A Trump indictment in Manhattan would create 'a mess' for his lawyers: legal analyst
Should Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg elect to indict Donald Trump for his part in paying adult film star Stormy Daniels hush money before the 2016 election, one legal expert said the historic arrest of a former president would lead to a flurry of activity that will be "a mess" for Trump's lawyers to handle.
Appearing on MSNBC"s "The Saturday Show" with host Jonathan Capehart, former prosecutor Charles Coleman Jr. claimed the fact that Trump was invited instead of subpoenaed to appear before a Manhattan grand jury is indicative that an indictment is imminent.
Speaking to the host, he first explained, "This is another indication of Alvin Bragg's intention here. You can't subpoena someone to testify against themselves because they have the 5th Amendment right against incrimination. You'd only subpoena him if he was a potential witness."
Asked about going to trial, Coleman suggested it will turn into a circus after the arrest of Trump.
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"The first thing that has to happen is the grand jury has to actually return a true bill," Coleman explained. "Now most of us don't consider that to be a significant hurdle because, as the old saying goes, you can indict a ham sandwich. But assuming that takes place, then DA Bragg would have to file the indictment, Donald Trump would be arrested, brought in, and arraigned with the charges on the indictment."
"From there, it becomes a logistical nightmare," he suggested. "Because everything about this case is going to be watched on the public eye like nothing we've ever seen before. We are going to have court updates literally at every turn. I suspect that Donald Trump's attorneys will fight it with a myriad number of motions trying to dismiss this and or change the nature of the actual trial itself if this effort were to see trial."
"Again, there's a number of different logistical considerations that would make this a mess," he added.
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MSNBC 03 11 2023 09 00 40 youtu.be