Two former prosecutors explained that New York is accustomed to having high-profile people processed for indictments, but they’ve never dealt with a former president before.
Former President Donald Trump told his followers over the weekend that he would be arrested on Tuesday. The New York grand jury will hear at least one witness and possibly two witnesses, as well as any closing statements from the district attorney’s office. Then they deliberate on whether to indict.
Explaining how it works, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, the former chief assistant D.A. in the Manhattan D.A.’s office, explained that the grand jury would be asked to sign an indictment if they vote for one. It will be filed under a seal because grand juries are secret. But given Donald Trump likes to post about what’s happening, he might reveal that he’s being indicted before the district attorney’s office does.
“Then, typically, they make arrangements with the Trump team to surrender so that he can show up voluntarily, and he’ll be processed the way every other defendant is handled in New York, whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican,” she continued.
CNN asked Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba on Sunday if Trump would go peacefully. She replied that he isn’t one to “hide under the covers,” implying that he will be willing to surrender himself.
“The Manhattan D.A.’s office has a long history of prosecuting people without fear or favor,” explained Agnifilo. “They don’t look at things like what party you’re with, and he will be processed and fingerprinted and photographed and arrest processed. And he’ll be arraigned, told what charges he is facing, and I’m 100 percent certain he will enter a plea of not guilty. And that’s that. He’ll go home after that. This is not a bail-eligible offense in New York because it’s a nonviolent felony.”
The only information that will likely be revealed about the charges and the case will likely come from Donald Trump, with the D.A. being confined by the case’s seal.
“And he likes to get his story out, true or not,” continued Agnifilo. “So he will at some point likely say something and use this as a media opportunity, I think, to further get his base riled up and call for protests, and frankly, these protests he’s calling for in New York City, the NYPD has a long history of knowing how to handle mass protests, whether they are peaceful or not peaceful. I have no doubt that they will handle this and handle this expertly and keep people safe. But Donald Trump thinks that he, you know, can mess with the criminal justice system in some way, and that’s what he’s going to try to do. He’s going to make it so that things happen differently for him.”
See the full segment below or at the link here.
Prosecutors walk through what the process is for Trump’s arrest
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