We haven’t seen indictment, says Trump lawyer

Donald Trump’s lawyer has said the ex-president’s legal team has not seen the indictment against him and has only media reports to go on.

Joe Tacopina was speaking after a grand jury voted to indict Mr Trump in connection with a $130,000 pay-out to porn star Stormy Daniels.

Mr Trump’s legal team did not know about the indictment until Thursday evening, Mr Tacopina told CBS.

He blamed “political persecution” for the grand jury’s decision.

Mr Trump is expected to appear in court to face the charges and enter a plea in New York, reportedly next Tuesday.

He will not be put in handcuffs when he does, Mr Tacopina told ABC News.

He added: “I understand they’re going to be closing off blocks around the courthouse, shutting down the courthouse.”

On Friday morning, the streets around the courthouse were calm but the barricades were going up in anticipation of what may come next week.

The police were on patrol and security plans being put into place. Many expect the area to go into lockdown when the former president attends court.

Mr Trump, 76, denies wrongdoing. He is the first serving or former US president to face a criminal charge.

It is unclear how many charges are contained in the indictment, which is still sealed.

Media reports have said the ex-president faces more than 30 counts related to business fraud and Mr Tacopina said on Thursday he thought there would be 34. But on Friday, he said he did not know how many.

“We know what the subject matter is, we know the basis of the charges. We don’t know the exact counts or how they’re formulated,” he said.

On Friday, Mr Trump began attacking the judge assigned to his case, in an effort to undermine the credibility of the investigation and rally his base to his defence.

Republicans – including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy – have accused the Manhattan district attorney of weaponising the criminal justice system to influence next year’s presidential election.

In response, the attorney, Alvin Bragg, said the charges had been brought by citizens of New York doing their civic duty – and neither the former president nor Congress could interfere with proceedings.

In 2016, adult film star Stormy Daniels contacted media outlets offering to sell her account of what she said was an adulterous affair she had with Mr Trump in 2006 – the year after he married his current wife, Melania.

Mr Trump’s team got wind of this and his lawyer, Michael Cohen, paid $130,000 to Ms Daniels to keep quiet. This is not illegal.

However, when Mr Trump reimbursed Mr Cohen, the record for the payment says it was for legal fees. Prosecutors say this amounts to Mr Trump falsifying business records, which is a misdemeanour – a criminal offence – in New York.

President Joe Biden declined to comment on the indictment, despite being pressed on the issue by journalists as he left the White House on a trip to Mississippi.

Mr Tacopina said Mr Trump was being “pursued by a prosecutor who has obviously very diverse political views from the president. So it’s a very troubling case.”

He said the former president was “not worried at all” about the charges.

“He’s upset, angry. He’s being persecuted politically. That is clear to many people, not only on the Right but on the Left.”