Former U.S. President Donald Trump gestures during an event at a fire station following the recent derailment of a train carrying toxic waste, in East Palestine, Ohio, February 22, 2023.
Free Alan | Reuters
Former President Donald Trump will surrender in the face criminal charges if prosecuted by Manhattan juryhis attorney said Friday night.
Lawyer, Joseph Tacopinaspoke after a WNBC report that federal, state and local law enforcement agencies are preparing security measures for the possibility that Trump will be indicted as early as next week.
“Will follow normal procedures if that comes,” Tacopina told CNBC when asked what Trump would do if that possibility materializes.
Trump is being investigated by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office because his firm recorded legal costs of reimbursement to his former personal attorney Michael Cohen for $130,000 he gave the porn star. Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election to keep her quiet about her alleged sexual relationship with Trump.
Trump denies having a sexual relationship with Daniels, and has denounced the investigation and other criminal investigations he faces as a partisan witch hunt.
In this March 17, 2011 file photo, attorney Joseph Tacopina speaks to the media outside Superior Court in New Haven, Conn.
Jessica Hill | AP
Since the grand jury has been empowered in recent months and the potential for impeachment has grown, questions have been raised about whether Trump would resist surrendering if charged and what to do. What would happen if he did?
Trump, who is under 24-hour protection by the US Secret Service, currently resides at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, where he rarely leaves.
Under Florida law, the governor is responsible for ensuring that a person in one state is arrested and delivered to another state if he or she is charged with a felony.
However, Florida law also gives the governor the power to call for further investigation before extraditing a defendant if the defendant refuses to comply.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is currently positioning himself as the likely candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
Trump announced himself as a candidate for the GOP nomination last fall.
Even before that, Trump and his allies were annoyed by DeSantis’ popularity among Republicans.
Cohen, who has met with investigators 20 times over several years, testified for two days earlier this week before the grand jury. Daniels spoke to prosecutors via Zoom on Wednesday.
Cohen previously pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges during the campaign related to payments to Daniels, which he said Trump directed him to do to avoid hurting his chances of winning the White House. in his 2016.
That crime is the hinge of what could be the prosecution of Trump in state Criminal Court in Manhattan.
Companies are prohibited by New York state law from misclassifying the nature of expenses, such as, in theory, calling Cohen’s reimbursement for Daniels payments “legal expenses.”
Violation of that law could result in a misdemeanor charge. But that could be elevated to a felony if the false declaration was made to cover up another crime.
