Trump ‘shocked’ by indictment but ‘ready to fight’
Following his historic indictment on criminal charges, Donald Trump planned to visit a prosecutor's office on Friday to be booked, fingerprinted, and photographed. This is a first for any former US president.
Trump's expected arrest on Tuesday throws a political grenade into the 2024 presidential election, in which the 76-year-old real estate magnate hopes to return to the White House.
Pressed by reporters on Friday, President Joe Biden repeatedly declined to comment on the fate of the Republican candidate he defeated in 2020 and could potentially face again in November 2021.
Biden said, "I have no comment on Trump."
Thursday, a New York grand jury indicted Donald Trump for a $130,000 hush-money payment made to a pornographic actress during his 2016 presidential campaign.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing and accused Manhattan's Democratic district attorney, Alvin Bragg, of conducting a "political witch hunt" to derail his new White House bid.
Trump's attorneys have stated that the former president, who is currently residing at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, will surrender to New York authorities on Tuesday to face the charges, which remain sealed.
The downtown Manhattan courthouse where Trump is expected to be booked and arraigned has been surrounded by heightened security for days.
Joe Tacopina, one of Trump's attorneys, stated, "The president will not be placed in handcuffs, but I'm sure they'll try to get some joy out of this by parading him."
Tacopina stated on NBC's "Today" that Trump would enter a not guilty plea and that there was "zero" chance he would accept a plea bargain. "It is not going to occur. There is no offence."
Trump was initially "shocked" by the indictment, according to his attorney, but "he is now prepared to fight this."
Trump called for protests and warned that his indictment could lead to "potential death and destruction" for the nation.
– 'Disgraceful' –
"They only brought this Fake, Corrupt, and Disgraceful Charge against me because I stand with the American People and because they know I cannot receive a fair trial in New York!" he wrote on Truth Social, his social media platform.
Trump survived two impeachments while in the White House and kept prosecutors at bay over everything from the US Capitol riot to the disappearance of classified documents, only to land in court over a sex scandal involving a 44-year-old adult film actress, Stormy Daniels.
Republican leaders have rallied around the former president, who remains the favourite to win the party's nomination for president in 2024 despite the possibility of legal issues that extend beyond the New York indictment.
Trump is subject to felony investigations in Georgia regarding the 2020 election and in Washington regarding both the classified files and the January 6, 2021 assault on the Capitol by his supporters.
House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy stated that the indictment had irreparably damaged the nation.
Mike Pence, Trump's former vice president and potential 2024 opponent, called it a "outrage" that would "further divide" the United States.
Another potential Republican rival in 2024, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, condemned the indictment as "un-American."
On the Democratic side, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stated, "No one is above the law," while Representative Adam Schiff, who will be the lead prosecutor in Trump's first impeachment trial in 2019, referred to it as "sobering."
Schiff stated, "The indictment and arrest of a former president is unprecedented in American history." However, the illegal conduct for which Trump has been charged is also egregious.
– 2024 impact –
Michael Cohen, Trump's former attorney, told Congress in 2019 that he paid Stormy Daniels to conceal their affair in 2006 and was later reimbursed.
The grand jury that indicted Trump was tasked with determining whether the scandal was buried for the benefit of his campaign.
The effect of the indictment in the hush-money case on Trump's chances of being elected in 2024 is uncertain.
Opponents are concerned that if Trump is exonerated, any future indictment in arguably more serious matters, such as his efforts to overturn Georgia's election results or the January 6 riot, could be compromised.
The Manhattan charges are also likely to increase turnout among Trump's loyal supporters, enhancing his chances in the party's primary.
Leave A Comment