FORMER President Donald Trump has been indicted on charges stemming from alleged hush payments to adult star Stormy Daniels before his tenure in the White House.
The historic development will lead to a New York arrest that could look different due to the MAGA leader’s elite status.
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Trump, 76, has yet to be taken in but will be arrested as he faces criminal charges.
Traditionally with white-collar crimes prosecutors would negotiate the terms of surrender with defense attorneys.
It’s been reported that the Truth Social lawyers have already reached an agreement with state attorneys and said Trump will fly out from his Florida estate to New York where he will face the charges in person.
Like any alleged criminal, the former commander-in-chief will be fingerprinted, photographed, and read his rights, but the steps following the arrest could look different, The New York Times reports.
However, he will be protected by Secret Service officers who are required by law to stand by him at all times.
Trump is expected to surrender to the Manhattan DA’s office early next week, his attorney told NBC News.
In a statement released after the indictment, Trump maintained his innocence and said: “This is Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history.
He claimed Democrats have “cheated countless times over the decades” and deemed the Manhattan DA “a disgrace.”
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“I believe this Witch-Hunt will backfire massively on Joe Biden,” Trump wrote in the statement.
“The American people realize exactly what the Radical Left Democrats are doing here.
“Everyone can see it.”
Trump’s former lawyer Michael D. Cohen reportedly made the payments to 44-year-old Daniels, born Stephanie Clifford, who claimed to have had an affair with the former president in 2006.
Cohen allegedly paid her $130,000 right before the 2016 presidential election to stay quiet about an alleged sexual encounter they had.
In the years that followed, Cohen acknowledged making the payment to Daniels.
The adult star claimed Cohen used “intimidation and coercive tactics” to get her to sign on to the statement denying her affair with Trump.
Cohen eventually pleaded guilty to campaign finance charges stemming from his involvement with the payments.
He told a federal court in Manhattan that Trump directed him to make the payments.
Cohen was eventually sentenced to three years in prison.
New York investigators have gained traction in recent months, leading to Trump’s indictment on Thursday.
The former president has long denied having any affair with the adult star, calling the investigation a “witch hunt.”
Trump will be the first U.S. president ever to be arrested in American history.
The explosive indictment of Trump comes as he’s seeking the Republican nomination for president in 2024.
DeSantis, who has not announced his presidential campaign but is considered Trump’s biggest threat for the Republican nomination, took a shot at Trump’s ongoing dilemma with NY County District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I do know this: The Manhattan district attorney is a [George] Soros-funded prosecutor,” the Florida governor said, accusing Bragg of weaponizing his office to go after Trump while overlooking other crimes in NYC.
DeSantis added: “I don’t know what goes into paying hush money to a porn star to secure silence over some type of alleged affair. I just, I can’t speak to that.”
