Donald Trump rolled up to Trump Tower on Monday, surrounded by FBI Agents and Secret Service, but notably not surrounded by an adoring crowd. In the next hour, Trump is expected to climb back into a limo and be driven the four miles between his gold-plated apartment and the courthouse in Manhattan. At that point, Trump will be arrested and informed of the charges against him.
Reports from some of those around Trump have indicated that he may make some kind of statement before entering the courthouse, and it is hard to believe Trump would pass up what has to be the biggest collection of cameras that has pointed his way since at least Jan. 6, 2021. Expectations are that Trump will move immediately to a courtroom after he goes through the arrest process, where he will be given a chance to enter a plea, then—depending on whether Trump can constrain himself long enough to simply say “not guilty”—he’ll likely be immediately released and head back down the road to his New York home.
At the moment, the crowds around both the courthouse and Trump Tower are relatively small and the number of pro-Trump signs and flags is even smaller. That may change, but at the moment the efforts from Trump, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and others on the right doesn’t seem to have resulted in any significant show of in-person support for Trump.
UPDATE: Tuesday, Apr 4, 2023 · 8:26:39 PM +00:00 · Hunter
In a press conference, Bragg emphasizes that New York election law makes it “a crime to conspire to promote a candidacy by unlawful means,” and that Trump’s catch-and-kill schemes with AMI and hush money to Daniels ran afoul of those laws. That’s why Trump had to hide the Daniels payments through a fraudulent accounting scheme; he was forced to hide the 2016 crime by engaging in another that spanned the whole of 2017.
UPDATE: Tuesday, Apr 4, 2023 · 7:50:33 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
So, there you go. 34 charges of falsifying business records in the first degree, and a statement of fact that directly speaks to how Trump used his money to hide information from the public in advance of the 2016 election. That statement of fact may be the most succinct, and most damning, version of the events involving Trump’s hush money payments that has ever been laid out.
UPDATE: Tuesday, Apr 4, 2023 · 7:46:10 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Trump’s attorneys now in front of the cameras claiming that there were “no facts” in the indictment. Apparently the judge did give instructions to everyone not to use language that would encourage violence. Trump’s attorneys are saying that wasn’t aimed at Trump — though it’s hard to single out someone else in this case that has done so.
UPDATE: Tuesday, Apr 4, 2023 · 7:39:54 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
The DA’s office included a statement of facts, which is itself an uncommon event. 34 charges of falsifying business records in the first degree. People are going to be disappointed that this doesn’t include a conspiracy charge, but these are ALL felony counts.
The defendant DONALD J. TRUMP repeatedly and fraudulently falsified NewYork business records to conceal criminal conduct that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election.2. From August 2015 to December 2017, the Defendant orchestrated a scheme with others to influence the 2016 presidential election by identifying and purchasing negative information about him to suppress its publication and benefit the Defendant’s electoral prospects.In order to execute the unlawful scheme, the participants violated election laws and made and caused false entries in the business records of various entities in New York. The participants also took steps that mischaracterized, for tax purposes, the true nature of the payments made in furtherance of the scheme.
UPDATE: Tuesday, Apr 4, 2023 · 6:50:30 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
We still don’t know all the charges, but word is that there are in fact 34 charges and that Trump has pleaded not guilty. Epshteyn is reportedly sitting at the defense table.
Waiting for the DA’s office to release the charges, which should now be unsealed.
UPDATE: Tuesday, Apr 4, 2023 · 6:19:05 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Trump reportedly completed processing (fingerprints, etc) at around 2:00. Court was scheduled to begin at 2:15.
At this point, it’s a little late, but Trump’s attorneys may have already been handed the list of charges and may be going over them with Trump.
UPDATE: Tuesday, Apr 4, 2023 · 5:57:29 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
CNN keeps assuming that everyone in the court will refer to Trump as “Mr. President,” even when reading him Miranda rights. Which seems utterly ridiculous. That may work for blowing the minds of CNN pundits, but that’s not how it’s actually going to go down in the DA’s office. They’re just going to use his name.
UPDATE: Tuesday, Apr 4, 2023 · 5:53:55 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Still reports that Trump is going to make a “short statement” to the press on his way to the courtroom. Since he’s in custody, that would have to be with consent of the court.
The venue outside the courtroom doesn’t seem to have much space for observers. So not the best place for any kind of stirring statement.
UPDATE: Tuesday, Apr 4, 2023 · 5:42:54 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Apparently Trump had time for another “truth” on his way to the DA’s office:
“Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse. Seems so SURREAL—WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Can’t believe this is happening in America. MAGA!”
Believe it, Don. Believe.
UPDATE: Tuesday, Apr 4, 2023 · 5:35:51 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Trump will remain in custody until he appears before a judge today. It’s unclear just how long the process within the district attorney’s office will take, but Trump will be making a trip up and down to the 7th floor of the building for processing. There is a holding cell in the room where the processing takes place, but Trump is not expected to be placed there.
UPDATE: Tuesday, Apr 4, 2023 · 5:22:28 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Reporters noting that one big obstacle for this trial is that Trump has another trial scheduled for October on charges from New York state, and in just three weeks will be in another New York courthouse to face rape charges levied by writer E. Jean Carroll.
Scheduling Trump’s time is going to require coordination between judges, and that’s before either the federal cases being handled by Jack Smith or the case in Georgia get involved.
Greene is present, but the message she’s getting from the New York City crowd may not exactly be to her liking.
Another Republican presence seems like the perfect endorsement for Trump on this day.
“I’m here because I felt like the people needed to see that their representative supports the rule of law." —George Santos, attacking a district attorney as he explains why he's there to support Donald Trump.