OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
A lawyer representing Donald Trump discussed the potential scenario at the former president’s Mar-a-Lago estate if he is indicted this week by a Manhattan grand jury.
The attorney stated that Trump would not resist and would surrender to authorities in the event of an indictment in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation into a hush-money agreement from his 2016 presidential campaign, The Hill reported.
“There won’t be a standoff at Mar-a-Lago with Secret Service and the Manhattan DA’s office,” Joe Tacopina told The New York Daily News. He went on to say that Trump, whom he characterized as a survivor, would utilize any charges brought against him to his political advantage in the long run.
“Most people would collapse under the weight of this,” he said. “He seems to turn everything into a positive and everything into a boost for his campaign, so I’m sure this will just join that long list of things that people think no one could overcome, but he will.”
On Friday, news emerged that Bragg is nearing an indictment of Trump over hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 campaign, which were purportedly made to keep her silent about an alleged affair they had in 2006.
Michael Cohen, a former lawyer for Trump who testified before the grand jury in the investigation earlier this week, pleaded guilty in 2018 to multiple charges, including violating campaign finance laws by paying Daniels $130,000. Cohen claims he made the payment at Trump’s request, according to The Hill.
Daniels, meanwhile, met with Manhattan prosecutors who are leading the probe on Wednesday, the outlet continued.
Trump acknowledged reimbursing Cohen for the payment but insisted that it was not associated with his campaign funds. The Trump Organization classified the payment reimbursing Cohen as a legitimate expenditure. Others have noted as well that Trump self-funded his first campaign.
Trump last week declined an invitation to appear before the grand jury, which experts say was another sign of an impending indictment.
Republican lawmakers have begun to rally around Trump. Conservatives in the House, especially, reacted after Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) vowed on Saturday to direct “relevant committees” to look into whether any federal funds are being utilized for what he called “politically motivated prosecutions.”
“Here we go again — an outrageous abuse of power by a radical DA who lets violent criminals walk as he pursues political vengeance against President Trump. I’m directing relevant committees to immediately investigate if federal funds are being used to subvert our democracy by interfering in elections with politically motivated prosecutions,” McCarthy tweeted on Saturday.
Other Republicans have also responded since the news broke.
Although he has recently criticized former Trump’s actions on January 6th, former Vice President Mike Pence, who is considering a presidential run in 2024, stated that the possible indictment “smells like the type of politically motivated prosecution we experienced during the Russia hoax,” NBC News reported.
Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, the third-ranking Republican in the House and someone whose name has been mentioned as a potential 2024 running mate, called Trump’s possible arrest “unAmerican” and added that Democrats have reached “a dangerous new low.”
“Knowing they cannot beat President Trump at the ballot box, the Radical Left will now follow the lead of Socialist dictators and reportedly arrest President Trump,” she said in a statement shared on Twitter, describing him as the leading GOP candidate.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), speaking at the Vision ’24 National Conservative Forum on Saturday, dismissed the Manhattan district attorney’s case against Trump, asserting that he believes the prosecutors are “scared” of him.
“The prosecutor in New York has done more to help Donald Trump get elected president than any single person in America today,” Graham said.
He noted further: “If I were President Trump, I’d take this all the way to the damn Supreme Court.”
Added Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.): “If they can come for Trump, they will come for you. This type of stuff only occurs in third world authoritarian nations.”
“Virtually every campaign finance violation involves either 1) spending other people’s money illegally or 2) taking money into your campaign that you shouldn’t. Trump did neither,” tweeted Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida. “He used his own money to resolve a private dispute, irrespective of any campaign.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, another potential Trump running mate, called the allegations against Trump “fake” and “outdated.” She wrote on Twitter, “Republicans in Congress MUST subpoena these communists and END this!”
She also noted in another tweet that “we don’t need to protest,” adding: “These idiots are sealing their own fate in 2024 because the silent majority has two feelings right now about the current regime.”
