NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) — A Manhattan grand jury indicted former president Donald Trump on Thursday for charges involving payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to silence claims of an extramarital sexual encounter.
It’s the first ever criminal case against a former U.S. president and a jolt to Trump’s bid to retake the White House in 2024.
Trump has insisted he “did absolutely nothing wrong.” He and his lawyers have said the charges are politically motivated and have suggested he was a victim of extortion.
The grand jury, convened by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in January, had been investigating Trump’s involvement in a $130,000 payment made in 2016 to porn actor Stormy Daniels to keep her from going public about a sexual encounter she said she had with Trump years earlier.
THURSDAY, MARCH 30
9:07 - Trump plans to turn himself in on Tuesday, according to his lawyers
If he does so, it is expected he will face arraignment and indictment then.
Earlier in the night, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he would not cooperate with an extradition request from New York, but an extradition won’t be necessary if Trump appears in court of his own volition.
8:58 - The NYPD sent a memo to all officers ordering them on duty starting at 7 a.m. Friday, according to documents reviewed by NBC News
The memo was issued at 5:33 p.m. Thursday, soon after news of the indictment started circulating.
The order calls for officers to review department identification policies and “unusual disorder” duties ahead of deployment in anticipation of unrest in response to the indictment.
7:43 - Gov. Ron DeSantis posted a Tweet Thursday claiming Florida would not cooperate with an extradition request, should New York issue one
“The weaponization of the legal system to advance a political agenda turns the rule of law on its head. It is un-American,” wrote DeSantis about two hours after news of the indictment broke. “The Soros-backed Manhattan District Attorney has consistently bent the law to downgrade felonies and to excuse criminal misconduct. Yet, now he is stretching the law to target a political opponent.”
“Florida will not assist in an extradition request given the questionable circumstances at issue with this Soros-backed Manhattan prosecutor and his political agenda,” he continued.
Sources told 1010 WINS that Trump plans to surrender sometime next week, which would render the question of extradition irrelevant.
The claim that Bragg is a puppet of billionaire businessman George Soros has been spread by Donald Trump and parroted by Republican politicians.
The claim appears to stem from an endorsement for Bragg’s campaign by the political advocacy group the Color of Change. Soros once donated $1 million to the organization, but there is no evidence that Soros ever sought to specifically support Bragg.
Soros has been the fixation of antisemitic conspiracy theorists for years. Anti-semitic right-wing activists have sought to portray him as a left-wing Jewish boogeyman using his wealth to undermine white, Christian America — a centuries-old trope.
7:18 p.m. - Responses came flooding in after of Trump’s indictment broke
A spokesperson for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg confirmed the indictment.
“This evening we contacted Mr. Trump’s attorney to coordinate his surrender to the Manhattan D.A.’s Office for arraignment on a Supreme Court indictment, which remains under seal," said the spokesperson. "Guidance will be provided when the arraignment date is selected.”
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Republican, was quick to denounce the indictment on Twitter.
“Alvin Bragg has irreparably damaged our country in an attempt to interfere in our Presidential election,” he wrote. “As he routinely frees violent criminals to terrorize the public, he weaponized our sacred system of justice against President Donald Trump. The American people will not tolerate this injustice, and the House of Representatives will hold Alvin Bragg and his unprecedented abuse of power to account.”
Michael Cohen, the Trump ally who was sentenced to three years in prison in 2018 for charges relating to the same incident Trump was indicted for, took a more measured tone.
“For the first time in our Country’s history, a President (current or former) of the United States has been indicted,” he said. “I take no pride in issuing this statement and wish to also remind everyone of the presumption of innocence; as provided by the due process clause. However, I do take solace in validating the adage that no one is above the law; not even a former President.”
“Today’s indictment is not the end of this chapter; but rather, just the beginning,” he continued. “Now that the charges have been filed, it is better for the case to let the indictment speak for itself. The two things I wish to say at this time is that accountability matters and I stand by my testimony and the evidence I have provided to DANY (District Attorney of New York).”
Clark Brewster, the lawyer representing Stormy Daniels, also posted a Tweet responding to the indictment.
“The indictment of Donald Trump is no cause for joy. The hard work and conscientiousness of the grand jurors must be respected,” he wrote. “Now let truth and justice prevail. No one is above the law. #teamstormy”
6:45 p.m. - Trump could surrender as soon as next week: sources
Trump could surrender as early as next week to authorities, sources told 1010 WINS.
According to the sources, with Passover coming up next week and then Holy Week, the likelihood is before then, but not tomorrow.
6:23 p.m. - Trump responds to indictment
Trump released a statement responding to the indictment just minutes after the news broke.
Here is his statement in full:
“This is Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history. From the time I came down the golden escalator at Trump Tower, and even before I was sworn in as your President of the United States, the Radical Left Democrats - the enemy of the hard- working men and women of this Country - have been engaged in a Witch-Hunt to destroy the Make America Great Again movement. You remember it just like I do: Russia, Russia, Russia; the Mueller Hoax; Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine; Impeachment Hoax 1; Impeachment Hoax 2; the illegal and unconstitutional Mar-a-Lago raid; and now this.”
“The Democrats have lied, cheated and stolen in their obsession with trying to ’Get Trump; but now they’ve done the unthinkable - indicting a completely innocent person in an act of blatant Election Interference. “Never before in our Nation’s history has this been done. The Democrats have cheated countless times over the decades, including spying on my campaign, but weaponizing our justice system to punish a political opponent, who just so happens to be a President of the United States and by far the leading Republican candidate for President, has never happened before. Ever.”
“Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, who was hand-picked and funded by George Soros, is a disgrace. Rather than stopping the unprecedented crime wave taking over New York City, he’s doing Joe Biden’s dirty work, ignoring the murders and burglaries and assaults he should be focused on. This is how Bragg spends his time! *I believe this Witch-Hunt will backfire massively on Joe Biden. The American people realize exactly what the Radical Left Democrats are doing here. Everyone can see it. So our Movement, and our Party - united and strong - will first defeat Alvin Bragg, and then we will defeat Joe Biden, and we are going to throw every last one of these Crooked Democrats out of office so we can MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
6:07 p.m. - Exonerated Central Park Five member Yusef Salaam gives one-word response to indictment: "Karma"
Yusef Salaam, one of the men who was wrongfully accused of rape in the Central Park Five trial, gave a one word response to Trump's indictment: "Karma.
Trump never apologized for taking out a full-page ad during the trial calling for the death penalty.
Salaam is now running for New York City Council.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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