Law enforcement officials met behind closed doors on Monday to discuss the logistics of indicting former President Trump following his possible indictment for hush money payments made on his behalf during the 2016 presidential campaign.
A law enforcement source told Fox News Monday that the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and various branches of law enforcement were discussing the logistics of closing down streets and putting in lights with generators, additional barriers and additional police.
FILE: Former President Donald J. Trump watches the NCAA Wrestling Championships, Saturday, March 18, 2023, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)
The source said law enforcement officials don’t expect the former president to be indicted until next week, as the Manhattan grand jury — which has been secretly meeting for weeks to hear evidence — has another witness on Wednesday. A virtual option was apparently ruled out because the prosecutor is against it. However, another source familiar with the discussions over the handling of a possible indictment against Trump said a virtual indictment against the former president has never been seriously considered.
The source told Fox News that police are concerned about safety. If the former president comes to Manhattan, there will be a heavy police presence and the area will be closed off. Trump has called on his supporters to protest ahead of a possible indictment.
MANHATTAN DA BRAGG EXPLAINES TRUMPS ATTEMPT TO ‘INTIMIDATE’ HIS OFFICE IN PRIVATE MEMO
The grand jury is investigating Trump’s involvement in a 2016 payment of $130,000 to porn actor Stormy Daniels to prevent her from going public about a sexual encounter she said she had with him years earlier. Trump attorney Michael Cohen paid Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, through a shell company before being reimbursed by Trump, whose company, the Trump Organization, recorded the fees as legal fees.
Federal prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York chose not to charge Trump in connection with the 2019 Stormy Daniels payment, even as Cohen implicated him as part of his deal. The Federal Election Commission also threw its investigation into the matter in 2021.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s investigation into Trump was opened by then District Attorney Cyrus Vance. The investigation focused on possible banking, insurance and tax fraud. The case initially concerned financial transactions of Trump’s properties in Manhattan, including his flagship Fifth Avenue building, Trump Tower, and the valuation of his 213-acre Seven Springs estate in Westchester.
The investigation led to charges of tax fraud against The Trump Organization and its chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg last year, who pleaded guilty.
Trump denies any wrongdoing and has dismissed the investigation into the Manhattan district attorney’s office as politically motivated.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 13: Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks at a news conference following the Trump Organization sentencing hearing at the New York Supreme Court on January 13, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
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An indictment against Trump, who is seeking the White House again in 2024, would mark an unprecedented moment in US history, the first criminal case against a former US president.
Brooke Singman of Fox News and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Marta Dhanis is a reporter and field producer based in New York who focuses on criminal justice and the courts. Follow her on Twitter: @MartaDhanis
