US: New York braces for possible Trump indictment

A New York grand jury investigating former US President Donald Trump over hush money payments, made to women who alleged sexual encounters with him, appeared to be hearing from final witnesses on Monday ahead of a possible indictment.

It's the first-ever criminal case against any former US president.

In preparation for potential demonstrations, the New York Police Department has started dropping off portable metal barricades that could be used to block off streets or sidewalks.

What witnesses told the jury

The jury has heard from a witness, lawyer Robert Costello, who testified that Trump's former fixer Michael Cohen handled the payments without Trump's involvement.

"Michael Cohen decided on his own — that's what he told us — on his own, to see if he could take care of this," Costello told reporters after testifying to the grand jury at Trump's lawyers' request.

Costello's testimony was expected to indirectly provide the former president with a chance to argue against facing criminal charges. However, there were no clear indications that his testimony had altered the course of the investigation.

Cohen, who has testified twice before, claimed that Trump directed him to make the payments.

In 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to federal campaign finance violations related to arranging payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, and model Karen McDougal in exchange for their silence about their affairs with Trump.

Trump has denied the affairs and called Cohen a liar.

What Trump has said to supporters

Trump took to social media over the weekend to criticize the investigation and singled out Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for criticism.

He urged his supporters to protest his potential arrest following his comments in which he stated he expected to face criminal charges.

The former president's call for protests has raised concerns that there may be a potential for violence similar to the events of January 6, 2021, when the US Capitol was attacked.

However, several far-right grassroots groups have reportedly chosen not to answer Trump's call, security analysts said.

Speaking to reporters, New York Mayor Eric Adams stated that the police were closely monitoring social media and keeping an eye out for any "inappropriate actions" in the city.

Despite these precautions, the New York Police Department has stated that there are no known credible threats at this time.

Republicans criticize 'politically motivated' probe

Trump's fellow Republicans have widely criticized the probe as politically motivated and rallied to his defense.

However, some Republicans have taken a swipe at Trump, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is expected to run for president as a GOP candidate, saying, "I don't know what goes into paying hush money to a porn star to secure silence over some type of alleged affair."

Trump is also facing other legal challenges, which may require him to shuttle between campaign stops and courtrooms ahead of the November 2024 election.

He is currently facing criminal probes in Atlanta and Washington, which together pose a significant legal threat and have the potential to disrupt the Republican presidential race, where Trump is seen as a leading contender.

Furthermore, Trump's lawyers have requested a Georgia court to quash a special grand jury report detailing its investigation into his alleged efforts to overturn his 2020 statewide election defeat.

In addition, Trump is facing two civil trials involving former magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll, who has accused Trump of defamation by denying he raped her.

ss/jsi (AP, Reuters)