Former President Donald Trump will most likely be indicted Wednesday, but he is not set to appear in court until next week, according to a new report.
The report in the U.K. Daily Mail said that the grand jury convened by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is expected to hand up its indictment Wednesday.
Although Trump on Saturday predicted he would be arrested Tuesday, the Daily Mail report quoted a source it did not name as saying, “There will be no arraignment this week.”
Instead, there will be conversations among the DA’s office, Trump, and the Secret Service to work out the logistics “for his surrender.”
“They had their meeting and discussed a whole bunch of stuff about putting extra lighting out there, how they’re going to put more barriers out there and send their special response teams in,” the Mail quoted its source as saying.
“The NYPD is going to do what they do when the United Nations comes into town, with stepped-up security. But they don’t even think it’s going to happen this week,” the source said.
The Mail report said the indictment could be delayed, depending upon a possible witness.
“The indictment may happen, but they don’t think Trump comes this week,” the unnamed source continued.
“I’m told there’s an additional witness who is going to testify on Wednesday, so if there’s an indictment, it’s not going to happen until Wednesday or Thursday, so they think he probably comes next week.”
Trump would need to fly from Florida, where he lives, to New York City, where he would be arraigned, fingerprinted, and have a mug shot taken.
According to the New York Times, procedures for processing Trump are likely to be different due to security, meaning Trump is not likely to be put in a cell or handcuffed. After his arraignment, Trump would be released on his own recognizance. A trial would not take place for several months, meaning that as he campaigns for the White House next year, Trump could also be facing the charges in court.
The Times report speculated that an indictment would be likely no sooner than Wednesday afternoon.
Police have been preparing since last week for the arraignment and a Trump court appearance.
As explained by NBC, the payment to Stormy Daniels was not illegal, but the investigation has focused on how it was recorded in the Trump Organization’s financial records. Daniels has claimed she had an affair with Trump, something he has denied.
Former Trump attorney Michael Cohen made the payment, then submitted invoices to be paid citing an agreement for legal expenses, according to NBC. As the outlet outlined it, the charge that would be likely under New York law would be the falsification of business records.
Cohen has testified to the grand jury on behalf of the prosecution, earning him attacks from Trump on the former president’s Truth Social platform.
“In the history of our Country there cannot have been a more damaged or less credible witness at trial than fully disbarred lawyer and felon, Michael Cohen. The Southern District of New York (SDNY) wrote a scathing assessment of him, including, ‘Michael Cohen is a lawyer who, rather than setting an example of respect for the law, instead chose to break the law, repeatedly over many years & in a variety of ways…Each of his crimes involved deception,’ & deception & lying is what he is doing here!” Trump wrote.
via westernjournal
