More than a week after an angryDonald Trump predicted, without concrete evidence, thatwould be arrested, the former president had become cautiously optimistic about the directions of the criminal accusation against him.
In accordance withversions reported by the newspaperThe Washington Post and other American publications, advisers had advised him that a possible indictment by a Manhattan grand jury in connection with money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels would not occur for some time - if at all. produced. ANDTrump had even begun joking in recent days about the "golden handcuffs" he would be assigned.
However, on Thursday the news broke that Trump had resigned himself to accepting the indictment and at the same time believed he could avoid it.
Trump's team had long been preparing for the possibility that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's investigation would lead to a possible indictment.
His top political advisers, including Chris LaCivita and Jason Miller, had begun drafting statements to launch with attacks on Bragg and former Trump aide, attorney Michael Cohen, who is believed to be Bragg's key witness.
Butwhen the impeachment came, to Trumpand his advisors were caught off guard.
Some of his lawyers had even prepared to take a few days off, not expecting any movement for several weeks, according to sources in Trump's orbit who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Trump aides — including adviser Boris Epshteyn, who is taking a leadership role on Trump's legal team — had begun telling the former president that he would not be charged at all, according to testimony from people familiar with the matter.
In a sign of the chaotic uproar, Trump mistakenly wrote "indicted" in a post on his social media site Truth Social, writing that "thugs and monsters of the radical left" had just "INDICATED" him instead of "INDICTED." .
Trump is expected to appear Tuesday in Manhattan, an adviser said. His legal team, speaking by phone late Thursday, scrambled to work out logistics and coordinate with the Secret Service on security details for his appearance.
Trump, for his part, dined at his private Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, with advisers for his 2024 presidential campaign after the news broke, but his recent good mood had soured. One adviser described him as "irritated" and "deflated."
Sen. Lindsey O. Graham, R-South Carolina, said in an interview that he spoke with Trump Thursday night for a few minutes and that the former president was "upset and disappointed" but also "very calm."
"From a political standpoint, it's going to solidify Trump's standing with the Republican Party," Graham said.
In fact, Trump almost immediately stepped up his fundraising pitches Thursday night, asking his supporters in an email titled "NEWS: PRESIDENT TRUMP INDICATED," to give at least $24 to "defend our movement from the endless Witch hunt".
"We are living through the darkest chapter in American history," noted the email, which stated that all contributions would be matched up to 1,500%, but without revealing who would match the donations.
Trump allies say his fundraising has grown significantly since posting on Truth Social that he expected to be arrested, raising more than $2 million. And the biggest fundraising day of his post-presidency so far was the day after the FBI raided Mar-a-Lago last year for classified documents.
But in the last 24 hours, fundraising skyrocketed to more than $4 million after news of the criminal indictment became known, and more than 25% of the donations came from new benefactors, according to the campaign for Trump's presidential candidacy. . The average amount of elections is $34 dollars.
The case file remains sealed and the charges that will be brought against Trump are still unknown. At the moment it is only known that Tuesday could be his appearance before district judge Juan Merchan to formulate the accusation.
Merchan was born in Colombia and settled in the United States at the age of six. He is an active justice on the New York State Supreme Court since 2009.
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