver remarks at his Mar-a-Lago club after returning from Manhattan, where he is expected to voluntarily turn himself in.
New York, city of Trump’s dreams, delivers his comeuppance — 7:28 a.m.
By the Associated Press
His name has been plastered on this city’s tabloids, bolted to its buildings and cemented to a special breed of brash New York confidence. Now, with Donald Trump due to return to the place that put him on the map, the city he loved is poised to deliver his comeuppance.
Rejected by its voters, ostracized by its protesters and now rebuked by its jurors, the people of New York have one more thing to splash Trump’s name on: Indictment No. 71543-23.
“He wanted to be in Manhattan. He loved Manhattan. He had a connection to Manhattan,” says Barbara Res, a longtime employee of the former president who was a vice president at the Trump Organization. “I don’t know that he has accepted it and I don’t know that he believes it, but New York turned on him.”
For leaders abroad, the prospect of a Trump revival is ever-present — 1:02 a.m.
By The New York Times
Whether foreign leaders view the potential return of Donald Trump to the White House with hope or horror, the prospect of a Trump restoration is so deeply ingrained overseas that leaders in several countries have hedged their bets in diplomacy, security, and even where they invest their fortunes.
There were few signs that Trump’s indictment last week on criminal charges in New York has changed those calculations.
Foreign leaders have watched Trump bounce back from so many disasters, according to diplomats and foreign-policy experts, that they now regard his political resilience with something approaching fatalism. This is especially true in Europe, whose leaders spent four years enduring Trump’s hectoring on issues ranging from military spending to climate change.
Even if Trump’s legal woes end his political viability in a way that two impeachments and an election defeat to Joe Biden did not, many worry that he will be replaced by any number of Trump-like alternatives, of whom the Republican governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, is the most prominent example.
New York plans to close key streets for Trump’s arraignment — 10:08 p.m.
By Bloomberg News
New York City officials plan to close key streets in lower Manhattan as a security measure when former President Donald Trump appears in court on Tuesday to be arraigned, said a person familiar.
Several streets surrounding the Manhattan courthouse, including Centre Street and Baxter Street, are expected to be closed to traffic, while other adjacent streets such as Worth Street and Canal Street, may also experience intermittent closures, the person said. Vehicles could also be prohibited from parking in the immediate area, according to the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter isn’t public.
Trump is expected to appear in court on Tuesday afternoon, the first former US president to be indicted. A grand jury convened by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who had been investigating Trump’s role in hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign, determined on Thursday that there was enough evidence to bring criminal charges against him.
Donald Trump’s time-tested legal strategy: attack and delay — 6:03 p.m.
By The New York Times
Attack. Attack. Attack.
Delay. Delay. Delay.
Those two tactics have been at the center of Donald Trump’s favored strategy in court cases for much of his adult life and will likely be the former president’s approach to fighting the criminal charges now leveled against him if he sticks to his well-worn legal playbook. In fact, his attacks against both the prosecutor and the judge in the case have already begun.
Over more than four decades, Trump has sued and been sued in civil court again and again. In recent years, he has faced federal criminal investigations, congressional inquiries and two impeachments. He has neither a law degree nor formal legal training, but over the course of that long history, he has become notorious in legal circles for thinking he knows better than the lawyers he hires — and then, very often, fires — and frequently is slow to pay if he does at all.
The former president now faces an indictment stemming from a hush-money payment made to a porn actress in the final days of the 2016 presidential campaign. Trump, who has steadfastly contended he committed no crime and almost certainly will decline any plea deal, will fight the case in state Supreme Court in Manhattan, New York. The battle there will play out in front of the same judge who last year presided over the tax fraud trial of Trump’s family real estate company — a trial that ended in a conviction on 17 felonies.
The details of Trump’s defense strategy are still unclear because the specific charges in the indictment against him will stay under seal until his arraignment Tuesday.
But two things seem certain: The defense approach will include aggressively attacking the credibility of Michael Cohen, Trump’s onetime fixer and lawyer who is expected to be the prosecution’s central witness; and, if the indictment relies on a legal theory that has never been evaluated by a judge, the defense will also zero in and zealously challenge it.
Yes, Trump could run for president from prison. This candidate did it in 1920. — 4:01 p.m.
By The Washington Post
Eugene V. Debs did not speak on election night in 1920. The Socialist presidential contender was, in his words, a “candidate in seclusion,” imprisoned in the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary for speaking out against the draft during World War I.
Outside the lockup, his supporters handed out photos of Debs in convict denim along with campaign buttons for “Prisoner 9653.” Reporters had hoped to hear a fiery oration. But the warden did let Debs write out a statement.
“I thank the capitalist masters for putting me here,” he wrote. “They know where I belong under their criminal and corrupting system. It is the only compliment they could pay me.”
In 1920, Debs was no stranger to White House bids; he’d run for president on the Socialist Party ticket five times since 1900. Eight years earlier, he’d won 901,551 votes - about six percent of the vote. However, this time he was politicking from behind bars.
Now, after former president Donald Trump’s indictment by a grand jury in New York - making him the first ex-president in history to be charged with a crime - many voters are wondering whether Trump, who is seeking a return to the White House in 2024, could still run for president if he ended up in jail.
In short, yes. Case in point: Debs.
How Trump is responding to the unprecedented indictment — 2:09 p.m.
By The Washington Post
Hours after a Manhattan grand jury voted Thursday afternoon to indict Donald Trump, the former president joined with his wife, Melania, his in-laws and conservative radio host Mark Levin on the patio of his private Mar-a-Lago Club for a preplanned dinner. Advisers to his 2024 presidential bid sat nearby, and Trump chatted with both groups, as well as club members offering their encouragement.
At one point, Trump showed off his soon-to-be-released book of letters between himself and celebrities and world leaders. At another, he began calling congressional Republicans, promising to fight the indictment and relishing in their declarations of support.
Yet in the immediate aftermath of the grand jury’s decision related to hush money paid to an adult-film star, Trump was not happy, said one person with direct knowledge of his reaction. Others described Trump as “upset,” “irritated,” “deflated” and “shocked,” though some noted that he also remained “very calm” and “rather stoic, actually.”
Indicted and running for office? It didn’t begin with Trump. — 1:46 p.m.
By The New York Times
Donald Trump may be the first former president in history to be indicted on criminal charges. But he is hardly the first political candidate — or even the first presidential one — to run for office after being charged with or convicted of crimes.
American history is rife with them. Some were flat-out rogues. Some turned out to be wrongly accused. Others sought to convince voters that they deserved forgiveness, redemption and another term in office. Several succeeded.
How Trump’s playboy persona came back to haunt him — 1:42 p.m.
By The New York Times
The particulars of the indictment against former President Donald Trump have yet to be revealed, but the salient details are heaven-made for headlines and screen crawls:
Sex. Porn star. Sex. Hush money. Sex.
Trump maintains his innocence in now-familiar fashion, framing himself as the righteous victim of “thugs and radical left monsters.” But the indictment’s salacious nature resurrects the Trump who existed well before he became the 45th president.
That would be the Trump who liked to present himself as a player, extremely confident that his wealth and looks made him catnip to women. A man who could talk about threesomes with a radio shock jock, boldly stroll through a dressing area filled with pageant contestants, rate women on a 1-to-10 scale based on their physical appearance.
It is a part of Trump’s persona that has repeatedly come back to haunt him, most recently Thursday, when a Manhattan grand jury forever branded him as the first former president formally charged with a crime.
Trump’s GOP rivals, shielding him, reveal their 2024 predicament — 5:08 a.m.
By The New York Times
Last week, Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida took a measured dig at Donald Trump by publicly mocking the circumstances that led New York investigators to the former president.
“I don’t know what goes into paying hush money to a porn star to secure silence over some type of alleged affair,” DeSantis said.
But as soon as Trump was indicted this week, DeSantis promptly vowed to block his state from assisting a potential extradition. In a show of support for his fellow Republican, DeSantis called the case “the weaponization of the legal system to advance a political agenda.”
How Alvin Bragg resurrected the case against Donald Trump — 4:25 a.m.
By The New York Times
One year ago this week, the Manhattan district attorney’s investigation into Donald Trump appeared to be dead in the water.
The two leaders of the investigation had recently resigned after the new district attorney, Alvin Bragg, decided not to charge Trump at that point. Amid a fierce backlash to his decision — and a brutal start to his tenure — Bragg insisted that the investigation was not over. But a disbelieving media questioned why, if the effort was still moving forward, there were few signs of it.
Trump indictment ends decades of perceived invincibility — 1:00 a.m.
By the Associated Press
When Donald Trump steps before a judge next week to be arraigned in a New York courtroom, it will not only mark the first time a former US president has faced criminal charges. It will also represent a reckoning for a man long nicknamed “Teflon Don,” who until now has managed to skirt serious legal jeopardy despite 40 years of legal scrutiny.
Trump, who is the early frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, is expected to turn himself in Tuesday. He faces charges including at least one felony offense related to hush money payments to women during his 2016 campaign. Like any other person facing trial, he will be booked, fingerprinted and photographed before being given the chance to enter a plea.
The spectacle that is sure to unfold will mark an unprecedented moment in American history that will demonstrate once again how dramatically Trump — who already held the distinction of being the first president to be impeached twice — has upended democratic norms. But on a personal level, the indictment pierces the cloak of invincibility that seemed to follow Trump through his decades in business and in politics, as he faced allegations of fraud, collusion and sexual misconduct.
At Mar-a-Lago, few show up to protest Trump’s indictment — 10:39 p.m.
By Bloomberg News
Outside the bougainvillea-covered walls of Mar-a-Lago, few are braving the Florida heat to share the outrage of their indicted leader, former President Donald Trump.
Trump had warned of massive protests and “potential death & destruction” if Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg dared to indict him. But on Friday, hours after Bragg’s office announced the indictment by a Manhattan grand jury in the probe of hush money payments to a porn star during the 2016 presidential campaign, no more than 30 supporters gathered near Trump’s palatial home and private club in Palm Beach.
Throughout the day, small clutches of supporters gathered, waving American flags, some adorned with Trump’s face. They were outnumbered for most of the day by journalists.
Others drove by, honking their horns to cheer them on. Security guards asked onlookers to keep moving and not to block the entrance to Mar-a-Lago. Inside the manicured grounds, a few people played tennis. A flag stood at half mast.
“I am infuriated. This is a political stunt that’s not going to stick,” said Cindy Brown, a real estate agent from West Palm Beach in her early 50s, standing outside the club. “There are so many more important issues going on in our country like the economy, inflation and immigration.”
To her dismay, a man driving by shouted her down. “He’s getting what he deserves,” the man said, referring to Trump.
Secret Service tours New York courthouse to prepare for Trump arraignment — 9:57 p.m.
By The Washington Post
Former president Donald Trump plans to fly to New York on Monday and stay overnight before appearing in a specially secured Manhattan courthouse to be arraigned on still-unspecified criminal charges, people briefed on the arrangements said.
The first-ever indictment of a former president - who is also a 2024 White House hopeful - brings unusual security challenges to the courthouse complex in Lower Manhattan, even as it continues to roil the political landscape.
On Friday, Trump lashed out on social media at the judge assigned to the case and a prosecutor from the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Republican lawmakers focused their ire on Bragg, an elected Democrat, while Bragg’s deputy pushed back against demands from GOP committee chairs that the district attorney come to Capitol Hill and explain his investigation.
Being charged with, or convicted of, a crime would not disqualify Trump from running for president or holding the office. But the optics and logistics of campaigning while navigating a legal case could get complicated. For the moment, Trump and his advisers are ramping up their fundraising efforts and making the rounds of GOP lawmakers and party leaders, leaving his lawyers to negotiate his surrender to law enforcement and his security detail to coordinate logistics with police.
An advance team of Secret Service agents - mostly composed of New York field office agents - conducted a site tour of the courthouse on Friday to map Trump’s path in and out of the building, according to a law enforcement official involved in the planning.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the arrangements, said that “dozens and dozens of agents” will be required to secure the former president’s travel between Mar-a- Lago, his Florida home and private club, and New York.
Why was Trump indicted by the Manhattan DA over hush money, but not by the Justice Department? — 9:15 p.m.
By The New York Times
One aspect of the Manhattan district attorney’s indictment of former President Donald Trump that has drawn considerable attention is why a local prosecutor brought charges linked to possible violations of federal campaign laws — and why the Justice Department has not.
It is known Trump was under scrutiny by federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York some years ago as part of an investigation that also looked at his longtime fixer, Michael Cohen. Cohen eventually went to prison, but Trump was not charged at the time or after he left office.
The prosecutors and the Justice Department have never said publicly why Trump was not charged, but some of the reasons appear to concern how the prosecutors viewed Cohen, who is expected to be involved in the case brought by the district attorney, Alvin Bragg.
In 2018, the Southern District prosecutors brought charges against Cohen for paying $130,000 in hush money to porn actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign. During that investigation, the federal prosecutors concluded that Trump had directed Cohen to pay off Daniels to keep her quiet about a sexual liaison she said she had with Trump. He has denied her assertion.
The Southern District prosecutors accused Cohen of violating federal campaign finance laws, arguing that the payments to ensure the silence of Daniels, which were later reimbursed by Trump, amounted to an illegal donation to the Trump campaign.
But the Southern District declined, at the time, to file charges against Trump.
The federal prosecutors, and later Robert Mueller, the special counsel, determined that prosecuting him would have violated a Nixon-era directive from the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel that was interpreted as preventing the indictment of a sitting president.
That protection disappeared the moment Trump left office.
As police brace for protests, Trump prepares to surrender — 8:37 p.m.
By The New York Times
Donald Trump prepared on Friday to surrender to prosecutors in Manhattan next week as the New York police braced for protests and sharply partisan responses from Democrats and Republicans ushered in a tumultuous time for a deeply polarized nation.
A day after a grand jury indicted Trump and made him the first former president to face criminal charges, metal barricades were up around the criminal courthouse on Centre Street in lower Manhattan. Trump is expected to enter the often grimy and ill-lit building with his Secret Service protection to answer charges before a state judge on Tuesday.
Dozens of reporters and camera crews camped out across the street on Friday, while 20 court officers stood at the courthouse entrances, monitoring activity on the street.
Trump facing at least one felony charge in New York case, AP sources say — 7:05 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Former President Donald Trump is facing multiple charges of falsifying business records, including at least one felony offense, in the indictment handed down by a Manhattan grand jury, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Friday.
He will be formally arrested and arraigned Tuesday in his hush money case, setting the scene for the historic, shocking moment when a former president is forced to stand before a judge to hear the criminal charges against 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 discuss information that isn’t yet public.
Analysis: It’s not the crime, it’s the coverup for Trump — 7:03 p.m.
By James Pindell, Globe Staff
It looks as if former president Donald Trump will indeed be arraigned in a New York courtroom next week, charged in connection with a long-simmering hush-money case involving an adult film star.
For all the historic implications of the indictment — the first of a former US president — many of the statements made in response to the news felt a bit worn. No one, not even a president, is above the law, Democrats railed. Republicans thundered back, calling the indictment politically motivated.
But the case also calls to mind another familiar phrase: It’s not the crime, it’s the coverup.
Democrats absorb the news of Trump’s indictment with complex reactions — 5:38 p.m.
By the Associated Press
In some ways, it was the turn of events Democratic voters had dreamed of and some of the party’s lawmakers had long demanded: After years of telling lies, shattering norms, inciting a riot at the Capitol and being impeached twice, Donald Trump on Thursday became the first former president to face criminal charges.
“We’ve been waiting for the dam to break for six years,” declared Carter Hudgins, 73, a retired professor from Charleston, South Carolina. “It should have happened a long time ago,” added his wife, Donna Hudgins, 71, a retired librarian.
But as the gravity of the moment sank in, Democratic voters, party officials, activists and other Trump critics across the country absorbed the news of the former president’s extraordinary indictment with a more complex set of reactions. Their feelings ranged from jubilation and vindication to anxieties about the strength of the case, concerns that it could heighten Trump’s standing in his party and fears that in such a polarized environment, Republicans would struggle to muster basic respect for the rule of law as the facts unfolded.
“They are going to treat him as if he is Jesus Christ himself on a cross being persecuted,” said Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Democrat from Dallas who worked as a criminal defense lawyer before she was elected to Congress last year. She blasted Republican arguments that the charges were politically motivated, saying, “We knew the type of person Trump was when he got elected the first time.”
Trump, who polls show is the leading Republican contender for the 2024 presidential nomination, was indicted Thursday by a special grand jury in connection with his role in hush-money payments to a porn star. He was charged with more than two dozen counts, though the specifics are not yet known.
Trump lashes out against New York judge who will hear his criminal case — 5:10 p.m.
By The Washington Post
Former president Donald Trump is quite familiar with New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, the judge who oversaw the grand jury that indicted Trump this week and will preside over the criminal proceedings that follow.
Merchan, 60, who has sat on the New York bench since 2009, also presided over the jury trial last year of Trump’s namesake real estate company, which resulted in a conviction in December, and the prosecution of the company’s longtime chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg.
On Friday, the first former president ever charged with a crime lashed out at Merchan on social media, declaring that the judge “HATES ME.”
Merchan “is the same person who ‘railroaded’ my 75 year old former CFO, Allen Weisselberg, to take a ‘plea’ deal,” Trump wrote.
The former president continued: “He strong armed Allen, which a judge is not allowed to do, & treated my companies, which didn’t ‘plead,’ VICIOUSLY. APPEALING.”
Weisselberg pleaded pl in August to 15 counts including tax fraud, conspiracy and grand larceny and is serving a five-month jail sentence. Trump was not personally implicated in that case.
But on Tuesday, Trump is expected to appear before Merchan for an arraignment hearing in a different criminal matter. His indictment remains under seal, which means the specific charges are not known. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is believed to have been investigating a payment made before the 2016 presidential election to Stormy Daniels, an adult-film actress, to keep her from publicly discussing a sexual encounter she said she had with Trump years earlier.
What’s this grand jury, and who testified? — 4:33 p.m.
By the Associated Press
A grand jury is made up of people drawn from the community, similar to a trial jury. But unlike juries that hear trials, grand juries don’t decide whether someone is guilty or innocent. They only decide whether there is enough evidence for someone to be charged.
Proceedings are closed to the public, including the media. New York grand juries have 23 people. At least 16 must be present to hear evidence or deliberate and 12 have to agree there is enough evidence in order to issue an indictment.
David Pecker, a longtime Trump friend and the former chief executive of the parent company of The National Enquirer, returned to the courthouse this week where the grand jury was meeting.
Pecker’s company, American Media Inc., secretly assisted Trump’s campaign by paying $150,000 to McDougal in August 2016 for the rights to her story about an alleged affair with Trump. The company then suppressed McDougal’s story until after the election.
The grand jury also heard from Cohen, as well as Robert Costello, who was once a legal adviser to Cohen.
The men have since had a falling out, and Costello indicated he has information he believes undercuts Cohen’s credibility and contradicts his incriminating statements about Trump. Costello testified at the invitation of prosecutors, presumably as a way to ensure that the grand jury had an opportunity to consider any testimony or evidence that might weaken the case for moving forward with an indictment.
Trump was also invited to testify, but didn’t.
Former attorney general Bill Barr says Trump indictment is ‘a disgrace’ — 3:21 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
Bill Barr, who stepped down as attorney general in the Trump administration in the waning weeks of his term, called the indictment of Donald Trump “a disgrace” in remarks on Friday.
Here’s what Barr said:
Former Attorney General Bill Barr on indictment of former President Trump: "It's the archetypal abuse of the prosecutorial function to engage in a political hit job, and it’s a disgrace...Politically, it's going to be damaging I think to the Republican party..." pic.twitter.com/2aNz5dBSFR
— CSPAN (@cspan) March 31, 2023
Little signs of large-scale protests in New York and Florida — 2:55 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Though the streets outside the Manhattan courthouse were bustling Friday, there was no sign of any large-scale protests. A few Trump supporters passed by, quickly posing for photos while police officers and reporters lined the sidewalks.
In Florida, about a dozen Trump supporters stood alongside the road leading to Mar-a-Lago, the former president’s Palm Beach residence and resort Friday morning. They waved “Trump Nation” and “Keep America Great” flags at motorists.
Kevin Hulbert, a retired outdoor educator from Maryland, waved an American flag as he called the indictment “a disgrace.”
“We have to use our First Amendment rights to demonstrate how unhappy we are that something like this would happen,” Hulbert said.
Hush money case is one of many legal woes Trump faces — 2:18 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The Justice Department is also investigating Donald Trump’s retention of top secret government documents at his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, after leaving the White House.
Federal investigators are also still probing the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and efforts to overturn the 2020 election that Trump falsely claimed was stolen.
In Georgia, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been investigating whether Trump and his allies illegally meddled in the 2020 election. The foreperson of a special grand jury, which heard from dozens of witnesses, said last month that the panel had recommended that numerous people be indicted, and hinted Trump could be among them. It is ultimately up to Willis to decide whether to move forward.
Lindsey Graham on the verge of tears, and other GOP reactions to the indictment — 1:55 p.m.
By Shannon Larson, Globe Staff
Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina appearing to be on the verge of tears during a television appearance. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis vowing he would not assist with any extradition request to his state. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia pledging to travel to New York on Tuesday in protest.
After the news broke Thursday that Donald Trump had been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury in connection with an alleged hush payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the final days of his 2016 presidential campaign, Republicans erupted in outrage over the unprecedented development and rallied around the former president.
Here’s a look at their reactions.
Ivanka Trump weighs in on her father’s indictment — 1:36 p.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump’s daughter and former adviser during his presidency, issued a statement Friday on her Instagram story.
“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,” the statement read.
Here’s what’s next for Donald Trump — 1:24 p.m.
By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff
Donald J. Trump will start his historic journey through the New York State court system like thousands of others who have been accused of a crime — he is expected to be fingerprinted, have a mugshot taken, and appear before a judge. In all, the process could take several hours.
But unlike other criminal defendants, Trump may be escorted by Secret Service agents who are required by federal law to be by his side wherever he goes.
Here’s what’s next for the former president.
Secret Service asked for Trump’s arrest to be pushed back for security purposes, AP reports — 1:06 p.m.
By the Associated Press
No ex-president has ever been charged with a crime before, so there’s no rulebook for booking one. And Donald Trump has Secret Service protection, so agents would need to be by his side at all times.
Indeed, Trump was asked to surrender Friday, but his lawyers said the Secret Service needed more time to make security preparations, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.
Instead, Trump will be arraigned in New York on Tuesday, court officials said. Even for defendants who turn themselves in, answering criminal charges in New York generally entails at least several hours of detention while being fingerprinted, photographed, and going through other procedures.
Could a judge issue a gag order to limit Trump talking about his case? — 12:40 p.m.
By Bloomberg News
Donald Trump went on a social media tear leading up to his indictment this week, attacking the hush money probe he’s charged in and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, warning of “death & destruction” and issuing a call to action: “PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!”
It’s the kind of bombastic language the former president is known for online and on the campaign trail. But it’s also the type of inflammatory rhetoric and case-specific commentary that has landed defendants and their lawyers — including some of Trump’s associates — in trouble with judges.
Whether Trump could face an order restricting what he says about the Manhattan case or in any future federal or state prosecution isn’t clear. Lawyers who have dealt with court-imposed limits on speech, often referred to as gag orders, say the former president should be wary of giving judges cause for concern. But the experts also warn that courts are entering complicated First Amendment territory given Trump’s status as a presidential candidate.
A woman who got hush money before Stormy Daniels may play a role in Trump’s trial — 12:13 p.m.
By The New York Times
Stormy Daniels was not the first woman paid hush money during the 2016 election in connection with a relationship she said she had with Donald Trump.
That designation went to Karen McDougal, Playboy’s Playmate of the Year in 1998, who said that she met Trump at the Playboy Mansion in June 2006 and began an affair with him that she ended in April 2007. Trump has denied the involvement.
Here’s how that may play a role in the trial.
Trump to be arraigned Tuesday to face New York indictment, court officials say — 11:59 a.m.
By the Associated Press
Former president Donald Trump will be arraigned Tuesday after his indictment in New York City, court officials said Friday, his formal surrender and arrest presenting the historic, shocking scene of a former US commander in chief forced to stand before a judge.
Trump lawyer Joseph Tacopina said during TV interviews Friday he would “very aggressively” challenge the legal validity of the Manhattan grand jury indictment. Trump himself, on his social media platform, trained his ire about what he calls a “political persecution” on a new target: the judge expected to handle the case.
Organizers call for rally on Mass. State House steps in response to indictment news — 11:50 a.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
A rally is set to take place on the steps of the State House in Boston Friday afternoon to demand accountability in the wake of the news of Donald Trump’s indictment.
The event, scheduled for noon, urges attendees to “express their support for the rule of law and allowing the justice system to follow the facts and present them to a court,” according to organizers.
Marjorie Taylor Greene says she’ll go to New York on Tuesday — 11:31 a.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a far-right Georgia Republican and outspoken ally of Donald Trump, said Friday she is going to New York on Tuesday, when the former president is expected to appear in a Manhattan court for his arraignment.
I’m going to New York on Tuesday.
— Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 (@mtgreenee) March 31, 2023
We MUST protest the unconstitutional WITCH HUNT!
In letter to three Republicans, Manhattan DA’s office criticizes their involvement in Trump’s efforts to ‘vilify and denigrate’ investigation — 11:04 a.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
The Manhattan district attorney’s office sent a letter on Friday to three congressional Republicans, criticizing their involvement in Donald “Trump’s efforts to vilify and denigrate” the investigation and urging them to condemn the former president’s “harsh” rhetoric against the district attorney.
The six-page letter referenced Trump’s recent social media posts in which he disparaged Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and warned of “death and destruction” if he faces criminal charges.
“You could use the stature of your office to denounce these attacks and urge respect for the fairness of our justice system and for the work of the impartial grand jury,” wrote Leslie Dubeck, general counsel for the Manhattan district attorney’s office.
“Instead, you and many of your colleagues have chosen to collaborate with Mr. Trump’s efforts to vilify and denigrate the integrity of elected state prosecutors and trial judges and made unfounded allegations that the Office’s investigation, conducted via an independent grand jury of average citizens serving New York State, is politically motivated.”
The letter was addressed to Representatives Jim Jordan, Bryan Steil, and James Comer, three committee chairmen who demanded in a letter last week that the district attorney provide them with communications, documents, and testimony related to the investigation.
Friday’s letter urged the group to “refrain from these inflammatory accusations, withdraw your demand for information, and let the criminal justice process proceed without unlawful political interference.”
What is an indictment? — 10:48 a.m.
By The Washington Post
When someone is indicted by a grand jury, it means they are charged with one or more crimes.
“An indictment is just a fancy way of saying ‘the charging document,’” said Anna G. Cominsky, a professor at New York Law School. “It is a piece of paper that contains the charges.”
The grand jury, which in New York is composed of 23 members of the public, hears evidence from witnesses presented by prosecutors over a period of days, weeks or months. At the end of that process, prosecutors decide whether to ask the jurors to vote on an indictment. A majority must vote to indict the person.
The grand jury process is secret, and the indictment is generally not made public until it is filed in court or - in some cases - until the defendant makes their first court appearance.
Harris declines to comment on Trump indictment — 10:30 a.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
Vice President Kamala Harris, who is currently in Lusaka, Zambia, as part of a visit to multiple countries in Africa, declined to comment on Donald Trump’s indictment.
Vice President Harris declined to comment on Donald Trump’s indictment in Lusaka, calling it an “ongoing criminal investigation.”
— Chris Megerian (@ChrisMegerian) March 31, 2023
Warren says indictment proves ‘no one is above the law,’ and urges calm — 10:14 a.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren said Friday that the indictment of Donald Trump proves “no one is above the law, not even a former president of the United States,” and urged calm as the legal process plays out.
“This is a very sober time for our country, a real moment in history,” Warren said on CBS. “And yet, I think the most important part of this is to say that a foundational piece of our democracy is holding. That it is possible to have an independent investigation to go wherever the facts lead, and then to follow the process through.”
Warren stressed that it’s important to let the legal system run its course and “trust the process.”
“There is no reason to believe there’s been anything other than an independent investigation,” Warren said. “It’s walked through all the steps. It is a grand jury, according to the evidence released, that has voted independently. And we will go forward with that process, and that process offers plenty of opportunity for Donald Trump or anyone else accused of a crime to bring forward whatever evidence they want to use, whatever part of the legal system they want. But we follow the law for everyone because it’s foundational in our democracy.”
When asked about the potential for violence in response to the indictment, Warren urged “as many people as possible to take a deep breath, to be calm, to step back, and say, ‘this one more step in the legal process.’”
“Donald Trump is going to have plenty of opportunities to make his case in open court, and the prosecution will have the same opportunity,” Warren said. “Let the process go forward. No one is above the law.”
From 2018 to 2023, the key events that led to the indictment — 9:56 a.m.
By The New York Times
The investigation by the Manhattan district attorney’s office into Donald Trump’s hush-money payments to a porn star, which led to the indictment of the former president, has spanned nearly five years.
Planning underway for arraignment next week, Trump lawyer says — 9:34 a.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
A lawyer for Donald Trump said Friday morning that the former president’s team is working out the logistics for his arraignment next week.
Trump was “shocked” when he first heard he was indicted, Joe Tacopina told ABC News.
Biden says he has has ‘no comment at all’ on Trump indictment — 9:11 a.m.
By Amanda Kaufman, Globe Staff
President Biden told reporters outside the White House Friday morning that he has “no comment at all” after a grand jury voted to indict Donald Trump.
"I have no comment on Trump."
— The Associated Press (@AP) March 31, 2023
President Joe Biden declined to comment to multiple questions from reporters surrounding Donald Trump's indictment. https://t.co/xzZugZYXeJ pic.twitter.com/qjWfx4eXu7
Will Trump be arrested? — 9:08 a.m.
By Bloomberg News
He probably won’t be handcuffed or led before a scrum of clicking camera shutters in the traditional “perp walk.” And he will almost certainly be released on his own recognizance, under the protection of his Secret Service detail, rather than detained.
He is expected to be arraigned as early as Tuesday, according to his lawyer, Joe Tacopina, who said his client would surrender to authorities.
“Obviously we’re disappointed, but we will swiftly and aggressively fight these charges and pursue justice in this case,” Tacopina said.
Tucker Carlson, other Fox pundits call for protests of Trump charges — 8:16 a.m.
By The Washington Post
Fox News hosts and other conservative commentators fulminated Thursday night against the indictment of Donald Trump, portraying it as an act of political repression, calling for protests and predicting “unrest.”
“It almost feels they’re pushing the population to react,” said Fox prime-time host Tucker Carlson, referring vaguely to Democrats. “‘We think they’re demoralized and passive, let’s see if they really are.’ At what point do we conclude they’re doing this in order to produce a reaction?”
Carlson’s guest, former ESPN personality Jason Whitlock, struck a similar tone: “They are agitating for unrest. That is the only way to interpret this,” he said, before seeming to call for some kind of response: “I’m ready for whatever’s next. And I hope every other man out there watching this show, I hope you’re ready for whatever’s next. If that’s what they want, let’s get to it.”
Trump expected to surrender early next week — 7:53 a.m.
By The Associated Press
Donald Trump has been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury, a historic reckoning after years of investigations into his personal, political and business dealings and an abrupt jolt to his bid to retake the White House.
The exact nature of the charges was unclear Friday because the indictment remained under seal, but they stem from payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to silence claims of an extramarital sexual encounter. Prosecutors said they were working to coordinate Trump’s surrender, which could happen early next week. They did not say whether they intended to seek prison time in the event of a conviction, a development that wouldn’t prevent Trump from seeking and assuming the presidency.
Trump faces fingerprints, mug shot after dramatic indictment — 7:10 a.m.
By Bloomberg News
Donald Trump is right about at least one thing: he’s in an unprecedented situation.
Trump faces a set of legal requirements no American leader has had to confront after being indicted by a Manhattan grand jury on Thursday in a probe of hush money payments to a porn star during his 2016 campaign — a historic event in American law and politics that is certain to divide an already polarized society and electorate.
The 45th president, the first former Oval Office occupant to be indicted, will be fingerprinted and have his mug shot taken like any criminal defendant when he comes to New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan to face the charges, court officials have said.
He probably won’t be handcuffed or led before a scrum of clicking camera shutters in the traditional “perp walk.” And he will almost certainly be released on his own recognizance, under the protection of his Secret Service detail, rather than detained.
He is expected to be arraigned as early as Tuesday, according to his lawyer, Joe Tacopina, who said his client would surrender to authorities.
“Obviously we’re disappointed, but we will swiftly and aggressively fight these charges and pursue justice in this case,” Tacopina said.
Trump said in a statement that the indictment amounts to “political persecution” and “election interference at the highest level in history.” Even some of his potential opponents for the 2024 Republican nomination seemed to agree: his former vice president, Mike Pence, called the indictment “an outrage” on CNN.
Trump and advisers caught off guard by New York indictment — 4:32 a.m.
By The Washington Post
More than a week after Donald Trump had angrily predicted - incorrectly and with no specific evidence - that he would be arrested, the former president had grown cautiously optimistic.
Advisers had counseled him that a possible indictment by a Manhattan grand jury involving hush-money payments to an adult-film star would not come for some time - if at all - and Trump had even begun joking about “golden handcuffs,” said one person who spoke with him in recent days.
But on Thursday, the news that Trump had simultaneously resigned himself to and believed he could wish away finally broke: A Manhattan grand jury had voted to indict him over hush-money payments to adult-film star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign, making him the first ex-president charged with a crime.
Trump’s team had long been preparing for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation to end in a possible indictment. His top political advisers, including Chris LaCivita and Jason Miller, had begun drafting statements to blast out and lines of attack against Bragg and Trump’s former fixer Michael Cohen, thought to be one of Bragg’s key witnesses.
But when the indictment came, Trump and his advisers were caught off guard.
“It was a surprise to everybody,” said David Urban, a longtime Trump adviser who is not working on his 2024 presidential campaign.
Conspiracy theorists online grasp for explanation behind indictment — 3:09 a.m.
By The New York Times
On social media channels associated with extremists and conspiracy theorists, people searched for an explanation behind former President Donald Trump’s indictment Thursday, with some calling him a victim of a Democratic witch hunt to suppress his influence and others describing him as a grand master playing political chess to reclaim the presidency.
The scattered response reflects the shift in Trump’s power since a large group of his supporters stormed the Capitol after he lost the 2020 election. In the years since, Trump’s political movement experienced multiple electoral defeats. Some supporters were jailed after the attack on the Capitol. The social media landscape shifted, and Trump’s digital reach remains limited by an obligation that he first post on Truth Social, the social network he started last year that has far fewer users than Twitter and Facebook.
Trump tried rallying his base as the expected indictment drew near — and he earned widespread support from Republicans. Trump’s recent calls for supporters to protest his potential arrest received a muted response.
Online conversations about the indictment Thursday seemed to reflect the absence of clear direction. QAnon accounts on Telegram began posting slogans associated with the conspiracy theory, such as “trusting the plan” and “the storm is upon us,” in support of Trump. Dan Bongino, a radio host who has echoed Trump’s false claims of voter fraud, wrote on Truth Social that “the police state is here.” Some users claimed that the indictment would only strengthen support for Trump and help him win reelection in 2024.
Trump’s indictment in New York: Here’s what to know — 2:03 a.m.
By the Associated Press
Donald Trump has become the first former U.S. president to be charged with a crime, the culmination of a political rise defined by unprecedented scandal.
The vote of a Manhattan grand jury to indict the Republican former president on charges related to hush money payments made on his behalf during his 2016 presidential campaign catapults the now-candidate Trump into a new era of legal risk and complicates his attempts to return to the White House.
Trump indictment throws 2024 race into uncharted territory — 12:10 a.m.
By the Associated Press
The historic indictment of former President Donald Trump thrust the 2024 presidential election into uncharted territory, raising the remarkable prospect that the leading contender for the Republican nomination will seek the White House while also facing trial for criminal charges in New York.
In an acknowledgment of the sway the former president holds with the voters who will decide the GOP contest next year, those eyeing a primary challenge to Trump were quick to criticize the indictment. Without naming Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called the move “un-American.” Former Vice President Mike Pence, whose life was threatened after Trump incited an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, told CNN the charges were “outrageous.”
Republican rivals, leaders rally around Donald Trump after indictment — 10:45 p.m.
By The Washington Post
Republican Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, who has pledged to run a neutral presidential nominating process, reacted within minutes to the news of a New York grand jury’s indictment of her party’s leading candidate, Donald Trump, calling the move a “blatant abuse of power” that “endangers us all.”
The former president’s likely rivals in 2024 were not far behind. An aide to former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley - who had previously called the investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) a political prosecution - pointed to their previous statements criticizing the case.
After initially declining to address the news at a book tour event in Smyrna, Ga., Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) put out a statement calling the indictment “un-American,” condemning the “weaponization of the legal system to advance a political agenda” and pledging not to assist any extradition request to his state that results.
Former vice president Mike Pence - who broke with Trump over the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and is eying a 2024 presidential run - also criticized the charges.
“I think the unprecedented indictment of a former president of the United States on a campaign finance issue is an outrage,” Pence said Thursday night in an interview on CNN. “This will only further serve to divide our country.”
Vivek Ramaswamy, a tech entrepreneur also running against Trump, said: “This is wrong, This is dangerous.”
Trump is expected to be arraigned on Tuesday, his lawyers say. This is what would happen after he surrenders. — 10:31 p.m.
By The New York Times
He will be fingerprinted. He will be photographed. He may even be handcuffed.
If he surrenders Tuesday, Donald Trump is expected to walk through the routine steps of felony arrest processing in New York now that a grand jury has indicted him in connection with his role in a hush-money payment to a porn star. But the unprecedented arrest of a former commander in chief will be anything but routine.
Accommodations may be made for Trump. While it is standard for defendants arrested on felony charges to be handcuffed, it is unclear whether an exception will be made for a former president. Most defendants are cuffed behind their backs, but some white-collar defendants deemed to pose less danger have their hands secured in front of them.
Trump will almost certainly be accompanied at every step — from the moment he is taken into custody until his appearance before a judge in lower Manhattan’s imposing Criminal Courts Building — by armed agents of the U.S. Secret Service. They are required by law to protect him at all times.
Trump faces more legal scrutiny, scholars say — 10:09 p.m.
By Tonya Alanez, Globe Staff
After a Manhattan grand jury voted to indict former president Donald Trump on Thursday, scholars and lawyers weighed in on the unprecedented development in American history.
Trump, a Republican, is the first former or sitting president to face criminal charges. He was indicted in connection with an alleged hush money payment to a porn star in the closing days of his 2016 presidential campaign.
The indictment was not unsealed, so the charges were not immediately clear. But they relate to Trump’s role in allegedly directing his lawyer to pay $130,000 to the actress, known as Stormy Daniels, in exchange for her silence about an affair she said the two had in 2006.
Mass. Democrats in Congress react to Trump’s indictment — 10:06 p.m.
By Claire Law, Globe Correspondent
Massachusetts Democrats in Congress reacted swiftly on social media Thursday night to the pending historic indictment of Donald J. Trump, the first former or sitting US president to face criminal charges.
A Manhattan grand jury voted to charge Trump, a Republican, in an alleged hush-money scheme involving a porn star in the closing days of the 2016 presidential campaign.
“Consistently corrupt [and] immoral,” Representative Ayanna Pressley of Boston said of the twice-impeached former president.
Representative Lori Trahan of Lowell said it’s now up to the Manhatta district attorney’s office to continue making the case for why Trump should be convicted, while ensuring Trump has a chance to defend himself. Congress, she said in a statement, should avoid interfering in the criminal proceeding.
Mike Pence weighs in on the indictment of Trump — 9:55 p.m.
By Lauren Booker, Globe Staff
Former vice president Mike Pence said on CNN Thursday that it is an “outrage” for former president Donald Trump to have been indicted.
Pence called the indictment a “political prosecution” during an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.
Blitzer emphasized that the indictment came from the New York grand jury’s decision.
“I understand that and it’s been a long time since I was in law school, Wolf, but I remember the old saying, ‘You can indict a ham sandwich.’ The threshold, the burden of proof is very low,” Pence said.
Former Vice President Mike Pence says the indictment of Donald Trump is an "outrage" in an exclusive CNN interview https://t.co/W1IxB9RW5K pic.twitter.com/eF6bII3qio
— CNN (@CNN) March 31, 2023
Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi urge peace — 9:14 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer made a public plea for peace, saying the former president is subject to the same laws as every American.
“He will be able to avail himself of the legal system and a jury, not politics, to determine his fate according to the facts and the law,” Schumer said. “I encourage both Mr. Trump’s critics and supporters to let the process proceed peacefully and according to the law.”
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi encouraged the former president to be peaceful.
“No one is above the law, and everyone has the right to a trial to prove innocence. Hopefully, the former President will peacefully respect the system, which grants him that right,” Pelosi said in a statement.
Rep. Dan Goldman of New York said elected officials on both sides should “make unequivocally clear that there is no room for political violence or interference.”
Indictment elicits extensive coverage, and some gasps, on TV — 9:07 p.m.
By The New York Times
News of the indictment of former President Donald Trump immediately took over cable news channels and the country’s main broadcast networks on Thursday.
On Fox News, host Sandra Smith interrupted the network’s roundtable show “The Five” around 5:30 p.m. with the breaking news, eliciting gasps from her co-hosts: “We have just gotten word: Former President Donald Trump has been indicted by a grand jury in New York.”
On CNN, the news broke during Wolf Blitzer’s “The Situation Room” program. CNN quickly convened a rotating cast of analysts.
MSNBC’s Ari Melber pressed the gravity of the news on his audience, saying after the judicial process played out, the former president “could literally be incarcerated.”
NBC, ABC and CBS broke into regular programming to report the news, with some cameras pointing at the Manhattan district attorney’s office and Trump Tower in New York, Trump’s residence at Mar-a-Lago in Florida and his plane at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach.
Much of the coverage focused on questions about the exact nature of the charges, which are not yet known, and when Trump would be arraigned, as well as security preparations underway in New York City. Blitzer of CNN told viewers it was “historic” news — the first time a former president had been indicted on criminal charges.
But on Fox, which has long been friendly to Trump, at least until recent months, there was a lot of speculation and commentary about the political motivations behind the indictment, with many of the hosts defending Trump.
Trump expected to turn himself in next week, AP source says — 8:34 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Donald Trump — a Republican who assailed the case Thursday as a Democratic prosecutor’s “political persecution” of “a completely innocent person” — is expected to turn himself in to authorities next week, according to a person familiar with the matter but not authorized to discuss it publicly. The person said the details of a surrender are still being worked out.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office said it had contacted Trump’s lawyer to coordinate his surrender and arraignment.
For any New York defendant, poor or powerful, answering criminal charges means being fingerprinted and photographed, fielding basic questions such as name and birthdate, and getting arraigned. All told, defendants are typically detained for at least several hours.
There can be differences in where the different steps happen, how long they take, whether handcuffs come out and other particulars. A lot depends on the severity of the case and whether defendants arrange to turn themselves in.
But there is no playbook for booking an ex-president with U.S. Secret Service protection. Agents are tasked with the protection of former presidents unless and until they say they don’t need it. Trump has kept his detail, so agents would need to be by his side at all times.
Trump’s potential campaign rivals weigh in — 7:56 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who’s exploring running for the GOP nomination for president, said on Twitter that the indictment was based on politics.
Asa Hutchinson, a potential 2024 Republican candidate and the former governor of Arkansas, called it “a dark day for America.” Hutchinson said it is important that Trump be presumed innocent while the case plays out.
Governor Glenn Youngkin, the Virginia Republican often mentioned as a possible presidential candidate, on Twitter called it “beyond belief” that Bragg had sought to indict Trump “for pure political gain.”
Another possible rival to Trump, biotech investor Vivek Ramaswamy, said the indictment threatens to undermine public trust in our electoral system and our justice system.
Mike Pompeo, who had served in the Trump administration, sent a fund-raising email to potential supporters noting the indictment.
DeSantis says Fla. ‘will not assist in an extradition request’ — 7:41 p.m.
By Peter Bailey-Wells, Globe Staff
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in a tweet Thursday night called the indictment of Donald Trump the “weaponization of the legal system.”
He also wrote that “Florida will not assist in an extradition request” for Trump. Following through on that threat may violate Article IV of the US Constitution, which says “a Person charged in any State with Treason, Felony, or other Crime, who shall flee from Justice, and be found in another State, shall on Demand of the executive Authority of the State from which he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the State having Jurisdiction of the Crime.”
DeSantis, though he has not yet declared the start of an official campaign, appears likely to challenge Trump for the Republican nomination for president in the 2024 election and has consistently polled better than any of Trump’s other hypothetical opponents.
Who’s who in the Manhattan DA’s indictment of Donald Trump — 7:30 p.m.
By the Associated Press
As Donald Trump fought his way to victory in the 2016 presidential campaign, key allies tried to smooth his bumpy path by paying off two women who had been thinking of going public with allegations of extramarital encounters with the Republican.
The payoffs, and the way that Trump’s company accounted for one of them, are believed to be at the center of a grand jury investigation that led to a criminal indictment and could result in the first-ever criminal prosecution of a former U.S. president.
Here’s a look at key figures in the case.
Donald Trump has been indicted. Here’s what it could mean for his third run for president. — 7:23 p.m.
By Jess Bidgood and Lissandra Villa de Petrzelka
A Manhattan grand jury on Thursday voted to indict former president Donald Trump in connection with an alleged hush money payment to a porn star in the closing days of his 2016 presidential campaign, an unprecedented development in American history that could inject fresh controversy into his bid to reclaim his old job.
It was not immediately clear what the charges were. But the case, which is being prosecuted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, relates to his role in allegedly directing his lawyer to pay $130,000 to the actress, known as Stormy Daniels, in exchange for her silence about an affair she said the two had in 2006, and then reimbursing him.
The rest of the Republican party now must reckon with his place in a presidential primary — and there are signs that even those thinking of challenging him for the nomination will be hesitant to use the indictment as a cudgel against the former president due to the anger that could stir from his base.
Many Republicans line up behind Trump — 7:10 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Republicans from the former president’s son to GOP senators lashed out at the indictment. Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, the conservative chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, sent a one-word reaction: “Outrageous.”
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy vowed “the House of Representatives will hold Alvin Bragg and his unprecedented abuse of power to account.”
One of Trump’s most loyal supporters in Congress, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, said, without citing evidence, that Trump was innocent and “the only one standing in the way of these modern day tyrants.”
Eric Trump, the former president’s son, said: “This is third-world prosecutorial misconduct.” In a text to The Associated Press, he called the indictment an opportunistic targeting of a political opponent in a campaign year.
“New York is being overrun by violence, children are being been shot in Time Square, homelessness is through the roof yet the only focus of the New York DA is to get Trump,” Eric Trump said.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who had served as Trump’s press secretary at the White House, said Bragg should resign.
Democrats cite the rule of law — 7:10 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Democrats, meanwhile, said if Trump broke the law, he should face charges like any American. Rep. Adam Schiff, the California Democrat, said in a tweet: “The indictment of a former president is unprecedented. But so too is the unlawful conduct in which Trump has been engaged.”
Schiff said: “A nation of laws must hold the rich and powerful accountable, even when they hold high office. Especially when they do. To do otherwise is not democracy.”
Democratic New York Rep. Dan Goldman, who served as lead counsel in the first impeachment trial of Trump, said in a statement that “no person is above the law.”
“As the process plays out, every elected official from across the ideological spectrum must make unequivocally clear that there is no room for political violence or interference,” Goldman said. “Donald Trump’s defense must take place in the court of law, not in the halls of Congress or in the political sphere.”
New York hush-money investigation of Donald Trump explained — 6:50 p.m.
By the Associated Press
More than six years after Donald Trump’s lawyer paid off a porn star, a Manhattan grand jury has voted to indict Donald Trump on charges in connection with the payments.
Here’s a refresher on how things got to this point.
Donald Trump reacts to indictment — 6:31 p.m.
By the Associated Press
In a statement, Trump calls the indictment a ‘political persecution’ and says it will damage Democrats in 2024.
New York grand jury votes to indict Donald Trump — 5:45 p.m.
By the Associated Press
A lawyer for Donald Trump said Thursday he’s been told that the former president has been indicted in New York on charges involving payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to silence claims of an extramarital sexual encounter.
The grand jury indictment of Trump, 76, is an extraordinary development after years of investigations into his business, political and personal dealings.