Defiant Trump says he 'did nothing wrong' and will 'never' drop out of 2024 race after indictment

Mabinty Quarshie

April 11, 09:17 PM April 11, 09:17 PM

Former President Donald Trump flatly denied any wrongdoing following his historic indictment in an interview with WHD News's Tucker Carlson Tonight on Tuesday.

"It was a horrible thing because I did nothing wrong. Absolutely nothing wrong," Trump said from his Mar-a-Lago residence.

TRUMP SAYS HE DOESN'T THINK BIDEN 'CAN' RUN FOR REELECTION: 'THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG'

Trump also made it clear: He's not dropping out of the 2024 presidential race. "I'd never drop out," he said. "It's not my thing. I wouldn't do it."

Trump faces 34 criminal charges after a grand jury indicted him over a 2016 hush money payment scheme. Trump was arraigned in a Manhattan courthouse last week. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.

"This is all weaponization. They're weaponizing our justice system," Trump told Carlson during the interview about his legal woes.

Also on Trump's mind? His rising poll numbers. A Morning Consult poll released Tuesday showed Trump garnering 56% of Republican primary voter support, while only 23% supported Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL).

In more legal news, Trump will reportedly return to New York City on Thursday for a deposition related to New York Attorney General Letitia James's civil fraud lawsuit against Trump and his three adult children.

In the wide-ranging interview, Trump spent considerable time discussing foreign policy. Trump criticized the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, including Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"These are idiots we're dealing with. They left $85 billion worth of equipment behind. They left our American citizens behind, and they moved the military out first," Trump said. "No, you move the military out last."

Trump also spoke at length about the risks of nuclear war. "I consider it to be the single greatest threat the world has, far greater than global warming, like not even a contest," Trump opined.

Trump also praised Chinese President Xi Jinping as a "brilliant man."

"If you went all over Hollywood to look for somebody to play the role of President Xi, you couldn't find it. There's nobody like that," Trump said. "The look, the brains, the whole thing. We had a great relationship."

Donald Trump indicted: Former president likely to speak to cameras amid arraignment proceedings

Ryan King

April 04, 09:36 AM April 04, 09:42 AM

Former President Donald Trump will likely speak to the cameras at the courthouse on Tuesday at some point during the arraignment proceedings in New York, according to his lawyer Chris Kise.

Presiding New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan ruled that news outlets will not be permitted to bring cameras into the chamber during the arraignment, but they are allowed to be stationed outside. Trump is slated to head back to Mar-a-Lago in Florida after the proceedings and deliver a response about the indictment.

TRUMP INDICTED: PEOPLE WAIT OUTSIDE NEW YORK COURTHOUSE AHEAD OF ARRAIGNMENT

Kise revealed ahead of the arraignment that Trump is "resilient, upbeat, and is determined as ever to fight off drivers of injustice," according to CNN.

Trump is reportedly facing more than 30 counts in a case that is believed to revolve around an alleged $130,000 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election cycle.

The payment was made in exchange for her signature on a nondisclosure agreement to keep quiet about an alleged affair with Trump a decade prior, according to former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen.

Multiple reports indicate that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg was set to pair a misdemeanor charge for falsification of business records about a reimbursement scheme with a campaign finance violation. But the charges remain sealed.

Trump has adamantly denied both wrongdoing and the affair. He has decried the Manhattan case against him as a "witch hunt." Meanwhile, his 2024 campaign has touted a surge in donations as his supporters rally behind him.

He is the first sitting or former U.S. president to be hit with criminal charges. Former President Ulysses Grant was arrested after speeding, but he was not indicted.

Andrew Cuomo slams Trump investigations as 'cancer in our body politic'

Emily Jacobs

March 25, 07:14 PM March 25, 07:15 PM

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo accused the New York and Georgia grand jury investigations into former President Donald Trump of being politically motivated and part of a "cancer in our body politic."

Cuomo, a Democrat who resigned in disgrace in 2021 amid sexual misconduct allegations, made the comments during an appearance this week on WABC 770 talk radio show "The Cats Roundtable." The former governor told host John Catsimatidis that he "doesn't understand" why Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg was "putting such an emphasis" on Trump's 2016 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS HIT BACK AT ALVIN BRAGG'S REFUSAL TO TESTIFY IN TRUMP CASE

“You have a cynical public, they don’t believe anyone and when you start to see these prosecutors bring political cases, it just affirms everybody’s cynicism,” Cuomo said.

"I don’t believe a Democratic prosecutor just happens to be attacking a Republican. I don’t believe a Republican prosecutor just happens to be attacking a Democrat. I think it’s all politics, and I think that’s what the people of this country are saying,” he continued. "And I think it’s feeds the cynicism, and that’s the cancer in our body politic right now."

Getting sarcastic, Cuomo added, "It’s a coincidence that Bragg goes after Trump and Tish James goes after Trump and Georgia goes after Trump. That’s all a coincidence."

Bragg, a progressive Democrat who has refused to prosecute a number of offenses since taking office last January, is reportedly mulling charges against the former president over the hush money matter. Trump posted on his Truth Social platform last weekend that the Manhattan DA's Office would arrest him on Tuesday on charges related to hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016. The statement followed a growing number of reports about Bragg's plans to indict him on charges related to the Stormy Daniels matter.

Tuesday came and went, however, without an indictment. It is not clear if threats to the DA's office delayed such moves.

Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer, testified before Congress in 2019 that he paid Daniels, an adult film star whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, $130,000 during the 2016 campaign to prevent her from going public about an affair she claimed to have with Trump in 2005. Cohen, who pleaded guilty and served time over the alleged payment, told lawmakers Trump reimbursed him in monthly installments.

It is unclear what charges Bragg's office is mulling against Trump. Prosecutors in the Cohen case alleged that the Trump Organization "falsely accounted" for the monthly payments as legal expenses. Falsifying business records in New York technically amounts to a misdemeanor. To elevate it to a low-level felony, prosecutors in the Trump case must show that the conduct was committed in connection with another crime and the former president's "intent to defraud."

Cuomo told the talk radio program this week that he expected Trump to be indicted, saying, "You can indict a ham sandwich … I’m sure they’ll get an indictment."

A criminal indictment won't cost Trump endorsement from key GOP senator

Samantha-Jo Roth

March 22, 07:47 PM March 22, 07:47 PM

A criminal indictment won't be grounds for Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) to pull his endorsement of Donald Trump's third White House bid.

As a Manhattan grand jury weighs charges related to a $130,000 hush money payment to a porn star, Trump could make history as the first former president to be criminally charged. Schmitt, one of five senators to have already pledged support for Trump's reelection, downplayed any looming indictment as a political attack with little merit.

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“This is a political prosecution in search of a crime that won’t affect my support of President Trump,” Schmitt told the Washington Examiner on Wednesday in an interview from his temporary office in the basement of the Russell Senate Office Building. “I think this is a very, very dangerous road to go down."

Schmitt, who was endorsed by Trump in his Senate race, defended the former president while condemning Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who is leading the investigation. Like other prominent Republicans, Schmitt sought to discredit Bragg by connecting him to Democratic donor and businessman George Soros. Bragg did receive financial support from Soros during his campaign in 2021.

“The idea that you would have a Soros-funded prosecutor that campaigned on this, you know, seeking to criminally charge President Trump, is dangerous,” Schmitt said.

The latest drama surrounding Trump is once again threatening to divide the Republican Party and overshadow their messaging plans. Some Republicans have expressed frustration privately that the former president continues to distract from their legislative agenda and that it’s time to move on. Schmitt, however, does not share that opinion.

“People can make their own decisions. But, you know, I’ve made my position very clear,” Schmitt said.

Some Republicans have avoided weighing in ahead of a potential indictment. Sen. John Thune (R-SD), the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, sidestepped a question Tuesday on whether he’d feel comfortable with Trump as the GOP nominee if he were to be charged criminally.

“That’s a hypothetical question that’s a long ways off. We’ve got a number of candidates who are looking at and are already in the race,” Thune said during a press conference on Wednesday. “I don’t think that’s in any Republican’s best interest to speculate about what might happen in a Republican primary.”

McCarthy says potential Trump indictment is 'just political'

Jack Birle

March 21, 11:12 AM March 21, 11:12 AM

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) continued to question the motivations of a potential indictment of former President Donald Trump by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

McCarthy, while at a retreat for House Republicans in Orlando, Florida, said the investigation and suspected indictment are politically motivated.

MCCARTHY BREAKS WITH TRUMP ON CALL FOR PROTESTS OVER POSSIBLE ARREST

“I think you know in your heart of hearts that this is just political,” McCarthy said to reporters.

The House speaker vowed over the weekend to investigate the Manhattan district attorney’s office after reports circulated that a grand jury was preparing to indict Trump on charges related to hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016. Trump said on Saturday he expects to be arrested Tuesday, but did not say how he came to that conclusion.

“We’re not coming here to defend President Trump; we’re coming to defend equal justice,” McCarthy said to reporters.

McCarthy had previously diverged from Trump's calls for his supporters to "protest, take our nation back" by saying people should not protest the prospect of an indictment.

“I don’t think people should protest this, no," McCarthy said. "And I think President Trump, if you talk to him, he doesn’t believe that, either."

Manhattan prosecutors have been investigating to see if Trump falsified business records to list a $130,000 reimbursement of his then-lawyer Michael Cohen for paying off Daniels as a legal expense.

Falsifying business records in that way is a misdemeanor in New York but it can be upped to a felony if the district attorney's office argues the fraud was intended to conceal a second crime.

Sununu says Democrats 'misplayed' possible Trump indictment

Ryan King

March 19, 10:16 AM March 19, 10:16 AM

Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH) argued that Democrats have "misplayed" the possible indictment of former President Donald Trump for the alleged hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

Trump claimed Saturday that he expects to be "arrested on Tuesday," though an exact timeline of when he could be indicted is not fully clear. Sununu downplayed the accusations against Trump and suggested that targeting Trump over a "misdemeanor" would fuel sympathy for him.

TRUMP SAYS HE EXPECTS TO BE ARRESTED NEXT WEEK IN STORMY DANIELS INVESTIGATION

"A lot of the Democrats have misplayed this in terms of building sympathy for the former president, and it does drastically change the paradigm as we go into the 2024 elections," Sununu said on CNN's State of the Union with Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. "

"I was [out] with coffee this morning with some folks, and none of them were big Trump supporters, but they all said they felt like he was being attacked," Sununu added. "This is likely some sort of misdemeanor on an issue seven years ago. This has nothing to do with January 6. There's folks out there that still think this has something to do with January 6."

Sununu has long been an outspoken critic of Trump and mused about a 2024 run. Prosecutors at the Manhattan District Attorney's office have been weighing possible charges against Trump over an alleged $130,000 hush money payment made to Daniels during the 2016 election cycle to stay quiet about an alleged affair they had roughly a decade prior.

Statute of limitations could complicate a potential campaign finance case against Trump, but prosecutors are also zeroing in on the alleged falsification of business records. They have met with Daniels and Michael Cohen, a former Trump lawyer and fixer. Cohen previously pleaded guilty in 2018 to a charge pertaining to the alleged payment.

New York law enforcement has reportedly begun crafting plans to prepare for security in the event of a Trump indictment. A least one more witness is expected to be questioned Monday.

"This is untested. There's a question about why they're doing it — something seven years ago. It's not a nothing," Sununu added. "There's much more pressing issues of the day. It's just unfortunate this is taking the headlines."

Trump issued a clarion call to his followers, urging them to "protest, take our nation back." Sununu underscored that protests should be peaceful.

Sununu has been mulling a run for president in 2024. He appeared to indicate that he will likely make a decision by the summer months.

"All of us have to make some sort of decision as we hit the summer months. I'd love to be in a debate if we actually go down that path. I just think that'd be really fun," he said. "Our message is really gaining traction. It's about competency-related results, leadership that can bring something to the table."

Michael Cohen set to testify in Stormy Daniels investigation

Max Thornberry

March 11, 08:58 AM March 11, 09:26 AM

Donald Trump's former right-hand man is preparing to testify before a grand jury for an investigation that appears likely to produce a criminal indictment for the former president.

Michael Cohen, a longtime friend and attorney for Trump is expected to testify in Manhattan next week about alleged hush money payments he made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election. The $130,000 payment, while not illegal by itself, might have been linked to Trump’s successful campaign for the White House, prosecutors say.

CHARGES POSSIBLE AS PROSECUTORS INVITE TRUMP TO TESTIFY ON STORMY DANIELS PAYMENT

Cohen is one of the only players in the hush-money scheme left to testify, according to the New York Times, as only Daniels has not testified in the case. With his testimony expected next week, and an invitation to Trump himself to testify on Thursday, it appears likely that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is putting the finishing touches on his case before asking the grand jury to hand down an indictment for Trump.

In New York, defendants in investigations have the right to testify and answer questions the grand jury has for them before an indictment is handed down, though they rarely take advantage of the opportunity. Trump is not expected to appear before the grand jury.

"The Manhattan district attorney's threat to indict President Trump is simply insane,” a Trump spokesman said in a statement after the invitation was publicized. “For the past five years, the DA's office has been on a witch hunt, investigating every aspect of President Trump's life, and they've come up empty at every turn — and now this."

In a statement on Truth Social Thursday, Trump insisted he had done “absolutely nothing wrong” and said the investigation was a “political Witch-Hunt trying to take down the leading candidate” in the 2024 White House race.

Earlier this month, Cohen told reporters he was expecting the call to testify before the grand jury “very soon.” Trump’s former fixer has met with investigators more than a dozen times to detail his involvement in paying Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal to keep their previous relationships with Trump quiet during the election.

In February, Cohen gave Bragg’s office his cellphones as part of the investigation.

Cohen pleaded guilty and was convicted of making the payments in 2018.