A White House spokesperson told The Epoch Times that it has no comment on the announcement that a grand jury in New York has indicted former President Donald Trump.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg confirmed on Thursday evening that a grand jury had indicted the former president.
In a statement on Twitter, a spokesman for Bragg said his office had contacted Trump’s attorneys to “coordinate his surrender” to the DA’s office for arraignment. Bragg’s office wrote that the indictment against Trump “remains under seal” and that “guidance will be provided when the arraignment date is selected.”
Trump’s lawyer Joe Tacopina said in a statement that Trump “did not commit any crime,” vowing to “vigorously fight this political prosecution in Court.”
Trump is expected to surrender to the Manhattan DA’s office early next week following his indictment, Tacopina told NBC News.
— Alvin Bragg (@ManhattanDA) March 30, 2023
In a statement, Trump decried the indictment as a “witch hunt” meant to hurt him politically.
“This is Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history,” Trump said in a statement shortly after the indictment was handed down. “The Democrats have lied, cheated and stolen in their obsession with trying to ‘Get Trump,’ but now they’ve done the unthinkable—indicting a completely innocent person in an act of blatant Election Interference.”
The grand jury investigation centers around alleged hush-money payments Trump made to adult performer Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, and model Karen McDougal during his 2016 presidential campaign.
Bragg’s office has reportedly sought to charge the former commander-in-chief with misclassifying payments, although details of the case are not clear as the indictment remains under seal. In New York, judges often unseal them after charges are brought in person.
Trump, who lives in Florida, will have to voluntarily travel to Manhattan to surrender and face the charges against him. Tacopina has previously said the former president would voluntarily surrender if indicted.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a potential challenger to Trump for the 2024 Republican nomination, has criticized the indictment and said he will not comply with any extradition requests.
“Florida will not assist in an extradition request given the questionable circumstances at issue with this Soros-backed Manhattan prosecutor and his political agenda,” he said in a statement on Twitter, referring to billionaire financier George Soros.
Earlier this month, Trump, while speaking to reporters at the Conservative Political Action Conference, said he won’t drop out of the 2024 race if criminally charged.
“Oh, absolutely, I won’t even think about leaving,” Trump said, responding to a question. “Probably, it’ll enhance my numbers, but it’s a very bad thing for America. It’s very bad for the country.”
Emel Akan and Gary Bai contributed to this report.
From The Epoch Times