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Donald Trump’s lawyer said Friday he will surrender to New York authorities but won’t consider a plea deal, after his indictment by a Manhattan grand jury investigating a hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
The indictment is unprecedented and represents the first criminal charges ever against a former U.S. president.
Trump’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, told NBC’s “Today” show on Friday the former president was initially “shocked” when notified of the grand jury’s action late Thursday but “put a notch on his belt” and vowed to challenge the criminal case.
“President Trump will not take a plea deal in this case. It’s not going to happen. There’s no crime,” Tacopina said.
Trump “initially was shocked,” Tacopina added. “After he got over that, he put a notch on his belt and he decided we have to fight now.”
More:Trump indicted: How did Michael Cohen arrange hush payments to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal?
Here is the latest on the indictment:
When will Trump be arrested?
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office acknowledged late Thursday that Trump’s lawyers had been notified of the indictment.
Trump attorney Joe Tacopina said Trump was expected in New York by Tuesday for arraignment.
“We’re working out those logistics right now,” Tacopina told NBC’s “Today” show, referring to Trump’s surrender.
–Kevin Johnson
How will Trump be arrested?
Donald Trump’s lawyer has said he would surrender voluntarily to face the charges in New York.
When he is arrested he will be read his rights known as a Miranda warning, including the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney.
He is expected to be taken into custody and processed like any other defendant, according to law enforcement experts. The difference is that as a former president, his Secret Service detail will accompany him.
“There will still be a mug shot, fingerprints and lots of paperwork filled out as part of the booking process,” like other defendants, said former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner.
–Josh Meyer
Biden: ‘No comment’ on Trump indictment
President Joe Biden stayed silent Friday about former President Donald Trump’s indictment.
Reporters asked Biden about the indictment multiple times as he left the White House early Friday for a trip to Mississippi. “I have no comment on Trump,” he said.
Biden has nothing publicly about Trump’s legal troubles since the former president announced two weeks ago that he expected to face criminal charges.
–Michael Collins and Maureen Groppe
Trump’s GOP rivals: Indictment an ‘outrage’ and ‘un-American’
Trump’s Republican rivals and potential opponents for the 2024 presidential nomination also slammed the charges as a politically motivated:
- Former Vice President Mike Pence, who is weighing a bid, told CNN the unprecedented indictment was “nothing more than a political prosecution” and an “outrage.”
- Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley told Fox News Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg was trying to take “revenge.”
- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is considering a run, said the “weaponization of the legal system” is “un-American.”
- Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, another possible candidate, said Trump should have the “presumption of innocence.” He said Trump shouldn’t be the next president, but that the voters should decide.
–Rebecca Morin
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