The former US president raised the matter of his looming arrest over the weekend via his Truth Social platform, detailing at the time that his arrest was expected Tuesday. In the days since, the potential indictment by Manhattan officials has been blasted as a "political ploy" intended to redirect attention. An arrest would be unprecedented.
The Manhattan grand jury investigating former President Donald Trump’s hush money payments has been delayed as officials were told to stay home by District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who says they may reconvene on Thursday.
The reason for this delay is unclear, but sources have told US media it was not security-related, despite Trump calling for a protest from his supporters regarding the potential indictment. The possibility of an actual protest seemed unlikely though, as experts who reportedly monitor far-right extremists online saw little to no organization or focus from Trump supporters.
“The grand jury has been told to stay home today. They’re on standby for tomorrow,” one senior law enforcement official has said. “The DA’s office didn’t tell the court why the day off, [they] just said, ‘I don’t want them today, maybe tomorrow.'"
The grand jury was reportedly prepared to issue an indictment decision as early as this week.
Trump is currently being investigated for his role in a 2016 hush money payout to the adult film star Stormy Daniels, who alleged she had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006 while he was married. She was then allegedly paid $130,000 by former Trump fixer Michael Cohen on Trump’s behalf to keep Daniels from discussing the affair in the media during the height of the 2016 presidential election.
Daniels is now complying with the ongoing investigation into Trump’s role in the hush money payout.
Despite the indictment delay, Trump is reportedly planning a dramatic courtroom appearance: the former president, who is running for a second non-consecutive term, reportedly told his advisers that he wants to be handcuffed when making an appearance in the court.
Trump has reportedly assumed that because he will need to surrender himself for fingerprinting and a mugshot, the event should be turned into a “spectacle.”
According to sources, Trump’s belief is that if he appears in the courtroom without restraints he will look “weak” or like a “loser.” His alternative motivation is that if he were to appear handcuffed he would look like a “martyr,” and this would spur his supporters to take action.
Trump’s legal team has pushed for the former commander-in-chief to not to make a spectacle of the indictment, and to instead quietly turn himself in by scheduling a remote appearance, which his Secret Service detail has favored.
However, Trump has reportedly pushed back on this idea, and has instead said he is hopeful he’ll be shot as it would more than likely secure his win of the 2024 presidency. Insiders have further indicated that Trump was in favor of his potential martyrdom.
For now, it remains unknown whether or not an indictment against Trump will affect his 2024 presidential campaign. Some legal experts close to Bragg believe Trump will be slapped with falsifying business records and a potential tax fraud charge related to the hush money payment.
Police direct traffic outside an entrance to former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, Monday, Aug. 8, 2022, in Palm Beach, Fla. Trump said in a lengthy statement that the FBI was conducting a search of his Mar-a-Lago estate and asserted that agents had broken open a safe. (AP Photo/Terry Renna) - Sputnik International, 1920, 22.03.2023
The investigation is one of several probes into the former president that is beginning to build steam; in fact, reports surfaced late Tuesday that a separate special counsel probe into the mishandling of classified documents at Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence had made a "prima facie" showing the former president made "criminal violations."
