Trump veers between ‘golden handcuff’ jokes to anger after New York indictment

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SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE March 31, 2023 View in browser Trump veers between 'golden handcuff' jokes to anger after New York indictment Donald Trump has veered from making "golden handcuff" jokes to anger after being indicted on criminal charges over hush money payments to Stormy Daniels. Insiders at Mar-a-Lago revealed that – in the days before the indictment was handed down – Mr Trump had been in high spirits and was joking with aides about the looming charges. But, the insiders told The Washington Post that the atmosphere soon changed on Thursday when he learned the Manhattan grand jury had voted to indict him.   Instead, Mr Trump's mood quickly became "deflated" and "irritated". Mr Trump and Melania Trump were seen stepping out of their Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida not long after the news broke – as a small group of MAGA supporters gathered outside the former president's home.   Local media reported that police were stationed outside the front gate of Mar-a-Lago a few hours before the former president was indicted by a New York grand jury. A few dozen people also reportedly showed up to offer support to Mr Trump, waving Trump and MAGA flags. The crowd played the song "God Bless the USA", CNN reported. Mr Trump is the first former president in US history to face criminal charges after the Manhattan grand jury investigating his role in a hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels voted to indict him.   It is not clear what the charges are but he was under investigation for falsifying business records stemming from the payments which were allegedly to prevent her from revealing an affair he had with her before the 2016 election. Meanwhile, it was reported that the former president called key allies on Capitol Hill to shore up support before his indictment – including members of House GOP leadership and lawmakers.   It was reported that Mr Trump told his allies that he plans to fight the charges. "This is literally legal voodoo, this is political persecution, this is a combination of political hatred and selective prosecution on steroids," Republican senator Lindsey Graham said on Fox News. He added: "Give the president some money to fight this bulls**t." – Rachel Sharp Reading list Andrew Feinberg: Karen McDougal: Who is the other woman paid hush money over Trump affair? Abe Asher: Stormy Daniels says Trump indictment will cause 'injuries and death' Enjoying this newsletter? Unlock unlimited, ad-free reading on the website and in The Independent app when you subscribe – plus, benefit from our welcome offer when you join today. What else you need to know today A Delaware judge has denied a motion for summary judgment from Fox News in a defamation case brought against the company from Dominion Voting Systems, the subject of baseless conspiracy theories tied to the 2020 presidential election that made their way on the network's airwaves. A ruling in Delaware Superior Court on 31 March grants Dominion a partial victory in its motion for summary judgment in the blockbuster lawsuit against the network, which the judge determined broadcast false statements. Both sides sought a pretrial ruling from Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis to declare them the winner and avoid a high-profile trial, which will begin next month. Jury selection is scheduled for 13 April. In a partial ruling in Dominion's favour, the court determined that statements made on Fox News were presented as statements of fact, not statements of opinion, for which Fox News is responsible. But the court left open whether a jury would find Fox Corporation responsible. Donald Trump's attorney launched a fresh media blitz on Friday morning as he insisted that there is "zero chance" the former president will accept a plea deal in his criminal case. Attorney Joe Tacopina appeared on both ABC's Good Morning America and NBC's Today show just hours after Mr Trump was criminally indicted on around 30 criminal charges in connection to 2016 hush money payments. Mr Tacopina said that there is "zero chance" the former president will accept a plea deal in the case as he railed against what he claimed was the day that "the rule of law died" in America. "President Trump will not take a plea deal on this case. It's not gonna happen," he told NBC. "There's no crime. I don't know if it's gonna make it to trial because we have substantial legal challenges." Mr Tacopina confirmed that neither he nor the former president know exactly what the charges are – or how many there are. However multiple reports say that Mr Trump is facing more than 30 counts related to business fraud in the indictment. If this is true, Mr Tacopina said that would mean prosecutors have "taken each transaction, each check, each payment, each entry and made a separate charge." The attorney – who ramped up his media coverage in the run-up to the indictment – told GMA that Mr Trump was "shocked" when he learned of the indictment. 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