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A Manhattan grand jury weighing evidence for a possible Donald Trump "hush-money" indictment. Here's a timeline of Trump and Daniels' alleged relationship, the $130,000 payment to keep Daniels silent, and the testimonies leading to a possible indictment. Markus Schreiber/APManhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg convened a grand jury in mid-January of this year to consider an indictment against Trump. And Trump's former fixer and lawyer Michael Cohen, prosecutors' key witness, has made repeated visits to the DA's office and to the grand jury. What could happen nextThe final witnesses were scheduled to testify before the grand jury on March 20, though it is unclear when the panel may vote.

☆ Notable legal clouds that continue to hang over Donald Trump in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Dan Berman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Trump has denied having an affair with Daniels and says the probe by Bragg, a Democrat, is politically motivated. According to the lawsuit, the Trump Organization deceived lenders, insurers and tax authorities by inflating the value of his properties using misleading appraisals. A federal judge ruled that Trump and FBI Director Christopher Wray can be deposed for two hours each as part of the lawsuit. “What (Trump’s lawsuit) lacks in substance and legal support it seeks to substitute with length, hyperbole, and the settling of scores and grievances,” US District Judge Donald Middlebrooks wrote. Woodward later released “The Trump Tapes,” an audiobook featuring eight hours of raw interviews with Trump interspersed with the author’s commentary.

☆ Talk of Trump arrest builds sympathy for the former president, Sununu says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Former U.S. President Donald Trump greets supporters accompanied by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds during a campaign rally, in Davenport, Iowa, U.S. March 13, 2023. He did not cite any evidence for his arrest concerns and his spokesman said the former president had not been notified of any impending arrest. "It's building a lot of sympathy for the former president," Sununu, also a Republican, told CNN's "State of the Union" program, saying he spoke to some people on Sunday who were not "big Trump supporters but they all said ... they felt he was being attacked." Sununu, a relative moderate, is considering a run and appeared to be trying to avoid alienating Trump supporters. McMaster and former economic adviser Gary Cohn on Sunday both urged Trump supporters to respond peacefully to any developments this week.

☆ Manhattan D.A. says his office will not tolerate threats to the rule of law after Trump calls on supporters to protest
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg sent an email to his staff Saturday assuring them that their safety is "top priority" after former President Donald Trump called on his supporters to protest over his supposedly imminent indictment. "We do not tolerate attempts to intimidate our office or threaten the rule of law in New York," Bragg said in the memo, which was obtained by NBC News from a senior official at the Manhattan DA's office. In a social media post on Saturday, Trump said that he expects to be arrested Tuesday, citing leaks from the "corrupt" DA's office. Law enforcement agencies across New York have been making security arrangements in the case that the former president is criminally charged. Bragg said his office will continue to coordinate with officials at the New York Police Department and the Office of Court Administration.

☆ Manhattan DA's office issues staff-wide warning as Trump calls for protests over hush-money investigation: 'We do not tolerate attempts to intimidate our office or threaten the rule of law in New York
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The Manhattan DA on Saturday sent an office-wide email warning of intimidation and threats to staff. Trump called for protests as the office investigates his alleged hush-money payments to Stormy Daniels. The DA's office appears to be in the final stages before bringing charges against the former president. Representatives for the Manhattan DA's office and Trump did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment. Cohen plead guilty to violating campaign finance laws related to the payment and has been cooperating with the Manhattan DA's probe.

☆ Not so fast. A New York grand jury will hear a final surprise witness on Monday and won't vote on Trump indictment until it's over.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Manhattan grand jury will continue hearing evidence Monday in the Trump hush-money investigation. A final witness must testify before the panel can deliberate and then vote on a possible indictment. News of a Monday grand jury witness was first reported by CNN. The surprise final witness provides an updated clue to the timing of a possible indictment of Trump and of any co-defendants. Experts who have described the Manhattan grand jury process to Insider say there are several steps between the final testimony and the vote.

☆ Manhattan D.A. says attempts to intimidate office won’t be tolerated after Trump’s call for protests
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Dennis Romero | Jesse Rodriguez | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

"Please know that your safety is our top priority," Bragg said in a memo to office staff obtained by NBC News from a senior official at the Manhattan DA's office. He added, "We do not tolerate attempts to intimidate our office or threaten the rule of law in New York." PROTEST, PROTEST, PROTEST!!!" NBC News reported Friday that law enforcement agencies are prepping for a possible Trump indictment as early as next week. Cohen pleaded guilty in federal court in 2018 to a federal charge related to making the payment to Daniels.

☆ Donald Trump could be charged any day - what happens next?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Joseph Ax | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Trump has denied the affair, and his lawyer has accused Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, of extortion. Were he charged, Trump would become the first former U.S. president to face criminal prosecution. While serving as president, Trump reimbursed Cohen for the Daniels payments, and federal prosecutors who charged Cohen said in court papers that the payments were falsely recorded as for legal services. Trump's lawyer, Joe Tacopina, told CNBC on Friday that Trump would surrender if charged. If Trump refused to come in voluntarily, prosecutors could seek to have him extradited from Florida, where he currently resides.

☆ Possibility of Trump's arrest builds sympathy among his supporters
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Former U.S. President Donald Trump greets supporters accompanied by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds during a campaign rally, in Davenport, Iowa, U.S. March 13, 2023. "It's building a lot of sympathy for the former president," Sununu told CNN's "State of the Union" program, saying he spoke to some people on Sunday who were not "big Trump supporters but they all said ... they felt he was being attacked." A spokesman for Trump said the former president had not been notified of any arrest and Trump provided no evidence of leaks from the Manhattan district attorney's office. Asked if she was concerned about potential violence after Trump called on his supporters to protest, Senator Elizabeth Warren told ABC News, "This is another case of Donald Trump advancing the interest of Donald Trump." Warren said there was no cause for protest, as called upon by Trump, adding: "No one is above the law."

[1/2] Workers remove scaffolding at the New York Courthouse at 80 Centre Street where Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg continues his investigation into former U.S. President Donald Trump, in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., March 18, 2023. Trump said on his Truth Social platform that he expected to be arrested on Tuesday and called on his supporters to protest. A prosecutor leading that probe, Mark Pomerantz, resigned in February 2022 after Bragg declined to charge Trump himself for financial crimes. Cohen previously testified that Trump directed him to arrange the payment, and Cohen pleaded guilty in December 2018 to campaign finance violations and other charges. In the biggest trial victory so far in his tenure, his office last December won the conviction of the Trump Organization on tax fraud charges.

☆ Trump supporters in China are up in arms and raging about a possible indictment: 'Trump, America needs you'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

There was a deluge of support for Trump on Weibo after he said he may be arrested on Tuesday. On Saturday, news of a possible Trump indictment skyrocketed to the top of the charts on the Twitter-like Weibo platform at 11.30 p.m., Beijing time. This was moments after Trump wrote Saturday on Truth Social that he will be arrested in New York next week. CNN reported in 2020 that some Chinese social media users viewed Trump as a better candidate than President Joe Biden — surmising that he would help build China up by ruining America. Meanwhile, a possible indictment in New York now looms over Trump.

Trump did not say he had been formally notified of forthcoming charges and provided no evidence of leaks from the district attorney's office. A Trump spokesperson said in a statement to reporters that, “There has been no notification," beyond leaks to the media. Bragg's office earlier this month invited Trump to testify before the grand jury probing the payment, which legal experts said was a sign that an indictment was close. Cohen, who served time in prison after pleading guilty, testified before the grand jury this week. Grand jury proceedings are not public.

Trump has said he would stay in the race if he is indicted. Trump, meanwhile, is making a forward-looking pitch to voters, NBC News’ Allan Smith and Jonathan Allen report. And the Washington Post reports Friday that prosecutors investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot have obtained a report commissioned by Trump’s campaign that undercut his falsehoods about the election. Santos mulls re-election: New York GOP Rep. George Santos told the Associated Press he is a “maybe” on running for re-election. Sparks fly in the Windy city: Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., endorsed Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson in Chicago’s mayoral race on Thursday.

☆ Manhattan DA is discussing security around court ahead of a potential Trump indictment: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Law enforcement agencies in New York are reportedly taking security precautions ahead of a possible indictment against Donald Trump. A representative for the Manhattan district attorney's office didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. "When you're surrendering someone that has any degree of notoriety, more security-conscious issues always exist," Bachner told Insider. Courts in Manhattan and Atlanta — where Trump also faces a potential criminal case — have prepared for potential chaos, Insider previously reported. "We are one of the few court systems nationally who have a law-enforcement arm under our roof," Chalfen told Insider.

☆ Donald Trump is launching a preemptive attack on prosecutor Alvin Bragg in the run-up to a possible criminal indictment in New York
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Donald Trump has launched a preemptive attack on Alvin Bragg ahead of a possible indictment. Bragg is the prosecutor overseeing the Stormy Daniels hush money payments case. In his post on Thursday, Trump also appealed to his supporters to sympathize with him, writing: "If the Democrats can do this to President Trump, they can do it to you." Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign finance charges related to the hush money payments scheme. He also denied that he paid her $130,000 worth of hush money to keep quiet about the relationship before the 2016 election.

☆ Trump team is adding staff to attack prosecutors, spread conspiracies, as potential indictment looms in Stormy Daniels Manhattan DA probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Azmi Haroun | Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Former President Donald Trump is planning to bolster a PR campaign against the Manhattan DA. According to the New York Times, Trump plans to respond to a potential indictment with conspiracies. So far, Trump has attacked Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, who is Black, calling him a "racist." According to the Times, Trump is dealing with the new reality by hiring extra staff to increase attacks against Bragg, and brew conspiracies that Joe Biden influenced the Manhattan DA's probe for political reasons. In recent public statements and on Truth Social, Trump has already attacked Bragg, who is Black, calling him "racist."

[1/2] New York State Attorney General Letitia James speaks at a news conference after former U.S. President Donald Trump's White House chief strategist Steve Bannon arrived to surrender, in New York, U.S., September 8, 2022. REUTERS/Caitlin OchsNEW YORK, March 16 (Reuters) - New York's attorney general urged a state judge to reject Donald Trump's bid to delay her civil fraud case against him, and said the former U.S. president might use his 2024 White House run as an excuse for further delay. Arthur Engoron, the judge who oversees the case, has scheduled a March 21 hearing to consider the trial schedule. James sued Trump, three of his adult children, the Trump Organization and others last September, following a three-year probe. Trump, a Republican, has called James' case a partisan witch hunt.

Trump, who has denied having an affair with Daniels, is seeking the Republican nomination for the presidency in 2024. "Stormy responded to questions and has agreed to make herself available as a witness, or for further inquiry if needed," Clark Brewster, Daniels' lawyer, wrote on Twitter. Susan Necheles, a lawyer for Trump, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Daniels' talks with prosecutors. Joseph Tacopina, another Trump lawyer, said earlier this week Trump did not plan to appear before the grand jury, but that a decision had not yet been made. The investigation centers on a $130,000 payment Daniels - whose real name is Stephanie Clifford - received in October 2016 from Michael Cohen, Trump's former personal attorney and fixer.

☆ No, Ron DeSantis can't stop Donald Trump's extradition from Florida to New York if he's indicted. Here's how it would go down.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Ron DeSantis can't stop extradition from Trump's home in Florida, but he could slow the process. DeSantis can't stop Trump's extradition, but he could slow it downThe standard method of interstate extradition in Florida, according to Holder and Bachner, involves the governors of each state. In that scenario, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office would present the indictment to the legal affairs office of New York Gov. DeSantis is then required to make sure the indictment is valid before ordering Trump's extradition from Florida. The Florida extradition statute describes the governor's role as simply making sure the extradition demand meets all the legal requirements.

☆ Here's how a Trump indictment would play out: Yes, he'll be fingerprinted. No, he probably won't be handcuffed.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Here are predictions for how this historic event would roll out, courtesy of some of Manhattan's top defense lawyers, former high-ranking prosecutors, and a retired Secret Service special agent. "They can tell the foreperson come back two weeks from Wednesday, or something," to sign the revised indictment, Florence said. There can always be a leak, of course, somewhere between indictment and arraignment, which is the court proceeding where Trump would plead not guilty. But even if Trump does need to surrender in person, Secret Service would likely give the perp walk a hard pass. "That walk is not going to happen," said Pickle, the former Secret Service special agent.

☆ Here's why Trump rejected the Manhattan DA's invitation to testify before the New York 'hush-money' grand jury
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Trump has rejected the Manhattan district attorney's invitation to testify before a grand jury this week. Anything the witness says in the grand jury can also later be used against them should the case go to trial. Cohen left the lower Manhattan office building where the grand jury is meeting shortly after 5 p.m. local time. He said he expects to continue his grand jury testimony on Wednesday. A spokesperson for District Attorney Alvin Bragg has declined to comment on the case or the grand jury proceeding.

☆ Inside the Trump grand jury room — '40s-era furniture, linoleum-topped desks, and a looming indictment
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Instead, the grand jury room where Donald Trump could become the first former president to be criminally indicted is a drab, un-Trumplike space, seemingly too ordinary for its purpose. After each presentation, she'd wait, seated on one of those same chairs, as grand jurors deliberated behind closed doors. "And yes, sometimes there are people who will drive the other 22 grand jurors crazy with off-the-wall questions." There needs to be at least 16 grand jurors present out of the originally selected 23 to have a voting quorum. The prosecutor, meanwhile, will sit on that old, uncomfortable wooden chair just outside the grand jury room, and wait for the buzzer.

☆ Michael Cohen to testify at Trump 'hush money' grand jury next week in last step before a possible indictment
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( Laura Italiano | El Calabrese | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Michael Cohen is set to testify next week before the Trump "hush money" grand jury in Manhattan. It could be a final step before a vote on an indictment charging Trump with falsifying business records. Bragg must authorize his prosecutors to request a grand jury vote before an indictment could be voted on. A lawyer for Trump declined to comment on the grand jury or on the possibility of an indictment. Bragg's office has remained mum on the grand jury process and the continuing probe.

☆ Trump was invited to testify before a New York grand jury, suggesting an indictment could be near, New York Times reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Laura Italiano | Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Prosecutors offered Trump a chance to testify before a grand jury next week, per The New York Times. Such invitations are rarely accepted, but signal a grand jury may be close to voting on an indictment. In a statement to ABC News's John Santucci, a Trump spokesperson said: "The Manhattan District Attorney's threat to indict President Trump is simply insane. President Trump was the victim of extortion then, just as he is now. It's standard to offer the target of a grand jury the opportunity to voluntarily testify.

☆ Trump probe follows criticism of Manhattan prosecutor for not acting sooner
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has come under political pressure for not bringing charges against Trump earlier, but has now invited Trump to testify before a grand jury, according to Susan Necheles, a lawyer for Trump. The probe comes at a critical time, as Trump is running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024. A prosecutor leading that probe, Mark Pomerantz, resigned in February 2022 after Bragg declined to charge Trump himself for financial crimes. A spokeswoman for Bragg, who could still decline to charge Trump, referred to Bragg's earlier statement. In the biggest trial victory so far in his tenure, his office last December won the conviction of the Trump Organization on tax fraud charges.

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