Tag: Manhattan

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Crime Donald Trump

REPORT: Secret Service May Allow Trump Be Handcuffed If Indicted In New York Next Week 

It’s an image many have wished and prayed for since Donald Trump first descended an escalator at Trump Tower in June of 2016 and formally announced he would be running for president: The Donald in handcuffs.

That image could well become a reality next week, according to a report from Fox News which suggests the Secret Service may allow the ex-president to be placed in handcuffs and processed, complete with fingerprints and mug shots.

According to Mediaite, that news came from Fox anchor John Roberts.

“Now, when we are learning that the Manhattan DA’s office has asked for a meeting with law enforcement ahead of a potential Trump indictment, this is coming to Fox News from a source in the courts,” Roberts began, adding:

The meeting, which was requested yesterday and has not been set yet, is to discuss logistics for sometime next week, which would mean that they are anticipating an indictment next week. Same sources familiar with the planning said they will go over security preparations in and around the courthouse in lower Manhattan.

Secret Service will take the lead in what they will allow or will not allow, the source cautioned, mentioning, for instance, that the decision to handcuff the president, a former president or not, they will set the tone and will escort him into the courtroom.

Roberts continued:

The source believes that the former president will still have to be fingerprinted and processed like every other defendant. So this is a huge development. If Alvin Bragg has decided to go ahead with a felony indictment of the former president, this was a charge that the federal officials refused to prosecute on or even really pursue.

This was a misdemeanor in New York that Alvin Bragg has decided to elevate to a felony while at the same time downgrading other felonies to misdemeanors. So we’ll be watching this to see how it all unfold to get more information as it comes in.

Trump in handcuffs doing the perp walk. Even if he’s tried and found innocent, that image would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Fingers crossed. Maybe for once Fox will actually be right about something.

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Crime Donald Trump Elections

Trump’s Attorneys Are All But Begging The Manhattan DA To Not Indict Their Client: Report

Something very strange is taking place behind the scenes in the back-and-forth between attorneys for failed former president Donald Trump and the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who is reportedly on the verge of handing down criminal indictments against the ex-president

Hugo Lowell of The Guardian reports that Trump’s lawyers are offering what can best be described as an absurd reason their client shouldn’t face any punishment for paying hush money to Stormy Daniels.

Donald Trump’s legal team recently urged the Manhattan district attorney’s office not to indict the former president over his role in paying hush money to a porn star, arguing that the payments would have been made irrespective of his 2016 presidential candidacy, sources familiar with the matter have said.

The lawyer who represented the Trump team at the meeting with the district attorney’s office, Susan Necheles, also argued that campaign funds had not been used for the payments to the porn star, known as Stormy Daniels, and were therefore not a violation of campaign finance laws.

While Trump and his legal team can try to make such an argument, it’s unlikely to prove successful because simply having “mixed motives” is not actually a defense and can easily be disproven by those with close personal knowledge of the payments. Most notably, Trump’s former attorney and fixer, Michael Cohen, who has met with investigators from Bragg’s office dozens of times and was once again before a Manhattan grand jury on Wednesday.

Cohen is the crucial witness because he made the $130,000 payment to Daniels in late October 2016, buying her silence about the story of an affair with Trump. Trump later reimbursed him as president, through monthly $35,000 checks from his personal checking account, and Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to federal charges involving the hush money.

Daniels also testified before Bragg’s grand jury yesterday, and can provide crucial details regarding when she was first approached about taking a payoff in exchange for her silence.

It’s believed that Bragg will unseal any possible indictments as soon as Friday.

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Crime Donald Trump

Former DOJ Prosecutor Explains Why A Manhattan Indictment Of Trump Could Happen As Soon As Wednesday

Failed, one-term, twice-impeached former president Donald Trump is likely to be indicted on Wednesday, March 15 by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, according to former DOJ prosecutor Andrew Weissmann.

Weissmann was a guest on MSNBC and said he based his prediction on the fact that former Trump attorney Michael Cohen testified before the Bragg’s grand jury on Monday and is scheduled to do so again Wednesday.

“But what I’m getting at is — the thing I was looking for is that we are hearing that defense counsel for Donald Trump went and made a presentation to the prosecutors. Because that’s something that is really routine, any sort of ethical, responsible prosecutor is going to give that opportunity and, frankly, any good defense lawyer is going to take that opportunity. And The New York Times reported that that meeting has occurred already. And the import of that is, I think, when the grand jury presentation is over, it is Alvin Bragg’s decision at that point and there is nothing left. So frankly, that could even be Wednesday, just to put everyone on alert.”

Weissmann also noted that the grand jury might go ahead and hand down the indictments tomorrow or adjourn until Monday.

“If this was a federal court absolutely you can go ahead and do that. Do I think it is more likely that they would do that after the prosecutors have an opportunity to talk to the grand jurors, answer questions they might have, go through the law, present the proposed charges? Do I think it will happen on Wednesday? No, especially after hearing that he’s appearing in the afternoon, so it doesn’t get in the way. I think the next day to sit is the following Monday.”

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Crime Donald Trump

Surprise Witness In Manhattan Case Against Trump Suggests ‘Something Bigger’ Is Brewing

On Monday morning, former Trump attorney and fixer Michael Cohen showed up at a Manhattan courthouse to testify before a grand jury impaneled by District Attorney Alvin Bragg, signaling what many legal experts say is the final stage of the case being developed against former president Donald Trump for paying hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels in direct violation of New York law, according to The Hill.

The former personal lawyer to Trump has met with Bragg’s office on multiple occasions in recent weeks as he expressed a desire to testify and see charges brought against the former president in connection with a 2016 hush payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

“My goal is to tell the truth,” Cohen told reporters outside the courthouse, according to the AP.

“This is not revenge,” he added. “This is all about accountability. He needs to be held accountable for his dirty deeds.”

But an unexpected witness also showed up at the same courthouse, The Daily Beast reports.

The surprise witness who testified Monday was none other than Jennifer Weisselberg, the ex-wife of Barry Weisselberg, son of convicted Trump Organization CEO Allen Weisselberg. Why was she there? She explained:

“Something has changed and it’s up-leveled. It’s bigger than any taxes, paper, insurance, banks, insurance…it’s bigger than money.”

Sounds like maybe Ms. Weisselberg has some information that we don’t yet know about. Information that will likely be contained in the upcoming indictment.

When will we see that indictment? It could be as soon as this week.

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Crime Donald Trump

Manhattan DA’s Office Tells Trump’s Attorneys To Prepare For His Indictment

Attorneys for failed one-term former president Donald Trump have been informed by the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg that their client will be indicted and that the indictment may be unsealed soon.

The New York Times reports:

“The prosecutors offered Mr. Trump the chance to testify next week before the grand jury that has been hearing evidence in the potential case, the people said. Such offers almost always indicate an indictment is close; it would be unusual for the district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, to notify a potential defendant without ultimately seeking charges against him. In New York, potential defendants have the right to answer questions in the grand jury before they are indicted, but they rarely testify, and Mr. Trump is likely to decline the offer. His lawyers could also meet privately with the prosecutors in hopes of fending off criminal charges.”

Bragg has been investigating Trump for hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels by his former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, who has met with prosecutors in Bragg’s office on several occasions. Such payments are in violation of New York law.

The Times also notes, “The district attorney’s office has already questioned at least six other people before the grand jury, according to several other people with knowledge of the inquiry.”

Shortly after the Times report dropped, Trump’s legal team released a statement which reads:

“The Manhattan District Attorney’s threat to indict President Trump is simply insane,” said a spokesperson. “For the past five years, the DA’s office has been on a Witch Hunt, investigating every aspect of President Trump’s life, and they’ve come up empty at every turn — and now this.

“The fact that after their intensive investigation the DA is even considering a new political attack is a clear exoneration of President Trump in all areas. President Trump was a victim of extortion then, just as he is now. It’s an embarrassment to the Democrat [sic] prosecutors, and it’s an embarrassment to New York City.”

The disgraced ex-president is also facing indictment in the state of Georgia for attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the Peach State.