Trump news - live: Trump attacks DeSantis for Stormy Daniels jibe as Grand Jury indictment said to be imminent

Oliver O'Connell and Alex Woodward
·40-min read

Donald Trump has lashed out at Ron DeSantis for a muted response to the potential indictment against him in the Stormy Daniels hush money case.

The attack comes amid calls from some of the former president’s supporters for the Florida governor to stop any attempt to extradite him from the state to New York to answer any charges.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump filed a last-ditch effort to evade the Fulton County, Georgia grand jury investigation into his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in that state.

That comes as the former president has claimed he will be arrested on Tuesday and called for protests to “take our nation back” in language that drew comparisons to his rhetoric leading up to the January 6 Capitol riots.

Kevin McCarthy has called on Americans not to protest if Mr Trump is arrested as part of a grand jury investigation into his alleged role in the payments to Ms Daniels, an adult film star.

The House majority leader responded to Mr Trump’s call on Sunday, saying: “I don’t think people should protest this stuff.”

Key Points

Does Ron DeSantis have the power to stop Trump’s arrest?

22:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis finds himself in a bind: as of right now, he is by far the person with the best possible chance of beating former president Donald Trump for the Republican nomination for president.

But does he, as some have supposed, have the power as governor of Florida to stop the former president from answering any out-of-state charges?

Eric Garcia and Andrew Feinberg report from Washington, DC.

Could Ron DeSantis stop Trump’s arrest?

Trump ally Costello says Cohen not reliable witness on which to base indictment

21:44 , Oliver O'Connell

Robert Costello, the attorney who previously represented Trump allies like Steve Bannon and Rudy Giuliani, has spoken with reporters after testifying before the grand jury in New York.

Mr Costello spoke to the jury for nearly three hours on Monday afternoon after appearing at the request of the former president’s legal team. He said he brought a catalogue of emails with him to show the jury, but only a small number were submitted.

Mr Costello accused his former client Michael Cohen of having a “lie, cheat, steal” mindset and called him an unreliable witness on which to base an indictment of former President Donald Trump.

“I’m trying to tell the truth to the grand jury. If they want to go after Donald Trump and they have solid evidence then so be it. Michael Cohen is not solid evidence,” Mr Costello said.

Earlier, Lanny Davis, attorney for Mr Cohen, says his client would not be asked to testify again having already sat for two days of questioning.

“Mr Cohen was available for over two hours today, but we are pleased to report Mr Cohen was not needed. Once again we repeat — the facts and documents speak for themselves. Facts do matter.”

What is the process for indicting Donald Trump on criminal charges?

21:20 , Oliver O'Connell

The looming criminal indictment now widely expected to be coming down on Donald Trump’s shoulders has left many, including seasoned legal experts and journalists who have followed the justice system for years wondering exactly what to expect when it actually happens.

Sources close to the investigation told Politico on Monday that an indictment could be coming as soon as later that day; a possibility that led to law enforcement officials erecting barricades outside of the Manhattan courthouse where Mr Trump’s arraignment would occur.

Several questions remain about the step-by-step process for criminally indicting a former president, including the logistics of actually carrying out the task of bringing Mr Trump to the courtroom. Some of the decisions are admittedly still up in the air: “We’ll be discussing how we bring Trump in,” one person involved in the planning told Politico on Monday, adding somewhat cryptically: “No decisions have been made yet.”

Many of those questions likely centre around how much of this process will be carried out in person, a time-consuming and complicated endeavour given Mr Trump’s ongoing Secret Service protection and status as an active candidate for the 2024 GOP nomination.

Let’s break down what we do know:

What is the process for indicting Donald Trump on criminal charges?

Four Oath Keepers associates found guilty of conspiracy in Jan 6 trial

21:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Four people associated with the Oath Keepers were convicted on Monday of conspiracy and obstruction charges stemming from the attack on the US Capitol in the latest trial involving members of the far-right antigovernment extremist group.

A Washington DC jury found Sandra Parker, of Morrow, Ohio; Laura Steele, of Thomasville, North Carolina; William Isaacs, of Kissimmee, Florida and Connie Meggs, of Dunnellon, Florida guilty of conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and other felony charges.

In a rare loss for prosecutors, Sandra Parker’s husband, Bennie Parker, was acquitted of obstruction as well as one conspiracy charge, and a sixth defendant — Michael Greene, of Indianapolis, Indiana — was acquitted of two conspiracy charges.

Read on:

Four Oath Keepers associates found guilty of conspiracy in latest Jan 6 trial

More fury from former president as Trump lashes out at Cohen and Bragg

20:42 , Oliver O'Connell

Former President Donald Trump has continued to angrily post at a range of foes throughout the afternoon, posting a video attacking Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, before taking a shot at his former fixer Michael Cohen.

Here’ the video:

And here’s what he had to say about Mr Cohen: “If disbarred and fully discredited lawyer Michael Cohen is not indicted for PERJURY, THEN PERJURY DOES NOT EXIST!”

Voices: Trump is going to drag the entire Republican party down with him

20:31 , Oliver O'Connell

Noah Berlatsky writes:

“If we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed.......and we will deserve it,” South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham famously tweeted in 2016.

Donald Trump won in 2016, and Graham has become one of his most ardent supporters. But his tweet has nonetheless been prescient. The GOP lost elections in 2018, 2020, and 2022. Now former President and current 2024 candidate Trump faces multiple indictments for a range of illegal activities. And he’s made it clear that he intends to force the GOP to tie itself to his rapidly sinking garbage scow.

Read on:

Trump is going to drag the entire Republican party down with him

Trump furiously attacks DeSantis

20:18 , John Bowden

After the Florida governor addressed the possibility that Mr Trump would be criminally indicted this week, the former president resurfaced a picture of Mr DeSantis from his teaching days and insinuated that the governor’s political enemies would suggest some kind of wrongdoing in his past.

Uproar at White House press briefing as reporters turn on journalist who held up Ted Lasso cast appearance

19:07 , John Bowden

The White House press briefing was interrupted several times on Monday by reporter Simon Ateba of Africa News Today.

Ateba interrupted Karine Jean-Pierre at several points, exclaiming that the US was “not China” and claiming that he was being suppressed from being allowed to ask questions.

Other reporters in the room grew visibly agitated as Ateba’s outbursts continued, and Ms Jean-Pierre was eventually forced to threaten to end the briefing.

Read more:

Reporter disrupts White House press briefing featuring Ted Lasso cast

Eric Trump says DeSantis ‘not the guy I [thought] he was'

18:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Responding to a tweet about the muted response from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to “political persecution” of Donald Trump, the former president’s second son Eric, tweeted: “Until that day where they do the exact same thing to him, his friends and his family… at which time he will neither have the backbone, nor the resources, to fight off the corrupt system. He’s not the guy I [thought] he was…”

Trump reposts longer version of deleted attack on DeSantis

18:10 , Oliver O'Connell

The former president presumably needed a moment to finesse his below-the-belt attack on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, reposting a longer version and doubling down with his accusations of his alleged partying with “classmates that are ‘underage’ (or possibly a man!)”

Don Jr slams DeSantis as ‘pure weakness’ and ‘100% controlled'

17:59 , Oliver O'Connell

The former president’s oldest son also stepped up to attack Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, tweeting: “So DeSantis thinks that Dems weaponizing the law to indict President Trump is a ‘manufactured circus’ & isn't a ‘real issue’."

“Pure weakness. Now we know why he was silent all weekend. He's totally owned by Karl Rove, Paul Ryan & his billionaire donors. 100% Controlled Opposition.”

Trump snaps back at DeSantis

17:47 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump has followed his spokesperson Liz Harrington in snapping back at Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for his comments on the grand jury investigation in to the hush money payment to Stormy Daniels.

The former president posted on Truth Social: “Ron will probably find out about this sometime in the future when he’s unfairly and illegally attacked by a woman (or possibly a man!) with false accusations.”

He then deleted the post...

Insiders now say Trump indictment is imminent

17:39 , John Bowden

More news sites, including most recently Politico, are reporting that Donald Trump’s indictment could come as early as this afternoon.

Barricades are being set up outside of the courthouse in Manhattan as officials brace for potential protests.

Trump spokeswoman excoriates DeSantis

17:07 , John Bowden

Liz Harrington, a spokeswoman for the former president, let Ron DeSantis have it after he responded to a question about the grand jury investigation into Donald Trump’s hush payment to a porn star, Stormy Daniels.

Ms Harrington went after the governor on Twitter, apparently incensed that he had attacked the Manhattan district attorney but at the same time referred to the alleged affair with Ms Daniels in a mocking manner.

Ron DeSantis responds to reports of impending Trump indictment

16:27 , John Bowden

Florida Gov Ron DeSantis was asked on Monday about the growing likelihood that Donald Trump will face criminal charges for the hush money payment his lawyer Michael Cohen made to porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016.

Watch his response below:

Trump asks court to toss entire Georgia grand jury probe and disqualify district attorney

15:59 , John Bowden

Attorneys for former president Donald Trump have asked a Georgia court to toss out any evidence gathered by the months-long special purpose grand jury empaneled last year to investigate his attempt to overturn his 2020 election loss, and to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from prosecuting him.

It’s Mr Trump’s Hail Mary attempt to quash the criminal investigation that looks to be nearing the possibility of charges for him and/or members of his legal team.

Andrew Feinberg has the story:

Trump asks court to toss entire Georgia grand jury probe

Mike Pence is ‘disappointed’ in Trump over January 6 but mum on ex-president’s trustworthiness

14:48 , John Bowden

A conversation between the former vice president and ABC’s Jonathan Karl on Sunday quickly centred around the issue of whether Mike Pence generally trusts the words and public pronouncements of his former boss as he looks currently poised for a dominant performance in the upcoming 2024 GOP primary.

And under repeated questioning from Karl on the issue of Trump’s statement in the hours before the January 6 attack claiming falsely that Pence would aid in his effort to overturn the 2020 election, the former vice president would only say that he was “disappointed” in the former president, not that he did not trust him. He would not even specifically say that Trump had lied.

The Independent’s John Bowden reports:

Pence ‘disappointed’ in Trump’s rhetoric around Jan 6 but mum on the man himself

Trump supporters angry at ‘radio silent’ Ron DeSantis over former president’s potential arrest

13:50 , Rachel Sharp

Ron DeSantis is under fire from a number of Republicans and right-wing figures for his silence after Donald Trump called on supporters to speak out over his anticipated arrest in New York.

Nearly two days after Mr Trump claimed on his Truth Social platform that he could be arrested on Tuesday, the conservative Florida governor has not spoken out about the one-time president’s claims as several of his ardent supporters announced plans to protest or simply spoke out against the possibility.

Mr DeSantis is widely expected to confirm his run for the 2024 presidential elections and challenge Mr Trump.

The Independent’s Shweta Sharma reports:

Trump supporters angry at ‘radio silent’ Ron DeSantis over potential arrest

WATCH: Trump attorney claims rich people pay hush money regularly

13:30 , Rachel Sharp

Kevin McCarthy calls on Americans not to protest Trump indictment

13:10 , Rachel Sharp

Republican leader Kevin McCarthy has called on Americans not to protest or turn to violence if or when Donald Trump is criminally indicted over the hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

Speaking at a press conference at the House GOP issues retreat on Sunday, the House majority leader broke rank with the former president after he claimed his arrest was imminent and called on the American people to “take our nation back”.

“I don’t think people should protest this stuff,” Mr McCarthy said.

He went on to suggest that Mr Trump was not speaking “in a harmful way” but was calling for his followers “to educate people about what’s going on”.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp reports:

Kevin McCarthy calls on Americans not to protest Trump indictment

Will Fox News settle the Dominion defamation lawsuit?

12:50 , Alex Woodward

Embarrassing and potentially reputation-damaging behind-the-scenes revelations, stitched together in Dominion’s sprawling case alleging a media empire that relies on lying to its audience, may be compelling evidence, but they are not necessarily enough to reach the high bar in a billion-dollar defamation case, according to legal analysts.

Has the voting machine company at the centre of right-wing conspiracy theories met the extremely high bar for proving defamation by the press? Maybe, but the network says losing the case would be a blow to all media.

Will Fox News settle with Dominion? First Amendment experts aren’t so sure

Mike Pence is ‘disappointed’ in Trump over January 6 but mum on ex-president’s trustworthiness

12:30 , Alex Woodward

A conversation between the former vice president and ABC’s Jonathan Karl on Sunday quickly centred around the issue of whether Mike Pence generally trusts the words and public pronouncements of his former boss as he looks currently poised for a dominant performance in the upcoming 2024 GOP primary.

And under repeated questioning from Karl on the issue of Trump’s statement in the hours before the January 6 attack claiming falsely that Pence would aid in his effort to overturn the 2020 election, the former vice president would only say that he was “disappointed” in the former president, not that he did not trust him. He would not even specifically say that Trump had lied.

The Independent’s John Bowden reports:

Pence ‘disappointed’ in Trump’s rhetoric around Jan 6 but mum on the man himself

ICYMI: Trump will hold his first 2024 campaign rally in Waco

12:10 , Alex Woodward

Donald Trump will hold his first 2024 presidential campaign rally in Waco, Texas, on 25 March – within the 30th anniversary period of the deadly 51-day law enforcement siege at the compound of the Branch Davidians religious cult.

Trump announces first 2024 campaign rally in Waco, Texas

Trump claims he’s about to be charged. What happens next?

11:50 , Alex Woodward

Donald Trump is expected to face charges filed by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose office dove back into the case in 2022, and empaneled a grand jury only as recently as January in the investigation.

So what happens next in this unprecedented case? The Independent’s John Bowden explains:

What are the potential charges against Trump?

Trump supporters float ‘Patriot Moat’ to protect ex-president as charges loom

11:30 , Alex Woodward

Trump’s supporters have called for a so-called “patriot moat” to surround the former president’s Mar-a-Lago estate to prevent what he predicted would be his arrest on Tuesday.

Mr Trump could make history this week if he is indicted over alleged hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in the run-up to the 2016 election.

The former president made the arrest prediction in a furious all-caps post on his Truth Social platform on Saturday morning and called on his supporters to protest any arrest and to “take our nation back.”

Trump supporters float ‘Patriot Moat’ to protect ex-president as charges loom

Trump hush money grand jury to hear testimony from Michael Cohen critic Robert Costello

11:10 , Rachel Sharp

A one-time ally turned critic of Michael Cohen will testify today before the grand jury investigating Donald Trump over his alleged involvement in hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

Robert Costello, who once worked as a legal adviser to Cohen, told CNN that he will appear before the Manhattan grand jury on Monday at the request of the former president’s legal team.

A source told the outlet that it was Mr Costello who had reached out to both Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s Office and Mr Trump’s legal team to offer evidence in the case.

Mr Costello, who has previously represented Mr Trump allies Steve Bannon and Rudy Giuliani, is expected to contradict public statements Cohen has made about the payments to Ms Daniels and cast doubts on his credibility.

Cohen, Mr Trump’s former “fixer” and the prosecutors’ star witness in the case, also revealed that he has been asked to make himself available as a rebuttal witness on Monday.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:

Trump grand jury to hear testimony from Michael Cohen critic Robert Costello

Nancy Pelosi and Democrats condemn Trump’s ‘reckless’ statement as he stokes unrest over indictment

10:50 , Alex Woodward

Trump’s critics and activist groups have condemned his inflammatory rhetoric and a statement from House Speaker Kevin McCarthy as Republicans quickly rallied to the former president’s defense against possible criminal prosecution.

Read this weekend’s reactions from Democratic officials and current and former Republicans:

Nancy Pelosi and Democrats condemn Trump’s ‘reckless’ statement stoking unrest

Can Donald Trump still be elected president if he’s indicted?

10:30 , Alex Woodward

What happens to the 2024 race, and Donald Trump’s ability to participate in it, if he comes under criminal indictment? The short answer is: not much. The Independent’s John Bowden explains:

Can Donald Trump still be elected president if he’s indicted?

Kevin McCarthy calls on Americans not to protest Trump indictment

10:10 , Rachel Sharp

GOP leader Kevin McCarthy has called on Americans not to protest or turn to violence if or when Donald Trump is criminally indicted over the hush money payments.

“I don’t think people should protest this stuff,” the House majority leader said in a press conference on Sunday.

His comments come after Mr Trump claimed on Saturday that he will be arrested on Tuesday and called for protests to “take our nation back” in language that drew comparisons to his rhetoric leading up to the January 6 Capitol riots.

Mr McCarthy suggested that Mr Trump was not speaking “in a harmful way” but was calling for his followers “to educate people about what’s going on”.

“He’s not talking in a harmful way. Nobody should harm one another,” said the GOP leader.

“And this is why you should really make law equal because if that was the case, nothing would happen.”

He added: “If was this to happen, we want calmness out there.”

Michael Cohen critic Robert Costello to testify today

09:50 , Rachel Sharp

A one-time ally turned critic of Michael Cohen will testify today in the grand jury investigation into Donald Trump’s role in the hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

Robert Costello, who once worked as a legal adviser to Cohen, told CNN he will appear before the grand jury at the request of the former president’s legal team.

A source told the outlet that it was Mr Costello who reached out to both Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s Office and Mr Trump’s legal team to offer evidence in the case which would go against Cohen’s public statements about the 2016 payments.

Mr Costello, who has also represented Mr Trump allies Steve Bannon and Rudy Giuliani, is expected to testify against Cohen and cast doubts on his credibility.

Cohen – who has been Manhattan prosecutors’ star witness in the case – also revealed that he had been asked to appear as a possible rebuttal witness.

It is not clear if the pair will be the final witnesses before the grand jury votes on whether to criminally indict the former president.

ICYMI: Manhattan DA warns of threats to investigators after Trump’s call to protest impending arrest

09:30 , Alex Woodward

Manhattan’s district attorney issued a private message to his staff over the weekend, writing that his office would not “tolerate attempts to intimidate our office or threaten the rule of law in New York”.

He continued: “Our law enforcement partners will ensure that any specific or credible threats against the office will be fully investigated and that the proper safeguards are in place so all 1,600 of us have a secure work environment.”

Manhattan DA warns of threats to investigators after Trump’s call to protest

Trump’s chilling warning of what will happen after his indictment

09:00 , Alex Woodward

Donald Trump’s recent remarks echo his calls to supporters that fuelled the attack on the US Capitol and his apocalyptic visions of America from his time in office and on the campaign trail, depicting his us-versus-them political stakes and a brewing civil war with grim conclusions – rhetoric that has gripped the GOP in the wake of Mr Trump’s candidacy.

Trump’s chilling warning of what will happen after his indictment

Mike Pence is giving ‘serious consideration’ to running for president

08:30 , Alex Woodward

Mike Pence, speaking with Jon Karl for ABC’s This Week from election stomping grounds in Iowa, said he is “getting closer” to make an announcement about running for president.

“We’re giving serious consideration to it ... We’re getting a lot of encouragement,” he said.

“I think now is a time for all of us who care about this country to consider our part, play a part, and make sure we elect leadership that will turn this country around in 2024 and beyond,” he added.

Everything you need to know about the Stormy Daniels case

08:00 , Alex Woodward

The story of the hush money payment to Stormy Daniels that could result in charges against Donald Trump

Alleging that a hush agreement was invalid because Trump had not signed it, adult film star Stormy Daniels sued him and triggered what would become a years-long investigation into whether the scheme was legal at all points.

That question remains unanswered today, as Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is reportedly considering charges against the former president and possibly others as part of the long-running probe into the 2016 payment.

The Independent’s John Bowden has this timeline of the Trump-Stormy relationship and the cases surrounding it:

Inside the Stormy Daniels hush money payment that could lead to first Trump charges

Trump’s rhetoric intends to intimidate prosecutors and poison a jury pool, former DoJ official says

07:00 , Alex Woodward

Donald Trump’s “incendiary rhetoric” and attempt to “intimidate local prosecutors” could “poison” a jury pool in his hometown of New York, according to a former Justice Department official.

“What I think is happening here is [Trump] trying to, number one, intimidate local prosecutors and number two, I think it also has the effect of poisoning a jury pool,” according to Anthony Cole, who used to lead the agency’s department of public affairs, speaking to MSNBC on Sunday.

He said the former president’s “incendiary rhetoric” is most troubling. Trump has invoked images of burning cities and World War III in his all-caps posts, echoing similarly apocalyptic and autocratic statements across his 2024 campaign and news of potential indictments.

“The thing that troubles me the most about what we saw over the last 24 hours is this type of incendiary rhetoric,” he said. “It’s … something we have of course seen before on January 6 leading into the violent attack on the Capitol.”

Hakeem Jeffries: MAGA Republicans ‘have not learned their lesson’ by endorsing violent extremism

06:00 , Alex Woodward

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries condemned Donald Trump’s incendiary rhetoric stoking unrest and demanding that his followers “protest” his predicted “arrest.”

In a statement on Saturday, as Democratic leaders rejected the former president’s alarming statements, the New York congressman said that “right-wing extremists who fan the flames of political violence with inflammatory rhetoric are not fit to serve”.

“The extreme MAGA Republicans as a group want to defund the FBI, investigate and intimidate law enforcement and continue to coddle violent insurrectionists who tried to overthrow the government,” Mr Jeffries told MSNBC’s Inside with Jen Psaki on Sunday.

“They clearly have not learned their lesson, and they are doubling and tripling down on their extremism, even when that extremism could have potentially deadly and violent consequences,” he said.

Who is Alvin Bragg? The Manhattan district attorney who could criminally prosecute Donald Trump

04:00 , Alex Woodward

Alvin Bragg has been tight-lipped about the case and his office’s work, ensuring in his recent memo that, “as with all of our investigations, we will continue to apply the law evenly and fairly, and speak publicly only when appropriate.”

But he could make history with a looming indictment against the former president, potentially the first to ever face criminal charges.

Right-wing opponents, meanwhile, have bombarded Mr Bragg’s office with claims of election interference or raised baseless conspiracy theories, including antisemitic and racist attacks, that accuse Mr Bragg of leading a politically motivated case against the 2024 candidate for president.

Alvin Bragg: The district attorney who could criminally prosecute Donald Trump

Trump lashes out at Biden in evidence-free rant as he frets about impending charges

03:00 , Alex Woodward

Donald Trump lashed out at Joe Biden on Sunday as he appears to be consumed with anger and concern over the Manhattan district attorney’s investigation into a hush payment his attorney made to an adult film star on his behalf in 2016.

In his latest rant, the former president accused the Biden administration of working hand in hand with Alvin Bragg, the DA who empaneled a grand jury investigation in January that now appears to be nearing criminal charges.

Trump lashes out at Biden in evidence-free rant as he frets about impending charges

House Dem leader Hakeem Jeffries: ‘Mike Pence has embarrassed himself’

02:00 , Alex Woodward

After former vice president Mike Pence criticised a potential criminal indictment of Donald Trump rather than the former president’s language stoking unrest, which mirrored his remarks surrounding January 6, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said Mr Pence has “embarrassed himself.”

The New York congressman, appearing on Jen Psaki’s new MSNBC programme, said the former vice president “knows better.”

“No one is above the law. That is a defining principle of the republic and has been the cast for 247 years,” he added. “I would just urge everyone to allow the prosecutors to do their job ... and we’ll see where these investigations lead.”

Trump’s chilling warning of what will happen after his indictment

01:00 , Alex Woodward

Donald Trump’s business was convicted of criminal charges less than three weeks after the November announcement of his 2024 campaign, fuelled by grievances and his failure to overturn the election he lost just two years ago, and seen by his opponents as an attempt to shield himself from looming criminal prosecutions.

In the weeks that followed, Trump has repeatedly invoked a darkly pessimistic view of America, warning his followers that the country will enter World War III if he is not elected, and vowing “retribution” against their political opponents if he is.

Trump’s chilling warning of what will happen after his indictment

Former Trump adviser is ‘anti-protest’ after former president’s demands but stresses ‘no one is above the law’

00:00 , Alex Woodward

Former Trump economic advisor Gary Cohn said he is “anti-protest” after his former boss demanded that his supporters “protest, protest, protest” what he said was his incoming arrest in New York following investigations from the Manhattan district attorney’s office.

“I’m anti-protest, so I don’t think we should be protesting anything,” he told CBS Face The Nation on Sunday. “I hope that America has learned from what has happened in the past and I hope whatever happens next week, we just have a very peaceful set of events.”

The investigation has been fiercely rejected by Republican officials as politically motivated, though no one has seen any still-unreleased indictments or evidence documents to make such claims, while others have urged for the legal process to play out unobstructed.

“When it comes to this, no one is above the law,” Mr Cohn said. “But there also may be some politics involved, so both of those things may be true.”

Elizabeth Warren: ‘There’s no reason to protest this. This is the law operating as it should without fear or favor for anyone’

Sunday 19 March 2023 23:00 , Alex Woodward

Trump’s calls for protests are another case of “Donald Trump just trying to advance the interests of Donald Trump,” said Democratic US Senator Elizabeth Warren, who urged that investigations involving the former president move forward without interruption.

“No one is above the law, not even the former president of the United States,” she told ABC’s This Week on Sunday. “If there has been an investigation, that investigation should be allowed to go forward appropriately. If it’s time to bring indictments, then they’ll bring indictments. That’s how our legal system works.”

She added that “there’s no reason to protest this.”

“This is the law operating as it should without fear or favor for anyone,” she said.

Trump claims he’s about to be charged. What happens next?

Sunday 19 March 2023 22:00 , Alex Woodward

Donald Trump is expected to face charges filed by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose office dove back into the case in 2022, and empaneled a grand jury only as recently as January in the investigation.

So what happens next in this unprecedented case? The Independent’s John Bowden explains:

What are the potential charges against Trump?

Michael Cohen stresses that Trump’s potential indictment is for ‘his own dirty deeds,’ not politics

Sunday 19 March 2023 21:00 , Alex Woodward

Donald Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen stressed to MSNBC on Sunday that his former client’s likely prosecution “is about Donald Trump being held accountable for his own dirty deeds,” not because of his politics.

“I don’t want to see anyone, and that includes Donald Trump, indicted, prosecuted, convicted, incarcerated, because I fundamentally, or the country, fundamentally disagrees with so much of what comes out of his mouth,” he added.

He said he “absolutely” believes Trump will be fingerprinted and photographed in custody, but he said he does not want to see him in handcuffs, an image that he said would be humiliating for the institution of the presidency and be weaponised by American adversaries.

“I don’t want to see Donald handcuffed and paraded through … because it’s an embarrassment to our country,” Cohen said. “Could you imagine our allies and our adversaries, how they could either enjoy this or despise us as a direct result?”

Mike Pence is ‘disappointed’ in Trump over January 6 but mum on ex-president’s trustworthiness

Sunday 19 March 2023 20:30 , Alex Woodward

A conversation between the former vice president and ABC’s Jonathan Karl on Sunday quickly centred around the issue of whether Mike Pence generally trusts the words and public pronouncements of his former boss as he looks currently poised for a dominant performance in the upcoming 2024 GOP primary.

And under repeated questioning from Karl on the issue of Trump’s statement in the hours before the January 6 attack claiming falsely that Pence would aid in his effort to overturn the 2020 election, the former vice president would only say that he was “disappointed” in the former president, not that he did not trust him. He would not even specifically say that Trump had lied.

The Independent’s John Bowden reports:

Pence ‘disappointed’ in Trump’s rhetoric around Jan 6 but mum on the man himself

Michael Cohen to return to DA’s office in Monday as ‘rebuttal witness’

Sunday 19 March 2023 20:00 , Alex Woodward

Donald Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen will return to the Manhattan district attorney’s office on Monday to appear as a rebuttal witness, though he told MSNBC that to whom or what he is addressing is unclear.

Cohen – who was convicted in a federal case involving Trump’s hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels, a transaction allegedly central to a reported indictment against the former president – told MSNBC on Sunday that he was asked by the DA’s office to make himself available on Monday.

“I don’t know who the person is. Obviously once I find out who the person is I’ll know what the issue is because I was personally involved,” he said. “Again, I don’t know. It’s a little premature for me to be answering any questions on a topic that I, again, I don’t know who the person is and whether or not that person is or is not going to tell the truth.”

Hakeem Jeffries: MAGA Republicans ‘have not learned their lesson’ by endorsing violent extremism

Sunday 19 March 2023 19:40 , Alex Woodward

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries condemned Donald Trump’s incendiary rhetoric stoking unrest and demanding that his followers “protest” his predicted “arrest.”

In a statement on Saturday, as Democratic leaders rejected the former president’s alarming statements, the New York congressman said that “right-wing extremists who fan the flames of political violence with inflammatory rhetoric are not fit to serve”.

“The extreme MAGA Republicans as a group want to defund the FBI, investigate and intimidate law enforcement and continue to coddle violent insurrectionists who tried to overthrow the government,” Mr Jeffries told MSNBC’s Inside with Jen Psaki on Sunday.

“They clearly have not learned their lesson, and they are doubling and tripling down on their extremism, even when that extremism could have potentially deadly and violent consequences,” he said.

House Dem leader Hakeem Jeffries: ‘Mike Pence has embarrassed himself'

Sunday 19 March 2023 19:20 , Alex Woodward

After former vice president Mike Pence criticised a potential criminal indictment of Donald Trump rather than the former president’s language stoking unrest, which mirrored his remarks surrounding January 6, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said Mr Pence has “embarrassed himself.”

The New York congressman, appearing on Jen Psaki’s new MSNBC programme, said the former vice president “knows better.”

“No one is above the law. That is a defining principle of the republic and has been the cast for 247 years,” he added. “I would just urge everyone to allow the prosecutors to do their job ... and we’ll see where these investigations lead.”

Trump’s rhetoric intends to intimidate prosecutors and poison a jury pool, former DoJ official says

Sunday 19 March 2023 19:00 , Alex Woodward

Donald Trump’s “incendiary rhetoric” and attempt to “intimidate local prosecutors” could “poison” a jury pool in his hometown of New York, according to a former Justice Department official.

“What I think is happening here is [Trump] trying to, number one, intimidate local prosecutors and number two, I think it also has the effect of poisoning a jury pool,” according to Anthony Cole, who used to lead the agency’s department of public affairs, speaking to MSNBC on Sunday.

He said the former president’s “incendiary rhetoric” is most troubling. Trump has invoked images of burning cities and World War III in his all-caps posts, echoing similarly apocalyptic and autocratic statements across his 2024 campaign and news of potential indictments.

“The thing that troubles me the most about what we saw over the last 24 hours is this type of incendiary rhetoric,” he said. “It’s … something we have of course seen before on January 6 leading into the violent attack on the Capitol.”

‘No crime, period’: Trump proclaims innocence and suggests ‘prosecutorial misconduct’ and election inferference

Sunday 19 March 2023 18:26 , Alex Woodward

Donald Trump has baselessly suggested that the long-running investigation into his business and allegations of fraud are “prosecutorial misconduct and interference with an election” as it appears one of those probes has now resulted in a potential indictment and his arrest as he campaigns for the 2024 presidential election.

“There was no ‘misdemeanor’ here either,” he wrote on Truth Social on Sunday. “There was no crime, period.”

He claimed that “many Democrat law enforcement officers ... took a pass” on his case, but that Alvin Bragg “changed his mind.”

“Gee, I wonder why?” he said.

The story of the hush money payment to Stormy Daniels that could result in charges against Donald Trump

Sunday 19 March 2023 18:02 , Alex Woodward

Alleging that a hush agreement was invalid because Trump had not signed it, adult film star Stormy Daniels sued him and triggered what would become a years-long investigation into whether the scheme was legal at all points.

That question remains unanswered today, as Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is reportedly considering charges against the former president and possibly others as part of the long-running probe into the 2016 payment.

The Independent’s John Bowden has this timeline of the Trump-Stormy relationship and the cases surrounding it:

Inside the Stormy Daniels hush money payment that could lead to first Trump charges

Just in: Trump lashes out at Biden in evidence-free rant as he frets about impending charges

Sunday 19 March 2023 17:25 , Alex Woodward

Donald Trump lashed out at Joe Biden on Sunday as he appears to be consumed with anger and concern over the Manhattan district attorney’s investigation into a hush payment his attorney made to an adult film star on his behalf in 2016.

In his latest rant, the former president accused the Biden administration of working hand in hand with Alvin Bragg, the DA who empaneled a grand jury investigation in January that now appears to be nearing criminal charges.

Trump lashes out at Biden in evidence-free rant as he frets about impending charges

Kari Lake said she spoke with Trump: ‘He sounds incredible'

Sunday 19 March 2023 17:10 , Alex Woodward

Failed far-right candidate for Arizona governor Kari Lake, reportedly among a pool of potential running mates alongside Donald Trump in his 2024 campaign, said she spoke with the former president last night.

“He sounds incredible, despite the endless political persecution,” she said. (The former president is being investigated across several criminal and civil investigations with mounting allegations of fraud and conspiracy.)

Trump supporters float ‘Patriot Moat’ to protect ex-president as charges loom

Sunday 19 March 2023 17:00 , Alex Woodward

Trump’s supporters have called for a so-called “patriot moat” to surround the former president’s Mar-a-Lago estate to prevent his predicted arrest.

Mr Trump could make history this week if he is indicted over alleged hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in the run-up to the 2016 election.

The former president made the arrest prediction in a furious all-caps post on his Truth Social platform on Saturday morning and called on his supporters to protest any arrest and to “take our nation back.”

Trump supporters float ‘Patriot Moat’ to protect ex-president as charges loom

Another witness testifying before Manhattan grand jury ahead of potential Trump indictment, report says

Sunday 19 March 2023 16:40 , Alex Woodward

Another witness is reportedly still on a list for a Manhattan grand jury to review this week, with testimony expected on Monday afternoon.

The Independent’s John Bowden has the latest:

Another witness testifying before grand jury ahead of potential Trump indictment

Former Trump adviser is ‘anti-protest’ after former president’s demands but stresses ‘no one is above the law'

Sunday 19 March 2023 16:20 , Alex Woodward

Former Trump economic advisor Gary Cohn said he is “anti-protest” after his former boss demanded that his supporters “protest, protest, protest” what he said was his incoming arrest in New York following investigations from the Manhattan district attorney’s office.

“I’m anti-protest, so I don’t think we should be protesting anything,” he told CBS Face The Nation on Sunday. “I hope that America has learned from what has happened in the past and I hope whatever happens next week, we just have a very peaceful set of events.”

The investigation has been fiercely rejected by Republican officials as politically motivated, though no one has seen any still-unreleased indictments or evidence documents to make such claims, while others have urged for the legal process to play out unobstructed and underscored that no one is above the law.

“When it comes to this, no one is above the law,” Mr Cohn said. “But there also may be some politics involved, so both of those things may be true.”

Mike Pence will ‘respect the court’s decision’ over his Jan 6 testimony after refusing subpoena

Sunday 19 March 2023 16:00 , Alex Woodward

Mike Pence will respect a court’s decision that could compel his testimony to a federal grand jury investigating January 6, he told ABC’sThis Week on Sunday.

The former vice president has so far refused to willingly comply with a subpoena from Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith, who is leading probes into the events surrounding the attack on the US Capitol and efforts to subvert the 2020 election.

But the former vice president said he is not relying on executive privilege to exempt his testimony. He is instead arguing that he is protected under the US Constitution’s speech and debate clause, which blocks lawmakers from being held legally accountable for their words in official legislative proceedings.

“I’ve directed my attorneys to make a strong case in defense of my role as president of the Senate, presiding over a joint session of Congress on that day and in the preparation for that, and we’ll let the courts sort it out,” Pence said in an interview with BC.

“But I’ve actually never asserted that other matters unrelated to January 6, would otherwise be protected by speech and debate,” he said, adding that he would “respect the decisions of the court.”

Elizabeth Warren: ‘There’s no reason to protest this. This is the law operating as it should without fear or favor for anyone'

Sunday 19 March 2023 15:45 , Alex Woodward

Trump’s calls for protests are another case of “Donald Trump just trying to advance the interests of Donald Trump,” said Democratic US Senator Elizabeth Warren, who urged that investigations involving the former president move forward without interruption.

“No one is above the law, not even the former president of the United States,” she told ABC’s This Week on Sunday. “If there has been an investigation, that investigation should be allowed to go forward appropriately. If it’s time to bring indictments, then they’ll bring indictments. That’s how our legal system works.”

She added that “there’s no reason to protest this.”

“This is the law operating as it should without fear or favor for anyone,” she said.

Will Pence support Trump if he’s the GOP’s nominee in 2024?

Sunday 19 March 2023 15:30 , Alex Woodward

In his interview with ABC’s This Week, former vice president Mike Pence said he is giving “serious consideration” to running for president in 2024, with a Republican field that so far includes only Nikki Haley and Donald Trump.

But asked if he will support the former president if he wins the party’s nomination, Pence replied: “I think that’s yet to be seen … I think we’ll have better choices.”

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