Trump grand jury given day off, reports say
The Manhattan Criminal Court building at 100 Center St. in Manhattan, New York.
Susan Watts | Tribune News Service | Getty Images
The Trump grand jury has reportedly been given the day off, which means no indictments are expected to be issued before it resumes proceedings as early as Thursday.
The grand jury, which has been hearing testimony since January, is expected to convene after Tuesday’s holiday.
Trump’s attorney Joseph Tacopina had no immediate comment on the news, which was first reported by Business Insider.
The report soon after was confirmed by The New York Times.
On Monday, the panel heard testimony from a Trump ally, Robert Costello, about his past dealings with Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, the key witness in the former president’s criminal investigation.
— Dan Mangan
Trump’s lawyer, Tacopina, said there is no conflict of interest with Stormy Daniels
In this March 17, 2011 file photo, attorney Joseph Tacopina speaks to the media outside Superior Court in New Haven, Conn.
Jessica Hill | AP
Trump’s criminal defense attorney, Joseph Tacopina, said there is no conflict of interest related to his law office’s past dealings with Stormy Daniels that would force him to step down from the case if the former president is indicted.
An attorney for porn star Daniels said Tacopina met with him in February 2018 about a non-disclosure agreement he signed that allegedly prohibits him from discussing an alleged sex test with Trump .
Daniels’ attorney, Clark Brewster, has sent the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office emails and communications between Daniels and Tacopina’s New York law firm since then, NBC News reported.
A conflict of interest is created “when a lawyer has confidential communication with a potential client and he discloses information that is extensive and has the belief that it is confidential and that lawyer represents” a potential adversary, Brewster said, according to NBC.
CNN first reported Brewster’s contact with the DA about Tacopina’s alleged relationship with Daniels.
Tacopina told CNBC that he “never met, never spoke to him.” He said other people at his company were talking to Daniels on the phone, but he didn’t take him on as a client.
Tacopina said that even if Brewster’s account of the contact was correct — which Tacopina has denied — conflict of interest rules would not bar him from representing Trump.
At most, Tacopina said, he would be barred from cross-examining Daniels at a trial. But another lawyer can handle that, the lawyer said.
Tacopina said Daniels, who received a $130,000 hush money payment from Trump’s then-fixer in 2016 that is the focus of the criminal probe, is not a party in the case, and may not even be called as a witness by prosecutors.
— Dan Mangan
Manhattan DA Bragg filed 117 counts for falsifying business records
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks to attendees at the National Action Network National Convention in New York, April 7, 2022.
Eduardo Munoz | Reuters
Since Alvin Bragg became Manhattan’s district attorney, his office filed multiple felony counts for falsifying business records, NBC News reported.
New York prosecutors have filed 117 of those felony counts against 29 individuals and companies since Bragg took office in 2022, according to internal data from the DA’s office reported by NBC.
It is unclear what specific charges the Manhattan grand jury is considering. But the data, which was first reported by The New York Timescomes amid speculation that Bragg may pursue a case against Trump that hinges largely on charges of falsifying business records.
Bragg’s investigation centers on a 2016 hush money payment of $130,000 by former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen to porn star Stormy Daniels, who says she had an affair with Trump years ago. Trump denied the test. The payment was made shortly before the 2016 presidential election in which Trump was competing. The Trump Organization reimbursed Cohen for the payment, recording it as a legal expense.
— Kevin Breuninger
Here’s what a possible Trump arrest in New York might look like
A chalk graffitti is seen on a road outside the District Attorney’s offices, after posting a message on former US President Donald Trump’s Truth Social account saying he expected to be arrested, and calling on his supporters to protest, in New York City, US March 22, 2023.
Andrew Kelly | Reuters
Trump could become the first former president in US history to face criminal charges – and under the unprecedented circumstances, his possible arrest could work in several ways, legal experts told CNBC.
If a Manhattan grand jury votes to indict Trump after hearing evidence from the district attorney’s investigation of the 2016 porn star hush money payment, the resulting indictment will first be filed under seal. Trump’s lawyers will be notified of the indictment and will arrange a surrender date for their client.
Trump can then travel directly to the district attorney’s office in lower Manhattan to turn himself in, where he will be formally arrested and have his fingerprints and mugshot taken.
After being booked, Trump will be taken to a courtroom for his arraignment. It’s unclear whether Trump will be seen in handcuffs or required to do a “perp walk” — required to walk down the courthouse hallway in handcuffs in front of the press — to his arraignment.
Once the charges against him are known and he is asked to enter a plea — not guilty being the most likely option — Trump is likely to be released without having to post bail.
Read more about how Trump’s possible arrest could play out.
— Kevin Breuninger
Trump says he welcomes a possible ‘perp walk,’ the NYT reports
Members of the news media, protesters and New York State Court Officers stand on the front steps of 80 Center Street on Monday, March 20, 2023, in New York City, where a grand jury is investigating Donald Trump over hush payments to a porn star.
Ted Shaffrey | AP
Trump said he welcomes the idea of having a “perp walk” — walking through a crowd of reporters, photographers and other onlookers on his way to a courtroom — following his arrest on possible criminal charges, The New York Times reported.
Trump even wondered if he should smile for the cameras, according to the Times, citing multiple sources close to the former president.
But no one is sure whether Trump’s remarks were “bravado or genuine resignation,” the newspaper reported. Trump seems disconnected from the legal threats against him in recent days, people who have recently spent time with him told the Times.
Trump can avoid the spectacle: US Secret Service agents protecting him will work to keep him out of public view while he’s booked, NBC News reported.
A spokesman for Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report.
— Kevin Breuninger
Cohen’s lawyer told him to avoid media appearances
Michael Cohen (C), Donald Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, leaves a Manhattan courthouse after testifying before a grand jury, in New York, United States on March 15, 2023.
Fatih Aktas | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen has been told to avoid media interviews after he appeared on MSNBC Ari Melber’s show Monday to talk about the grand jury investigation.
“Due to the sensitivity of the time period, I have advised Michael not to do any more TV appearances until further notice,” said Cohen’s attorney, Lanny Davis.
Cohen routinely makes comments to reporters as he walks in and out of meetings at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, and has gone on television to talk about the investigation.
He is also the key witness in the criminal case against Trump, as he is the person who paid porn actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election not to speak to the media about her claim that she had a 2006 sexual tryst with Trump.
— Dan Mangan
