(SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.) — Arizona officials are searching for a large coyote who they say injured two toddlers in separate attacks in Scottsdale this week.
Both toddlers were treated for minor injuries and released following the incidents on Saturday and Wednesday, according to Arizona’s Game and Fish Department.
“The coyote shows little fear of people and may have been illegally fed in the past,” the department said in a statement on Thursday. “Parents of toddlers in the area should keep their children close when outdoors and be vigilant.”
The Game and Fish Department said it’s patrolling the area with help from Scottsdale police.
The department asks anyone who spots a coyote to immediately call 623-236-7201.
In this July 11, 2022, file photo, Matthew Evan Corcoran, attorney for former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, arrives to federal court in Washington, D.C. — Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — Special counsel investigators are expected to question Trump lawyer Evan Corcoran Friday in testimony that could prove key to their decision on whether to charge former President Donald Trump with mishandling classified documents after leaving the White House and obstructing the government’s efforts to retrieve them, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
Corcoran was expected to testify as soon as Friday, sources said, after an appeals court ruled Wednesday that Corcoran must testify in the special counsel’s probe into Trump’s handling of classified materials after leaving the White House.
The three-judge panel on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected an effort by Trump’s attorneys to block Corcoran from having to testify and hand over records to special counsel Jack Smith’s team, according to court records.
The appeals court ruling came five days after D.C. district judge Beryl Howell ordered that Corcoran should comply with a grand jury subpoena for testimony on six separate lines of inquiry over which Corcoran had previously asserted attorney-client privilege, sources familiar with the filing told ABC News.
According to sources familiar with the filing, Smith wants information from Corcoran on whether Trump or anyone else in his employ was aware of the signed certification that was drafted by Corcoran and signed by Trump attorney Christina Bobb, which was submitted in response to a May 11 subpoena from the DOJ seeking all remaining documents with classified markings in Trump’s possession.
That certification was later discovered to be false, prompting the eventual court-authorized search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in which FBI investigators recovered more than 100 classified documents — including some located in Trump’s personal office, according to previously released court documents.
Smith’s investigators specifically want to ask Corcoran whether Trump was aware of the statements in the certification, which claimed a “diligent search” of Mar-a-Lago had been conducted, and if Trump approved of it being provided to the government, sources familiar with the filing said.
Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in his handling of classified documents.
“There is no factual or legal basis or substance to any case against President Trump,” a Trump spokesperson told ABC News Wednesday. “The deranged Democrats and their comrades in the mainstream media are corrupting the legal process and weaponizing the justice system in order to manipulate public opinion, because they are clearly losing the political battle. The real story here is that prosecutors only attack lawyers when they have no case whatsoever.”
Smith was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in November to oversee the investigation into Trump’s handling of classified documents as well as efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
A spokesperson for the special counsel’s office declined to comment.
Katherine Faulders and Alexander Mallin, ABC News
(WASHINGTON) — Special counsel investigators are expected to question Trump lawyer Evan Corcoran Friday in testimony that could prove key to their decision on whether to charge former President Donald Trump with mishandling classified documents after leaving the White House and obstructing the government’s efforts to retrieve them, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
Corcoran was expected to testify as soon as Friday, sources said, after an appeals court ruled Wednesday that Corcoran must testify in the special counsel’s probe into Trump’s handling of classified materials after leaving the White House.
The three-judge panel on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected an effort by Trump’s attorneys to block Corcoran from having to testify and hand over records to special counsel Jack Smith’s team, according to court records.
The appeals court ruling came five days after D.C. district judge Beryl Howell ordered that Corcoran should comply with a grand jury subpoena for testimony on six separate lines of inquiry over which Corcoran had previously asserted attorney-client privilege, sources familiar with the filing told ABC News.
According to sources familiar with the filing, Smith wants information from Corcoran on whether Trump or anyone else in his employ was aware of the signed certification that was drafted by Corcoran and signed by Trump attorney Christina Bobb, which was submitted in response to a May 11 subpoena from the DOJ seeking all remaining documents with classified markings in Trump’s possession.
That certification was later discovered to be false, prompting the eventual court-authorized search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in which FBI investigators recovered more than 100 classified documents — including some located in Trump’s personal office, according to previously released court documents.
Smith’s investigators specifically want to ask Corcoran whether Trump was aware of the statements in the certification, which claimed a “diligent search” of Mar-a-Lago had been conducted, and if Trump approved of it being provided to the government, sources familiar with the filing said.
Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in his handling of classified documents.
“There is no factual or legal basis or substance to any case against President Trump,” a Trump spokesperson told ABC News Wednesday. “The deranged Democrats and their comrades in the mainstream media are corrupting the legal process and weaponizing the justice system in order to manipulate public opinion, because they are clearly losing the political battle. The real story here is that prosecutors only attack lawyers when they have no case whatsoever.”
Smith was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in November to oversee the investigation into Trump’s handling of classified documents as well as efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
A spokesperson for the special counsel’s office declined to comment.
(NEW YORK) — Four Florida families filed a lawsuit Thursday in federal court against Florida’s Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, Board of Medicine, and Board of Osteopathic Medicine, over the state ban against gender-affirming care for transgender youth.
The ban prohibits puberty blockers, hormones, cross-hormone therapy and gender-affirming surgery for people under the age of 18. The families behind the lawsuit have transgender youth who would be impacted by the restriction.
The families say they fear for their children’s mental and physical health as some studies have shown gender-affirming care has been found to improve mental health of transgender youth.
According to the press release regarding the suit, the Does are a military family who moved to Florida when John Doe was stationed there as a Senior Officer in the U.S. Navy. Jane Doe said she has concerns about her 11-year-old daughter receiving the care she needs.
“Like most parents, my husband and I want nothing more than for our daughter to be healthy, happy, and safe,” said Jane Doe, concerning her 11-year-old daughter, in the release. “Being able to consult with our team of doctors to understand what our daughter is experiencing and make the best, most informed decisions about her care has been critically important for our family.”
She continued, “This ban takes away our right to provide her with the next step in her recommended treatment when she reaches puberty.”
Another family, called the Boes for anonymity, are also challenging the ban on behalf of their 14-year-old son.
“This ban puts me and other Florida parents in the nightmare position of not being able to help our child when they need us most,” said Brenda Boe. “My son has a right to receive appropriate, evidence-based medical care … That has been ripped away by this cruel and discriminatory rule.”
Gender-affirming care has been targeted across the country – with at least eight states with policies or laws that restrict it.
However, major national medical associations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and over 20 more agree that gender-affirming care is safe, effective, beneficial, and medically necessary for transgender people.
In an email from the Department of Health to ABC News, a spokesperson responded with a gif of Gov. Ron DeSantis that stated “If you want to waste your time on a stunt, that’s fine. But I’m not wasting my time on your stunt.”
Ladapo, the Board of Medicine, and Board of Osteopathic Medicine have not yet responded to ABC News’ request for comment.
(PROVIDENCE, R.I.) — For autistic drivers, a police stop or emergency while driving can be a scary situation, according to Joanne G. Quinn, the executive director of the non-profit, The Autism Project.
Sirens, flashing lights, and a law enforcement member asking questions can be too much to handle for someone who is autistic, Quinn, who has an autistic son, told ABC News.
“There is no way to know how you’ll react in one of those encounters,” she said. “And sometimes individuals’ reactions or how they answer a question can get them into trouble with an officer who doesn’t know they’re autistic.”
A bill introduced in the Rhode Island House of Representatives this week would give autistic drivers an option to alert others about their disability with special designations on their license and vehicle.
Lawmakers said it would improve the safety of autistic drivers, however, some advocates argued that in its current form, the specialized license could lead to discrimination and harassment.
Rhode Island House Rep. Samuel Azzinaro introduced the bill that would allow the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles to offer an optional driver’s license “that is clearly marked ‘autism,'” and decals that are “marked ‘autism'” that can be affixed to a vehicle in a “conspicuous place,” according to the legislation’s current language.
Drivers would also have the option of receiving blue envelopes that contain “information regarding ways to enhance effective communication between a police officer and a person with autism spectrum disorder,” the bill said.
Connecticut launched a similar blue envelope program for autistic drivers in 2020.
Quinn said she supported the bill’s purpose, because it would help resolve an ongoing issue affecting the autistic community, which is communication between them and law enforcement.
She said first responder academies have been improving their training to understand how to communicate with autistic individuals properly, and her group has made videos to educate those departments about the community.
However, Quinn said there is still work to be done, especially when it comes to emergencies, and a designated license and information card would go a long way.
“Either it’s a pullover or a crash, they see the [marker], hopefully, they are educated to know what it is, and in the glove compartment is information about the driver,” Quinn said. “The purpose for our community is if it’s a stop in the highway it gives the officer a heads up.”
During a hearing on the bill Wednesday, some autistic residents also expressed support. Toby Silva, a 17-year-old Rhode Island resident who spoke through an electronic device, told lawmakers that he researched the Connecticut law and said Rhode Island would benefit from similar options for drivers.
“The goal is to avoid misunderstanding between the officer and the driver,” he said.
Some advocates, however, warned that putting an autistic person’s disability in big letters on an official ID can lead to problems.
Mireille Sayaf, the executive director of the Ocean State Center For Independent Living, sent a letter to the House of Representatives’ Health & Human Services Committee Wednesday, noting that such a designation on an official identification document would “lead to stereotyping and breaches of the individual’s confidentiality.”
“While the intent behind the bill to improve interactions with law enforcement is good, we feel that there are less intrusive ways to accomplish this goal that would lead to less stigma for persons on the autism spectrum,” she wrote.
Quinn said she agreed that the wording or markings on those special licenses and car decals must be more discreet.
“There should be another way, like a blue dot, or strip that is subtle and law enforcement should be informed about it,” she said.
Azzinaro, who didn’t immediately return messages to ABC News’ request for comment, told the committee that the bill’s language is not final and he is open to tweaking it based on the community’s input.
He also told the committee that he would consider a recommendation for drivers to apply for a special placard on their dashboard.
Quinn said whatever comes of the bill, it is important that lawmakers hear more from autistic drivers and residents, and she encouraged the community to weigh in.
“We need the neurodivergent voice and we need them at the table to tell us what works best for them,” she said.
(NEW YORK) — Darryl Campbell, better known as the rapper and hip-hop podcaster Taxstone, was convicted Thursday in New York of manslaughter in connection with the 2016 shooting of a bodyguard during a concert at Irving Plaza.
A jury in Manhattan found Taxstone guilty of shooting and killing Ronald McPhatter and seriously injuring three others.
He will be sentenced next month for what District Attorney Alvin Bragg called a “tragic and deadly confrontation in a packed New York City music venue.”
The shooting stemmed from a longtime feud Taxstone had with Roland Collins, known as rapper Troy Ave, who testified against him, prosecutors said. McPhatter was Troy Ave’s bodyguard.
Rapper TI was performing when the shots were fired. Troy Ave was on deck to perform.
(DENVER) — A student who was required to be patted down at the start of each school day allegedly shot and wounded two school administrators at East High School in Denver, authorities said.
The suspect, Austin Lyle, 17, fled the school after the Wednesday morning shooting, Denver police said. His body was discovered in nearby Park County on Wednesday night after an hours-long manhunt, officials said.
Lyle allegedly shot the school administrators as they patted him down in the school’s office area, which officials said is away from other students and staff.
The injured faculty members were both hospitalized. Eric Sinclair remains in serious condition and Jerald Mason has since been released from the hospital, according to the hospital and school district.
The suspect’s daily searches were part of a “safety plan” that was a result of “previous behavior,” officials said at a Wednesday news conference.
Last year Lyle was expelled from Overland High School in Aurora for allegedly violating school policy, a spokesperson for the Cherry Creek School District told ABC News.
Law enforcement sources told ABC News that in 2021 Lyle was charged with possession of a dangerous weapon.
It is unclear if that is the same incident that led to his dismissal from Overland High School, but sources told ABC News that school leadership described Lyle to police as “potentially violent” and a “threat to the safety of the school” after a series of events in the 2021-2022 school year, including bringing a weapon to Overland High School prior to his dismissal.
This year at East High School, Lyle appeared to be a “loner” who didn’t seem to have friends, according to two East High School students who did not want to be named.
For East High School, Wednesday wasn’t the first incident of gun violence for the school this year.
Last month, East High School students went to a city council meeting to call for action on school safety and gun violence after a 16-year-old student was fatally shot near the school, according to ABC Denver affiliate KMGH.
The superintendent said Wednesday that the school will be closed for the rest of this week, and that the building will now have two armed officers present through the end of the school year.
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, in a statement, said removing school resource officers was a “mistake” and said they should be quickly returned.
Denver Public Schools Superintendent Alex Marrero announced Thursday that all district schools will be closed Friday for a “mental health day.”
“I want to extend my heartfelt apologies to the East High School community and the larger DPS community,” he said in a letter. “No student or employee should have to carry the fear of potential violence when they walk into our buildings each day.”
Marrero encouraged students to “pause and process the challenging events this year” and provided contact information for multiple support services.
He noted that among the year’s “challenging events” was a significant data breach this month that comprised many employee names, Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, driver’s license numbers and passport numbers. The breach was unrelated to the shooting.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Wednesday that the administration’s “hearts go out to the families of the two school administrators and in Denver today and to the entire school community.”
Jean-Pierre noted that President Joe Biden unveiled another executive action aimed at tackling gun violence last week but that “as the president said in the State of the Union, Congress needs to do something.”
The mayor also called on Congress to pass “common sense” gun legislation.
“Parents are angry and frustrated, and they have a right to be,” he said. “Easy access to guns must be addressed in our country — Denver cannot do this alone.”
This shooting comes two years to the day after a mass shooting at a King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, that claimed 10 lives.
ABC News’ Nic Uff and Ahmad Hemingway contributed to this report.
(LOS ANGELES) — More than 30,000 picketing Los Angeles school service employees are expected to return to work on Friday after a planned three-day strike prompted the city’s mayor to intervene and jumpstart labor negotiations.
The job walkout by the Service Employees International Union Local 99 — which includes bus drivers, cafeteria workers and special education assistants — began on Tuesday, forcing the Los Angeles Unified School District to cancel classes for 420,000 students for three straight days.
“SEIU Local 99 school workers plan to return to schools Friday, March 24,” the union said in a statement.
While no contract settlement has been reached, both sides have returned to the bargaining table at the urging of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. No specifics on the negotiations were made public.
Bass’ office released a statement saying the mayor “will continue to work privately with all parties to reach an agreement to reopen the schools and guarantee fair treatment of all LAUSD workers.”
Max Arias, president of SEIU Local 99, issued a statement Wednesday evening welcoming Bass’ involvement in the negotiations.
“We are grateful that the mayor has stepped in to provide leadership in an effort to find a path out of our current impasse,” Arias said. “Education workers have always been eager to negotiate as long as we are treated with respect and bargained with fairly, and with the mayor’s leadership we believe that is possible.”
School district officials also released a statement, saying, they “have been in conversation with SEIU Local 99 leaders with the assistance and support of Mayor Bass.”
“We continue to do everything possible to reach an agreement that honors the hard work of our employees, corrects historic inequities, maintains the financial stability of the district and brings students back to the classroom,” the LAUSD’s statement reads. “We are hopeful these talks continue and look forward to updating our school community on a resolution.”
The striking service employees, backed by the powerful United Teachers Los Angeles union, began the final day of the strike by gathering at the school district’s bus yard. The workers are planning to hold a large rally later Thursday at the Los Angeles State Historic Park in downtown Los Angeles with plans for a “unified call for LAUSD to bargain fairly,” according to a statement from the union.
This week’s labor action is the first major work stoppage for the nation’s second largest school district since a 2019 strike by the 35,000 members of the United Teachers Los Angeles union.
The service employees have been working without a contract since June 2020. In December 2022, the union declared an impasse in negotiations, prompting the appointment of a state mediator.
The service workers’ union said many of its members earn “poverty wages” of $25,000 per year and are demanding a 30% pay hike, with an additional pay increase for the lowest-paid workers.
The school district’s most recent offer calls for a 23% wage increase, along with a 3% “cash-in-hand bonus.”
(NEW YORK) — More than 30 million people across a large swath of the nation were on alert Thursday for tornados, large hail and damaging winds after a severe weather outbreak spawned by a “bomb cyclone” in California moved east, leaving a wake of destruction from mudslides, tree-toppling gusts and the largest twister to hit the Los Angeles area in 40 years.
Residents in the South are bracing for large hail and tornadoes expected to sweep into Texas and Oklahoma Thursday night.
The wild weather system is the same one that blew in from the Pacific Ocean in Northern California as a “bomb cyclone,” packing powerful winds that toppled more than 700 trees in San Francisco and killed at least five people in the Bay Area who were either struck by falling limbs or uprooted trees, officials said.
The storm pummeled the Golden State for two days, flooding farmland in the San Joaquin Valley and generating two confirmed tornadoes in Southern California, one just 10 miles from downtown Los Angeles.
The L.A.-area twister, the strongest to hit the area since March 1983, was rated as an EF1, with is on the lower end of the Enhanced Fujita tornado damage scale, according to the National Weather Service. Yet the 110 mph winds the tornado generated wrecked 17 structures, including 11 that sustained significant damage, according to the National Weather Service.
The ferocious Southern California funnel cloud touched down just after 11 a.m. local time in Montebello, just 10 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, and stayed on the ground for about three minutes, sending debris, including an industrial-size rooftop air conditioning unit damaging, swirling into the air, according to the weather service.
The tornado touched down in an industrial park, completely collapsing the roof of one warehouse, snapping a power power pole and uprooting trees, officials said. One person suffered minor injuries as a result of the tornado activity, according to the Montebello Fire Department.
“This was crazy. I mean we’re used to earthquakes, but not tornados,” Mike Turner, who was working in one of the damage warehouses, told ABC Los Angeles station KABC.
Turner said the twister ripped off an estimated 5,000 square feet of the roof of the factory he was in.
“It got real loud. Like I’ve never heard before, and for about 30 seconds to a minute,” Turner said. “Then we kind of all were in the office and then after it died down, we went outside, and there was debris everywhere, it was like dust bowl in the factory.”
A second tornado, rated an EF0, touched down in Carpinteria in Santa Barbara County, generating 75 mph winds and damaging 25 mobile homes, according to the National Weather Service.
The storm system was accompanied by torrential rain throughout the Los Angeles region, triggering a mudslide in San Bernardino County and prompting the rescues of 17 farm animals — including horses, cows and bulls — that got stuck in the mud, according to the San Bernardino County Animal Control.
As the menacing storm moves into Texas and Oklahoma Thursday evening, residents are being warned to expect large-size hail and the possibility of more tornadoes forming from Dallas to Oklahoma City and Tulsa.
As the storm moves farther east on Friday, a strong threat of tornadoes is expected for parts of Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee, officials said. Among the cities bracing for twisters are Jackson, Mississippi; Little Rock, Arkansas; and Memphis, Tennessee.
John Allen Carter was arrested on March 22, 2023, in connection with the 2011 death of his then-fiancee Katelyn Markham, in Ohio. — Butler County Sheriff’s Office
(HAMILTON, Ohio) — More than a decade after an Ohio woman disappeared, her then-fiance has been arrested in connection with her death.
John Allen Carter, 35, was arrested Wednesday and booked in the Butler County Jail in Hamilton, Ohio, where he remained in custody as of Thursday, according to online jail records. It was unclear whether he has an attorney.
He has been charged with two counts of felony murder, according to Cincinnati ABC affiliate WCPO, which cited the Butler County Prosecutor’s Office. ABC News has reached out to the prosecutor’s office for comment.
Carter was believed to be the last person to see Katelyn Markham alive before she vanished in the summer of 2011. Markham was a 22-year-old college student residing in the Cincinnati suburb of Fairfield and was engaged to Carter at the time of her disappearance.
“We all suspected that he had something to do with it,” Markham’s father, Dave, told WCPO on Wednesday.
Carter called 911 to report Markham missing after she stopped responding to his text messages and didn’t show up for work on Aug. 14, 2011, two days before her 23rd birthday. The couple had plans to move to Colorado in November, after Markham was expected to finish her bachelor’s degree in graphic design.
“I went to her house and she was gone without her car, without her purse, without her keys,” Carter told ABC News during an interview in August 2011.
“My gut feeling is that she’s alive and that she’s OK,” he added. “I have to believe she’s alive. I have to believe that I’m going to have her in my arms soon.”
Authorities and volunteers, including Carter, searched for Markham for years. On April 7, 2013, Markham’s remains were found in garbage bag at a dump site along Big Cedar Creek in southeastern Indiana, near the state line with Ohio, about 30 miles west of her home. Markham’s death was ruled a homicide but the cause was unknown, according to WCPO.
The case went cold for years despite being featured in television shows and a documentary, the efforts of multiple law enforcement agencies and a $100,000 reward for information.
Then, in February, one of Markham’s friends — 35-year-old Jonathan Palmerton — was arrested and charged with felony perjury in connection with her death, WCPO reported. That same day, authorities executed search warrants at Carter’s former home in Fairfield, where his mother lives, as well as at other residences of friends’ relatives. Investigators also excavated the backyards looking for evidence. Carter was not arrested at that time, according to WCPO.
Upon learning about Carter’s arrest on Wednesday, Markham’s father said he felt “relieved.”
“Everybody’s thrilled that this is ending,” he told WCPO. “I think myself and a lot of other people were expecting this and were waiting for this for 12 years.”
ABC News’ Ahmad Hemingway and Jessica Hopper contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — A grand jury is continuing to weigh charges against former President Donald Trump in connection with the Manhattan district attorney’s probe into the 2016 hush payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
No current or former president has ever been indicted for criminal conduct.
Here is how the news is developing. All times Eastern. Check back for updates:
Mar 23, 9:50 AM EDT
Grand jury won’t meet about Trump case this week
The grand jury hearing evidence of former President Donald Trump’s role in alleged hush money paid to Stormy Daniels will not meet about the case for the remainder of the week, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
The grand jury is meeting Thursday to consider a different case, the sources said. The grand jury news was first reported by Business Insider.
The grand jury is expected to reconvene Monday to consider the Trump case, at which time at least one additional witness may be called to testify, the sources said.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office declined to comment.
It is not uncommon for grand juries to sit in consideration of multiple cases at once.
Mar 23, 7:37 AM EDT
Manhattan grand jury expected to reconvene Thursday
The Manhattan grand jury weighing charges against former President Donald Trump is expected to reconvene on Thursday, sources tell ABC News.
Mar 23, 5:28 AM EDT
Trump could still be elected president if indicted or convicted, experts say
According to law, former President Donald Trump can be elected president if indicted — or even convicted — in any of the state and federal investigations he is currently facing, experts tell ABC News. But there are practical reasons that could make it a challenge, experts say.
Trump said earlier this month at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference that he would “absolutely” run for president even if he were to be criminally indicted.
“I wouldn’t even think about leaving,” Trump told reporters ahead of a speech. “Probably it will enhance my numbers.”
Mar 22, 12:51 PM EDT
Manhattan grand jury to reconvene as early as Thursday
The Manhattan grand jury weighing charges against former President Donald Trump in connection to the Stormy Daniels hush payment investigation is not meeting on Wednesday, sources told ABC News. The earliest the grand jury would reconvene is Thursday, sources said.
The grand jurors were called Wednesday morning and told they were not needed during the day as scheduled, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News. The grand jurors were told to be prepared to reconvene on Thursday when it’s possible they will hear from at least one additional witness, the sources said.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office declined to comment, citing a policy of not discussing grand jury matters.
-ABC News’ John Santucci and Luke Barr
Mar 22, 8:25 AM EDT
With Trump case looming, what is an indictment?
Criminal prosecution proceedings typically start with an arrest and a court appearance, but legal experts say that on many occasions, especially in white collar crimes, suspects aren’t hit with charges or a visit from an officer until long after an official investigation is underway.
Typically, if a crime is being investigated, law enforcement agents will make an arrest, file initial charges and bring a suspect to be arraigned in court, Vincent Southerland, an assistant professor of clinical law and the director of the criminal defense and reentry clinic at NYU School of Law, told ABC News.
After this arraignment, prosecutors would impanel a grand jury for a formal criminal indictment. Southerland, who has been practicing law in New York state for 19 years, said this process includes giving the jury evidence, possible testimony and other exhibits before they can officially charge a person with felonies.
A Manhattan grand jury is currently investigating Trump’s possible role in the hush payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. The former president has denied any wrongdoing and having an affair with Daniels. His attorneys have framed the funds as a response to an extortion plot.
-ABC News’ Ivan Pereira
Mar 21, 6:11 PM EDT
Pence discourages protests if Trump indicted
Former Vice President Mike Pence discouraged any protests should a grand jury indict Donald Trump.
“Every American has the right to let their voice be heard. The Constitution provides the right to peaceably assemble. But I think in this instance, I would discourage Americans from engaging in protests if in fact the former president is indicted,” Pence said Tuesday when asked by ABC News if Americans should protest a possible indictment.
Pence said he understood the “frustration” while calling the case “politically motivated.”
“But I think letting our voices be heard in other ways, and in not engaging in protests, I think is most prudent at this time,” he said.
-ABC News’ Libby Cathey
Mar 21, 11:00 AM EDT
McCarthy grows frustrated as Trump questions persist at House GOP retreat
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy again ripped into Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg when asked about the potential charges against former President Donald Trump at a Tuesday press conference at the House GOP retreat in Orlando.
When McCarthy was asked directly if had concerns about Trump’s alleged conduct regarding the alleged hush money payment to Stormy Daniels, he didn’t answer the question and instead pivoted to talking about Hillary Clinton and Bragg.
“What we see before us is a political game being played by a local. Look, this isn’t New York City, this is just a Manhattan,” McCarthy said.
McCarthy said he hasn’t spoken to Trump in three weeks.
When asked if Trump is still the leader of the Republican Party, McCarthy took a jab at the press: “In the press room, for all of you, he is.”
-ABC News’ Katherine Faulders and Will Steakin
Mar 21, 10:14 AM EDT
Grand jury to reconvene on Wednesday
A grand jury will reconvene on Wednesday to continue to weigh charges against former President Donald Trump in connection with the Manhattan district attorney’s probe into the 2016 hush payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal attorney, paid $130,000 to Daniels in the closing days of the 2016 presidential campaign to allegedly keep her from talking about an affair she claimed to have had with Trump.
Trump has denied the affair and his attorneys have framed the funds as an extortion payment.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is mulling whether to charge Trump with falsifying business records, after the Trump Organization allegedly reimbursed Cohen for the payment then logged the reimbursement as a legal expense, sources have told ABC News. Trump has called the payment “a private contract between two parties” and has denied all wrongdoing.
Trump this weekend wrote on his Truth Social platform that he expected to be arrested on Tuesday.
The U.S. Secret Service is coordinating security plans with the NYPD in the event of an indictment and arraignment in an open courtroom in Manhattan, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News. The two agencies had a call Monday to discuss logistics, including court security and how Trump would potentially surrender for booking and processing, according to sources briefed on the discussions. White collar criminal defendants in New York are typically allowed to negotiate a surrender.
