GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — In less than 24 hours, Former President Donald Trump is expected to surrender to authorities following his indictment in an alleged hush money scheme by a New York grand jury last week.
It’s the first time a former president has ever faced criminal charges.
Trump—who landed at La Guardia International Airport in New York Monday afternoon en route to the scheduled appearance in Manhattan Criminal Court—is accused of paying off adult film star Stormy Daniels prior to the 2016 election to cover-up an extramarital affair.
The number and nature of the charges against the former president remain sealed until Tuesday’s arraignment.
Speculation ranges from two dozen to upward of 30 individual counts.
Madelaine Lane, a partner and criminal defense attorney at Grand Rapids-based Warner, Norcross + Judd told 13 OYS at least one charge was likely a felony, given the indictment handed down by grand jurors last week.
“No one's seen this indictment except for the members of the grand jury and the prosecutor and probably the judge at this point,” Lane said. “In New York, for non-violent felonies and misdemeanors… under very rare circumstances do they require monetary bail. I fully expect that former President Trump will be released on bail tomorrow.”
Conditions, Lane explained, could include travel restrictions.
The court may also implement a ‘gag order,’ which would largely bar public statements regarding the case so as not to compromise the pool of potential jurors.
If the case isn’t dismissed, Lane predicted the process would be lengthy.
“I suspect what we're going to see are a lot of physical records from the Trump Organization, a lot of financial records,” she said. “And so this could easily take a year or more. It could easily go into 2024.”
A plea from the former president, Lane said, is unlikely.
Without a plea, if the indictment stands up to the expected requests to have it dismissed, the case could ultimately proceed to a jury trial.
Trump is expected to return to Mar-a-Lago following Tuesday’s hearing, where he plans to deliver remarks to waiting supporters.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.