- Former President Donald Trump’s attorney said he would follow the normal process of surrendering to face criminal charges if indicted by a Manhattan grand jury.
- The lawyer, Joseph Tacopina, said shortly after a WNBC report that federal, state and local law enforcement agencies are preparing for the possibility that Trump will be indicted as early as next week.
- Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen is under criminal investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office for allegedly secretly paying porn star Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 presidential election.
Former President Donald Trump’s attorney said Friday evening that he would surrender to face criminal charges if indicted by a Manhattan grand jury.
Advocate, Joseph TacopinaThat followed shortly after a WNBC report said federal, state and local law enforcement agencies were preparing security arrangements for the possibility that Trump would be indicted as early as next week.
“The normal procedures will follow if it gets to that point,” Tacopina told CNBC when asked what Trump would do if that possibility became a reality.
Trump is under investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office for reimbursing his former personal attorney Michael Cohen $130,000 in legal expenses for recording his company alleged porn star Stormy Daniels had sex with Trump before the 2016 election. Was given to keep quiet about the sexual attempt.
Trump denies having sex with Daniels, and has denounced the investigation and other criminal investigations he faces as partisan witch hunts.
Ever since the grand jury was listed in recent months, and the perceived likelihood of an indictment increased, questions have been raised about whether Trump would opt to surrender if indicted, and if he did. Will happen.
Trump, who has 24-hour security by the US Secret Service, currently resides at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, which he rarely leaves.
Under Florida law, the state’s governor is responsible for ensuring that a person is arrested in the state and transported to another state if that person is indicted on a felony charge.
However, Florida law also gives the governor the power to call for further investigation prior to extradition of the defendant if the defendant refuses to comply with extradition.
Florida Govt. Ron DeSantis is currently positioning himself as a possible contender for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
Trump declared himself the candidate for the GOP nomination last fall.
Even before this Trump and his allies had chased DeSantis’ popularity among fellow Republicans.
Cohen, who met with investigators 20 times over several years, testified to the grand jury for two days earlier this week. Daniels spoke with prosecutors via Zoom on Wednesday.
Cohen previously pleaded guilty to a federal criminal campaign charge related to paying Daniels, which he said Trump instructed him to do so to avoid damaging his chances of winning the White House in 2016. .
That offense is the culmination of what could be Trump’s prosecution in state criminal court in Manhattan.
The companies are prohibited by New York state law from misclassifying the nature of the expenses, such that, theoretically, the reimbursement to Cohen for Daniels’ payments is referred to as “legal expenses”.
Violating that law can lead to a misdemeanor charge. But it can be elevated to a felony if the misrepresentation is made to cover another crime.
Credit: www.cnbc.com /