The New York Criminal Court and American politics in turmoil ahead of an imminent historic moment: The first indictment against a former United States President could arrive as early as today or be delayed for a few more days when the grand jury appointed by District Attorney Alvin Bragg takes more Time after hearing another witness, Robert Costello, question the credibility of Trump’s lead accuser, Michael Cohen.
The ex-president himself said a few days ago that he would be arrested yesterday in the Stormy Daniels case: the porn star who was allegedly paid with election money ($130,000) in 2016 to remain silent about a sexual relationship ten years earlier, according to Trump. A fact he has always denied but corroborated by Michael Cohen, his attorney at the time, and ended up in prison for that admission and other crimes, including perjury. It appears that the members of the grand jury have satisfied themselves of the accuracy of the allegations made against Trump of improper use of election funds (with corresponding misaccounting).
Yesterday, however, the court’s work continued in an increasingly tense climate: while the outside of the entire court compound was cordoned off, fearing riots and violence could break out at the planned protests, everything was halted for more than an hour because of a telephone bomb threat. Stormy Daniels has also received various death threats since Trump spoke of her possible arrest. And again yesterday, the spokesman for the Bragg Attorney’s Office responded with a “let’s not intimidate” a plea from three parliamentary committee presidents, all Republicans, who want to convene the prosecutor and ask for the documents of an investigation that will “define.” Politically motivated”.
Serious interference in the work of the judges, but it remains to be understood why a case that has been known for several years (Cohen’s confessions and his imprisonment date back to 2018) is only now exploding again. In 2018, Trump was president and could not be impeached, but he was not named in the investigation either.
However, we will not see Trump in handcuffs: If the ex-president goes before the New York Criminal Court on the charges, he will be fingerprinted and informed of the date of the first hearing. Even if he were arrested, he would be immediately released on bail. Experts say he could only be arrested if he continues to threaten to foment an uprising against the judiciary’s crackdown.
Discussing his impending arrest, Trump came close by urging his fans to protest en masse, to rebel: “Let’s take back the country!” he wrote on his social network Truth. So far, however, the political solidarity of many Republican exponents has not been countered by a mobilization of Trump’s phalanxes.
Maybe it’s just tactics, or maybe the harsh penalties inflicted on the congressional attackers have cooled the impetuosity of many militiamen. And from arsonist Alex Jones, a major conspiracy theorist, to Roger Stone, who spent a lifetime in office alongside Trump, there are numerous “hardcore” Trumpians who don’t seem to accept the ex-president’s appeal: Stone urges protesters to be careful, to protest peacefully, not to fall into the trap of the NYPD.
Not even Ali Alexander, organizer of the “Stop the Steal” movement (alleged voter fraud), will protest: “There is no freedom in New York, we all risk being arrested or worse, and I have other things to do. ” .