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Former President Donald Trump's lawyer has strongly suggested that any arraignment for the former president would now not occur until next week.
Joe Tacopina, who has given numerous media interviews and statements following Trump's uncorroborated claims he will be arrested on Tuesday in connection to the Stormy Daniels hush payment investigation, downplayed suggestions that a grand jury indictment or arrest is imminent.
It was later reported that the New York City grand jury will not make any decision on an indictment until at least Wednesday because they have another witness to hear from.
A source close to the Trump legal team also told CNN that should an indictment be announced, any arrest or move to ensure Trump voluntarily hands himself to authorities would not happen before next week.
Speaking to Newsweek on Tuesday, Tacopina said "we haven't been informed" about any possible indictment but next week "looks like the way it will be" with regards to a potential historic arraignment for the former president.
Trump is at risk of becoming the first U.S. president in history to be charged with a crime if Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's probe finds him guilty of campaign finance violations.
Prosecutors are looking into whether a $130,000 sum Trump arranged for his former attorney Michael Cohen to pay Daniels—to keep their alleged affair a secret ahead of the 2016 election—amounted to a campaign violation.
Investigators are also examining if any records were falsified when Cohen was reimbursed for the money, which was listed in Trump Organization records as legal fees.
Neither the Manhattan D.A.'s office nor Trump's team suggested that Trump may face arrest on Tuesday, but barricades were placed outside the Manhattan Criminal Court Monday morning as a precaution after the former president called for protests should an indictment be announced.
Officials from the NYPD, Secret Service, and the Manhattan D.A.'s office are said to have met Monday to discuss the logistics of arraigning Trump amid fears of potential violence breaking out.
"The NYPD's state of readiness remains a constant at all times, for all contingencies," an NYPD spokesperson told Newsweek. "Our communications and coordination with our partners in government and in law enforcement are fundamental tenets of our commitment to public safety."
Tacopina previously told CNN that Trump's statement over the weekend that he will be arrested on Tuesday was based on what his client had seen in the news.
"No one tells us anything which is very frustrating. President Trump is basing his response on press reports," Tacopina said.
A spokesperson for Trump previously said that there has been no official notification other than "illegal leaks" from the Justice Department and Bragg's office that prosecutors are preparing to "take his Witch-Hunt to the next level" with an arrest on Tuesday.
"President Trump is rightfully highlighting his innocence and the weaponization of our injustice system," the spokesperson told Newsweek.
About the writer
Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, and Florida ... Read more