Trump “shocked” but willing to “fight” after $130,000 payment indictment to former porn actress

The lawyers of Donald Trump went on the offensive this Friday after the historic indictment of their client, warning that the former president of the United States rules out a plea bargain and will “fight” all charges, on his way to the 2024 presidential election.

A New York grand jury indicted Trump on Thursday night on criminal charges over a $130,000 cash payment to a former porn actress to buy her silence during the 2016 presidential campaign.

According to his lawyers, the former president, who is at his residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, will turn himself in to New York authorities on Tuesday to face charges, which are being kept secret.

Trump, 76, will be arrested and will have to experience what no other former president of the United States has experienced: having his fingerprints taken and a photo for the mugshot.

“The president will not be handcuffed,” said Joe Tacopina, one of the lawyers, who does not believe prosecutors will allow “this to become a circus.”

Tacopina said the case brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, presents “substantial legal challenges” and that the former president will plead “not guilty.”

There is “zero” chance that he will accept a plea deal, Tacopina said. “That’s not going to happen. There’s no crime.”

The indictment left Trump “shocked,” according to his lawyer, but he is now “ready to fight.”

“Witch hunt”

Trump denies breaking the law and accuses prosecutor Bragg of launching a “political witch hunt.”

“ELECTION INTERFERENCE, TRIAL TRIAL!” Trump posted on his Truth Social social media platform. “He hates me,” he added about Juan Manuel Marchal, the judge who could preside over an eventual trial.

The objective of the indictment, according to him, is to prevent the Republican Party from nominating him as a candidate for the White House at a time when he is the clear favorite, although he seems to have lost the mobilization capacity and luster of yesteryear.

Trump himself predicted his indictment days ago and called protests warning that they could lead to “death and potential destruction” in the country.

For now, security has been tightened at the downtown Manhattan courthouse where Trump is expected to be prosecuted.

Do you have support?

Is Donald Trump alone in New York? A handful of followers came this Friday to give their support to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, where law enforcement is on alert for the possibility of riots.

With the vivid memory of the riots on January 6, 2021 when thousands of supporters stormed the Capitol in Washington, the New York police shielded the building of the Manhattan Prosecutor’s Office and the Trump Tower on 5th Avenue, where journalists from half the world lurked. the slightest movement.

“The agents are on alert and the department is ready to respond at any time and will guarantee that each person can exercise their rights peacefully,” says a statement sent to AFP, specifying that there are currently “no credible threats” in New York. .

In total, three followers appeared on Friday afternoon before the offices of prosecutor Alvin Bragg, who charged the tycoon the day before, the first former president who will have to sit on the bench of justice.