Trump says he 'expects to be arrested on Tuesday'

Alvin Bragg Or Grand Jury Member Could Face 5 Years In Prison, Dershowitz Says
Martin Walsh, May 1, 2023

If Alvin Bragg is looking for a felony in the case he has brought against former President Donald Trump he may want to look in the mirror, in his office or at his grand jury.

Legal scholar and famed attorney Alan Dershowitz said, in an interview and in an op-ed, that whoever leaked the sealed indictment is the person guilty of the only felony, in his opinion, in this case.,

“It is likely that a serious felony has been committed right under District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s nose and he is not investigating it. Under New York law, it is a felony to leak confidential grand jury information, such as whether the jurors voted to indict. The protection of secrecy is as applicable to President Trump as it is to anyone else,” the attorney said in an op-ed for The New York Sun.

“We know that the information was disclosed while the indictment itself remains sealed and before any official announcement was made or charges brought. It is unlikely that the leak came from the Trump team, which seemed genuinely surprised,” he said.

“The most likely, though uncertain, scenario is that a person in Mr. Bragg’s office or a grand juror unlawfully leaked the sealed information. That would be a class E felony, subject to imprisonment.

“It is possible of course that an investigation is underway, but it seems more likely that Mr. Bragg is too busy making up a crime against the man he promised in his campaign to get than investigating a real crime that took place on his watch,” he said.

Dershowitz said that it appears Bragg’s theory is that the former president should have disclosed why he paid for a non-disclosure agreement to adult film star Stormy Daniels which would defeat the purpose to the non-disclosure agreement.

“Why would Mr. Trump pay the money in the first place if he had to publicly disclose the embarrassing reason? Furthermore, no one in history has ever been indicted for listing ‘legal expenses’ for setting a potentially embarrassing payment of hush money,” he said.

“Thus, even the misdemeanor allegation involving false entries is unprecedented and represents selective prosecution. It is also almost certainly barred by the two-year statute of limitations. In order to elevate this bookkeeping case into a felony, Mr. Bragg must also prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the reason Trump made the false entry — if he himself did it — was solely as a campaign contribution to help him win his election,” he said.

What that means is that even if only part of the reason he made the payment was to protect his family from scrutiny or to protect his business interests there is no crime.

And if someone in Bragg’s office, or Bragg himself leaked the indictment they could face as many as five years in prison.

“If somebody on the grand jury, prosecutor or grand juror, leaked the fact that there was a vote to indict, that is a one – five year class E felony under New York,” he said on Fox News.

“Bragg now has a prima facia case that a crime has been committed right in his building, but as far as I know he’s not investigating it” he said.

“We don’t know who did the leak. It is conceivable it could have been done by somebody in the Trump administration but I doubt it because they seem to have been taken by great surprise so the most likely source of the leak is someone from within Bragg’s office or within the grand jury. That’s where the focus ought to be,” he said.



Prior to the indictment being leaked Dershowitz said that he believed Bragg could be disbarred for his case against Trump.

He appeared on the Fox News show “Sunday Morning Futures” with host Maria Bartiromo when he said that having Michael Cohen as a witness could damage the district attorney, Mediaite reported.

“I don’t think an indictment can actually come forward now after the comments made by [Robert] Costello,” the attorney said.

He said that “he has proved that the main witness is going to be a perjuring liar on the witness stand, and that puts the district attorney in a terrible position.”

“If he uses Cohen as a witness, he could actually lose his bar license. It’s unethical to put a witness on the stand who you know is lying, and he has to know that Cohen will be lying. Or he tries the case without Cohen, which would be very difficult, or he does the right thing: he drops the case,” he said.

Alvin Bragg Or Grand Jury Member Could Face 5 Years In Prison, Dershowitz Says
Martin Walsh, May 1, 2023

If Alvin Bragg is looking for a felony in the case he has brought against former President Donald Trump he may want to look in the mirror, in his office or at his grand jury.

Legal scholar and famed attorney Alan Dershowitz said, in an interview and in an op-ed, that whoever leaked the sealed indictment is the person guilty of the only felony, in his opinion, in this case.,

“It is likely that a serious felony has been committed right under District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s nose and he is not investigating it. Under New York law, it is a felony to leak confidential grand jury information, such as whether the jurors voted to indict. The protection of secrecy is as applicable to President Trump as it is to anyone else,” the attorney said in an op-ed for The New York Sun.

“We know that the information was disclosed while the indictment itself remains sealed and before any official announcement was made or charges brought. It is unlikely that the leak came from the Trump team, which seemed genuinely surprised,” he said.

“The most likely, though uncertain, scenario is that a person in Mr. Bragg’s office or a grand juror unlawfully leaked the sealed information. That would be a class E felony, subject to imprisonment.

“It is possible of course that an investigation is underway, but it seems more likely that Mr. Bragg is too busy making up a crime against the man he promised in his campaign to get than investigating a real crime that took place on his watch,” he said.

Dershowitz said that it appears Bragg’s theory is that the former president should have disclosed why he paid for a non-disclosure agreement to adult film star Stormy Daniels which would defeat the purpose to the non-disclosure agreement.

“Why would Mr. Trump pay the money in the first place if he had to publicly disclose the embarrassing reason? Furthermore, no one in history has ever been indicted for listing ‘legal expenses’ for setting a potentially embarrassing payment of hush money,” he said.

“Thus, even the misdemeanor allegation involving false entries is unprecedented and represents selective prosecution. It is also almost certainly barred by the two-year statute of limitations. In order to elevate this bookkeeping case into a felony, Mr. Bragg must also prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the reason Trump made the false entry — if he himself did it — was solely as a campaign contribution to help him win his election,” he said.

What that means is that even if only part of the reason he made the payment was to protect his family from scrutiny or to protect his business interests there is no crime.

And if someone in Bragg’s office, or Bragg himself leaked the indictment they could face as many as five years in prison.

“If somebody on the grand jury, prosecutor or grand juror, leaked the fact that there was a vote to indict, that is a one – five year class E felony under New York,” he said on Fox News.

“Bragg now has a prima facia case that a crime has been committed right in his building, but as far as I know he’s not investigating it” he said.

“We don’t know who did the leak. It is conceivable it could have been done by somebody in the Trump administration but I doubt it because they seem to have been taken by great surprise so the most likely source of the leak is someone from within Bragg’s office or within the grand jury. That’s where the focus ought to be,” he said.



Prior to the indictment being leaked Dershowitz said that he believed Bragg could be disbarred for his case against Trump.

He appeared on the Fox News show “Sunday Morning Futures” with host Maria Bartiromo when he said that having Michael Cohen as a witness could damage the district attorney, Mediaite reported.

“I don’t think an indictment can actually come forward now after the comments made by [Robert] Costello,” the attorney said.

He said that “he has proved that the main witness is going to be a perjuring liar on the witness stand, and that puts the district attorney in a terrible position.”

“If he uses Cohen as a witness, he could actually lose his bar license. It’s unethical to put a witness on the stand who you know is lying, and he has to know that Cohen will be lying. Or he tries the case without Cohen, which would be very difficult, or he does the right thing: he drops the case,” he said.

Donald Trump Issued ‘Gag Order’ Over Criminal Trial at Manhattan D.A.’s Request
Martin Walsh, May 8, 2023

New York state Judge Juan Merchan hit former President Donald Trump with a gag order on Monday night in the criminal hush money case, ruling the 45th president is restricted from posting about some evidence in the case on social media.

“Judge Juan Merchan largely sided with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg by limiting what Trump can publicly disclose about new evidence from the prosecution before the case goes to trial,” NBC News reported.

The order says that “any materials and information provided by the People to the Defense in accordance with their discovery obligations … shall be used solely for the purposes of preparing a defense in this matter.”

The order adds that anyone with access to the evidence being turned over to Trump’s team by state prosecutors “shall not copy, disseminate or disclose” the material to third parties, including social media platforms, “without prior approval from the court.”

It also singles out Trump, saying he is allowed to review sensitive “Limited Dissemination Materials” from prosecutors only in the presence of his lawyers and “shall not be permitted to copy, photograph, transcribe, or otherwise independently possess the Limited Dissemination Materials.”

The judge’s order also restricts Trump from reviewing “forensic images of witness cell phones,” although his lawyers can show him “approved portions” of the images after they get permission from the judge.

Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 charges regarding allegations that he falsified business records related to adult film star Stormy Daniels’ hush-money case.

Trump was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury in a case involving his purported role in hush money payments to Daniels ahead of the 2016 election, allegedly to keep Daniels quiet about an affair the two of them had in 2006.

Famed attorney Alan Dershowitz also recently went after Bragg, saying he believes the Manhattan DA could be disbarred for his case against Trump.

Dershowitz told DW’s Tim Sebastian that while he does not support Trump politically, he believes the indictment Bragg brought against the former Trump is “absurd and politically motivated.” Dershowitz argued that Trump will not get a “fair trial in Manhattan” given the judges and prosecutors are elected, meaning those in New York all likely lean to the Left politically.

Dershowitz argued that things could get difficult for Bragg if he uses former Trump attorney Michael Cohen as a witness at the trial, which is scheduled to begin in December.

“I don’t think an indictment can actually come forward now after the comments made by [Robert] Costello,” the attorney said.

He said that “he has proved that the main witness is going to be a perjuring liar on the witness stand, and that puts the district attorney in a terrible position.”

“If he uses Cohen as a witness, he could actually lose his bar license. Putting a witness on the stand who you know is lying is unethical, and he has to know that Cohen will be lying. Or he tries the case without Cohen, which would be very difficult, or he does the right thing: he drops the case,” Dershowitz said.

Dershowitz made a similar argument late last month.

During an appearance on Fox News, Dershowitz argued that Bragg could face up to five years in prison if he is found guilty of leaking details of Trump’s indictment to the media.

Leaking grand jury testimony to the public is a Class E felony in New York and carries a prison sentence between one and five years.

Dershowitz also spoke about how having Michael Cohen as a witness could damage the district attorney.

Dershowitz said that it appears Bragg’s theory is that Trump should have disclosed why he paid for a non-disclosure agreement to Daniels, which would defeat the purpose of the non-disclosure agreement.

Trump Ordered To Appear in Manhattan Criminal Case to be ‘Schooled’ On Use of Evidence
Jon Dougherty, May 12, 2023

Former President Donald Trump must appear before a Manhattan judge regarding his criminal case in order to be “schooled” on a previous ruling barring him from using evidence in the case to attack witnesses.

“Judge Juan Manuel Merchan scheduled the hybrid hearing — the former president on a TV screen, his lawyers and prosecutors in court — to go over the restrictions with Trump and to make clear that he risks being held in contempt if he violates them,” NBC News reported on Friday.

Despite Trump’s legal team attempting to have the case moved to federal court, the proceedings are currently ongoing in state court. U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who is deliberating on the transfer request, recently issued an order outlining deadlines for paperwork submission and scheduled a hearing for late June, the outlet reported.

In its headline for the story, NBC News claimed that Trump would be “schooled” by Merchan regarding the prohibition.

Merchan, who remains in charge of the case in the meantime, has agreed to provide instructions to Trump regarding the rules through a video session instead of an in-person appearance. This decision came after a prosecutor highlighted the immense security and logistical challenges involved in bringing Trump to court.

During Trump’s arraignment on April 4, he entered a plea of not guilty to 34 felony charges of falsifying business records. The event drew significant attention from the media and protesters, resulting in crowded conditions. As a consequence, multiple street closures were implemented, extra security screenings were conducted, and non-Trump court proceedings were suspended for an afternoon, NBC News noted further.

“We’ll set up the camera for Mr. Trump to appear wherever he is at that time, and we’ll do it here in the courtroom virtually,” Merchan said.

The report notes further:

Merchan’s protective order bars Trump and his lawyers from disseminating evidence to third parties or posting it to social media, and it requires that certain, sensitive material shared by prosecutors be kept only by Trump’s lawyers, not Trump himself. Trump can review that material with his lawyers, but can’t copy or photograph it, the order said.

Merchan, noting Trump’s “special” status as a former president and current candidate, made clear at last week’s hearing that the protective order shouldn’t be construed as a gag order or a way of preventing Trump from speaking publicly about the case.

“I’m bending over backwards and straining to make sure that he is given every opportunity possible to advance his candidacy and to be able to speak in furtherance of his candidacy,” Merchan said. “The last thing I want to do is infringe on his or anybody else’s First Amendment rights.”

Merchan issued his order last week.

“Merchan largely sided with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg by limiting what Trump can publicly disclose about new evidence from the prosecution before the case goes to trial,” NBC News reported at the time.

The order says that “any materials and information provided by the People to the Defense in accordance with their discovery obligations … shall be used solely for the purposes of preparing a defense in this matter.”

The order adds that anyone with access to the evidence being turned over to Trump’s team by state prosecutors “shall not copy, disseminate or disclose” the material to third parties, including social media platforms, “without prior approval from the court.”

It also singles out Trump, saying he is allowed to review sensitive “Limited Dissemination Materials” from prosecutors only in the presence of his lawyers and “shall not be permitted to copy, photograph, transcribe, or otherwise independently possess the Limited Dissemination Materials.”

The judge’s order also restricts Trump from reviewing “forensic images of witness cell phones,” although his lawyers can show him “approved portions” of the images after they get permission from the judge.

Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 charges regarding allegations that he falsified business records related to adult film star Stormy Daniels’ hush-money case.

WOW!!!