(WASHINGTON) — Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson made his 2024 White House bid official on Sunday in an exclusive sit-down interview with ABC “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl.
Ahead of his presidential announcement, Hutchinson, a Republican, spent several days in the first-in-the nation caucus state of Iowa, stirring speculation that he intended to enter into what he acknowledged is a tense national political landscape.
“I have made a decision, and my decision is I’m going to run for president of the United States,” Hutchinson told Karl. “While the formal announcement will be later in April, in Bentonville [Arkansas], I want to make it clear to you, Jonathan, I am going to be running. And the reason is, I’ve traveled the country for six months, I hear people talk about the leadership of our country. I’m convinced that people want leaders that appeal to the best of America, and not simply appeal to our worst instincts.”
The former governor told Karl he is inspired by his travels around the country over the last six months and acknowledged it would take “a lot of hard work and good messaging” to raise his national profile and break through a crowded primary field.
“It’s still about retail politics in many of these states, and also, this is one of the most unpredictable political environments that I’ve seen in my lifetime. So my message of experience, of consistent conservatism and hope for our future in solving problems that face Americans, I think that that resonates,” Hutchinson said.
Hutchinson joins a field of Republican presidential hopefuls that already includes former President Donald Trump, former South Carolina Governor and U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
Although more Republicans are expected to join the primary in the coming months, Trump’s shadow looms large following his recent indictment by a Manhattan grand jury — making him the first current or former president to face criminal charges.
In a statement issued shortly after news of the indictment broke on Thursday, Hutchinson expressed his belief that Trump should not be the next president, arguing the final decision should be made by voters at the ballot box. Asked by Karl how Trump’s indictment affects the 2024 presidential race, Hutchinson said the development “adds to the unpredictability” of the political process.
“I think it’s a sad day for America that we have a former president that’s indicted, and so it’s a great distraction, but at the same time, we can’t set aside what our Constitution requires — which is electing a new leader for our country — just because we have this side controversy and criminal charges that are pending. And so we’ve got to press on, and the American people are gonna have to separate what the ideas are for our future,” he said.
Karl pressed Hutchinson on whether he believes Trump should drop out of the race now that he’s been indicted.
“I do,” Hutchinson said, standing by the position he took before Trump was charged. “I mean, first of all, the office is more important than any individual person. And so for the sake of the office of the presidency, I do think that’s too much of a sideshow and distraction and he needs to be able to concentrate on his due process and there is a presumption of innocence.”
“I’ve always said that people don’t have to step aside from public office if they’re under investigation, but if it reaches the point of criminal charges that have to be answered, the office is always more important than a person. And so, there’s some consistency there. And I do believe if we’re looking at the presidency and the future of our country, then we don’t need that distraction,” he added.
In contrast to GOP presidential candidates and potential candidates, Hutchinson did not blast the indictment as purely political, noting “the grand jury found probable cause and that’s the standard for any criminal charges in our society.”
“I know there’s going to be some that say I should be tougher on the prosecutor, I should be tougher on the unfairness of this. I’ve expressed my view that I wouldn’t bring those charges if I was a prosecutor. But let’s let the system work. And what I don’t want to do as a leader is undermine everything that is good about America, which is our criminal justice system,” he added.
“There are a lot of Republicans attacking that judicial system and that legal system right now,” Karl said.
“And I’m different,” Hutchinson countered.
Despite his critique of Trump, the former Arkansas governor drew a distinction that his political position is in the “non-Trump lane” rather than the “anti-Trump lane.”
“When I say ‘non-Trump’, I want to be able to speak to the Trump voters. I want to be able to speak to all of the party and say, ‘This is the leadership that I want to provide, and I think that we need to have border security. I think we need to have a strong America; we need to spend less at the federal level.’ These are the values that I represent,” Hutchinson said.
Hutchinson, who told Karl in a previous interview on “This Week” that Trump should be disqualified from the nomination due to Jan. 6, did not explicitly say whether he would support Trump if the former president were to win the Republican nomination, stating instead, “I don’t believe he should be the next leader of our country.”
So far in the campaign season, Trump’s popularity among the Republican base appears to be rivaled only by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has yet to announce his candidacy. The former president receives 47% of support among Republican and Republican-leaning voters, while DeSantis receives 33%, according to a recent poll from Quinnipiac University released prior to news of Trump’s indictment.
Throughout President Joe Biden’s time in office, DeSantis embraced being a political foil by implementing statewide policies largely centering on culture wars in a bid to challenge the federal authority.
Pressed by Karl about the Florida governor’s executive style and focus on cultural issues, Hutchinson praised DeSantis for doing “an effective job in Florida” with respect to the state’s economy. Hutchinson also said he shares the concerns expressed by “a large segment of America about the cultural direction of our country.”
However, Hutchinson indicated that he differs with DeSantis on issues pertaining to how the government interacts with private businesses, advocating for “the limited role of government.”
“There is some differences of view absolutely,” Hutchinson said. “The [state] legislature supported him in many instances, but I think we as conservatives need to stop and say, ’Is this the role of government to tell business what to do?’”
A term-limited Hutchinson concluded his second term as governor of Arkansas and was succeeded by former Trump White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders earlier this year. The executive experience bookended decades of public service including three consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, service in the George W. Bush administration as Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration and later as the nation’s first Undersecretary of Homeland Security for Border Protection.
(WASHINGTON) — The 2024 presidential race is shaping up, with Donald Trump mounting a comeback bid for the White House against competition from politicians like former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and others.
Here’s an updated list of who is running for president in 2024 and a brief look at the potential contenders who have not yet confirmed their plans — as well as where President Joe Biden stands on seeking reelection and those politicians who have definitively ruled out a campaign.
Donald Trump, Republican
Trump, 76, formally launched his third bid for the White House on Nov. 15, following the 2022 midterms, which did not meet Republican expectations.
Trump announced his campaign from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. It didn’t come as a surprise, given that Trump had been hinting for months that he would make a run.
“America’s comeback starts right now,” he said, describing the U.S. as “in decline” and touting his administration as a “golden age.”
However, Trump’s third run for the White House comes as he faces multiple investigations — he denies wrongdoing — and has become increasingly estranged from some other leading figures in the GOP in the wake of Jan. 6, his 2020 election lies and other controversies and scandals.
While polling shows he remains popular with many voters in the party, many others say they want another nominee.
“America’s comeback starts right now,” he insisted in his announcement speech.
Steve Laffey, Republican
The former mayor of Cranston, Rhode Island, Steve Laffey announced his candidacy for president on Feb. 2.
In a statement, he said he wanted to confront the country’s issues.
“Our country has done the equivalent of using Band-Aids in place of major surgery. Somehow, we have ‘gotten by,'” he said. “For the first time in a generation, we must directly confront our problems.”
Laffey is a long-shot for the Oval Office, given his relative lack of name recognition or statewide or federal experience.
He previously made a run for Senate in 2006 in Rhode Island, against Republican Lincoln Chafee, who was ultimately defeated by Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse.
Nikki Haley, Republican
Haley, 51, announced her presidential bid in a video released on Feb. 14, a day ahead of a formal kickoff on Feb. 15 in Charleston.
Haley, who also served as a U.S. ambassador to the U.N. in the Trump administration, is the first high-profile Republican to challenge Trump.
In her announcement video, Haley, the daughter of immigrants, highlighted her heritage as a South Asian woman and touted her hopeful view of what America can offer.
“My mom would always say, ‘Your job is not to focus on the differences but the similarities.’ My parents reminded me and my siblings every day how blessed we were to live in America,” Haley said.
She underscored her credentials as a former leader of the Palmetto State, stressing its resilience, but most of all she said there was major need for change in the GOP’s candidates.
“Republicans have lost the popular vote in seven of the last eight presidential elections. … It’s time for a new generation of leadership,” she said.
Haley was elected as the first female governor of South Carolina in 2010, stepping down in 2017, during her second term, to serve as a Trump ambassador until 2018.
Vivek Ramaswamy, Republican
Ramaswamy, a 37-year-old multimillionaire entrepreneur who founded a major biotech company, announced on Feb. 21 that he is running for president as a Republican.
“We are in the middle of this national identity crisis, Tucker, where we have celebrated our diversity and our differences for so long that we forgot all the ways we’re really just the same as Americans, bound by a common set of ideals that set this nation into motion 250 years ago,” Ramaswamy told Fox News’ Tucker Carlson.
When asked what his message to voters will be, Ramaswamy said that “we need to put merit back into America in every sphere of our lives” — which includes immigration policy and affirmative action, the latter of which he argued was “a national cancer.”
In a campaign video shared on Twitter, he said: “We still agree on our nation’s most fundamental principles, at least most of us do. Yet the goal of the ruling party in this country is to convince us that we are divided.”
The Indian-American entrepreneur is also the author of “Woke, Inc.: Inside Corporate America’s Social Justice Scam.”
Perry Johnson, Republican
A 75-year-old Michigan businessman, Johnson launched his presidential campaign for the 2024 Republican nomination amid the 2023 Conservative Political Action Conference that began on March 1.
Johnson took third in CPAC’s straw poll for presidential picks, with nearly 5% of the vote. While he polled behind Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, he was ahead of Haley and others.
While Johnson has no experience in elected office, he has a long career in business in Michigan. with almost 30 years of experience in the quality standards field. Two of his companies — Perry Johnson Registrars, and Perry Johnson, Inc. — both can certify businesses as meeting certain industry standards.
Before CPAC, his most notable political bid was when he ran for governor in Michigan in 2022 but was removed from the ballot before the Republican primary due to what state officials found to be fraudulent and invalid petition signatures.
Asa Hutchinson, Republican
Hutchinson, 72, announced he would run for president on April 2 during an interview on ABC’s “This Week” but said an official launch would not take place until later in April in his home state.
“I am going to be running. And the reason is, I’ve traveled the country for six months, I hear people talk about the leadership of our country. I’m convinced that people want leaders that appeal to the best of America, and not simply appeal to our worst instincts,” Hutchinson told “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl.
The former governor has emerged as a Trump skeptic within the Republican Party, and indicated to Karl that he would seek to veer away from culture wars and return to a party centered around the idea of small government — though he insisted he’s not “anti-Trump,” despite calling on the former president to drop out of the race over his indictment in New York City.
“When I say ‘non-Trump’, I want to be able to speak to the Trump voters. I want to be able to speak to all of the party and say, ‘This is the leadership that I want to provide, and I think that we need to have border security. I think we need to have a strong America; we need to spend less at the federal level.’ These are the values that I represent,” Hutchinson said.
Hutchinson expressed hope that his personal style in early primary states could pay dividends.
“It’s still about retail politics in many of these states and also, this is one of the most unpredictable political environments that I’ve seen in my lifetime. So my message of experience, of consistent conservatism and hope for our future in solving problems that face Americans, I think that that resonates,” Hutchinson told Karl.
Marianne Williamson, Democrat
Williamson, 70, first wrote in an email to donors on Feb. 26 that would will formally announce on March 4 that she is running for president as a Democrat, in a long shot primary challenge to Biden.
Williamson is a bestselling self-help book author who first ran for president in 2020 on a pacifist and progressive platform.
She dropped out of that race before any primaries were held, but she outlasted several other serious contenders with impressive electoral resumes, including now-Vice President Kamala Harris, who at the time was a senator from California.
Williamson has advocated for solving foreign conflicts without military intervention and embraced progressive platforms like so-called “Medicare for All” and a $15 minimum wage.
She also became a viral sensation for infusing her campaign with language from her career as an author, warning Trump in 2020 that “I’m going to harness love for political purposes. I will meet you on that field, and sir, love will win.”
In her launch speech, Williamson focused on advocating for progressive policies, though she still included rhetoric reminiscent of her last campaign.
“We’re all here because we care about this country. But we’re all here, or at least many of us are, because we are upset about this country, we’re worried about this country,” she said, adding, “It is our job to create a vision of justice and love that is so powerful, that it will override the forces of hatred and injustice and fear.”
Williamson also noted the conventional wisdom that she will face a nearly impossible task of unseating Biden in a primary, casting herself as a fighter against the establishment.
“I’m not naive about the forces which have no intention of allowing anyone into this conversation who does not align with their predetermined agenda,” she said.
Where President Joe Biden stands on reelection bid
Biden, 80, has repeatedly said he intends to run for reelection in 2024 barring some major issue such as his health. However, the Democrat has not officially announced a decision.
“[M]y intention has been from the beginning to run. But there’s too many other things we have to finish in the near term before I start a campaign,” he told ABC News anchor David Muir at the White House in February.
Biden told Muir in December 2021 that the possibility of a rematch with Trump wouldn’t dissuade him.
“Why would I not run against Donald Trump for the nominee? That’ll increase the prospect of running,” he said.
A look at potential presidential candidates
The list of other potential White House hopefuls includes Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, among others, as well as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has played down questions about his ambitions even as sources have told ABC News he’s privately indicated he’ll launch a campaign in May or possibly June.
DeSantis has said for the time being he’s focused on serving as governor of Florida, an office he was reelected to in November by a mammoth 19-point margin. An announcement would likely not come before the state’s legislative session is over in the summer.
Sununu, meanwhile, has been open that he’s mulling a White House run, saying on “This Week” in February that he’s “definitely thinking about it and having those conversations.”
Scott has been more mum on his possible aspirations, though he has traveled to early primary states like Iowa, New Hampshire and his home state of South Carolina and is scheduled to participate in a presidential candidate forum next month.
Another possible entrant is former Vice President Mike Pence, who broke with Trump over his ability to overturn the 2020 election results. Pence told ABC News’ Muir last year that he was thinking about a bid and has been traveling to early primary states with a message focused largely on social issues.
“I wish her well. Ambassador Nikki Haley did a great job in our administration, and she may have more company soon in the race for president, and I promise folks here in Iowa and all of you I’ll keep you posted,” he teased on Feb. 15 when asked about Haley’s announcement.
Who isn’t running
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan on March 5 became the first major Republican mulling a presidential bid to say he will not run in 2024.
Hogan said in a statement that he would not “risk being part of another multicar pileup that could potentially help Mr. Trump recapture the nomination,” as Trump did in 2016 when he won the GOP nomination amid a splintered field.
ABC News’ Tal Axelrod, Hannah Demissie, Oren Oppenheim, Brittany Shepherd and Leah Vredenbregt contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Donald Trump was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury on Thursday, becoming the first former president to face criminal charges.
It was not immediately clear what the indictment was connected to, or what charges Trump will face. The indictment is under seal.
Trump is expected to surrender in New York early next week, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
Here is how the news is developing. All times Eastern. Check back for updates:
Apr 02, 11:09 AM EDT
Trump to speak at Mar-a-Lago Tuesday night
Following his expected arraignment on Tuesday in New York City, former President Donald Trump announced he would speak that evening from Mar-a-Lago.
The former president is slated to give remarks at 8:15 p.m., according to a press release.
-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin
Apr 02, 10:33 AM EDT
America split on Trump indictment: Poll
While 45% of Americans believe former President Donald Trump should face charges in an investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, 32% say he shouldn’t have been indicted, according to a new ABC News/Ipsos poll.
Another 23% of American say they don’t know whether the nation’s 45th president should face charges.
While the charges have not been announced, a Manhattan grand jury that indicted Trump had been hearing evidence in a $130,000 hush money payment Trump allegedly made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, who claims they had an affair. Trump has denied the allegations.
The poll showed a split in opinions along party lines. While 88% of Democrats said Trump should face charges, 62%, of Republicans said the former president should not have been charged while 16% said he should be charged, and the remainder was uncertain.
About 47% of Americans polled say the charges are politically motivated, echoing the sentiment from top GOP figures. About 79% of Republicans hold that view.
-ABC News’ Brittany Shepherd
Apr 02, 9:39 AM EDT
Trump’s lawyer hopes his arraignment is ‘typical’ and quick
Trump’s lawyer said on Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” that he doesn’t know what to expect when the former president is arraigned on Tuesday in New York City, given the historic nature of Trump’s indictment.
“This is unprecedented. I don’t know. I’ve done a million arraignments in that courthouse with celebrities and whatnot. But this is a whole different thing. We have Secret Service involved. I understand they’re closing the courthouse for the afternoon. I just don’t know what to expect to see,” Joe Tacopina told “This Week” anchor George Stephanopoulos.
He likened the case to “persecution” and said the charges, which remain under seal, “revolved around” Trump paying money to adult film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election to keep her from going public with a claim of an affair that Trump denies.
He told Stephanopoulos that he didn’t know whether Trump would hold a press conference on Tuesday after he is arraigned.
“What I hope is that we get in and out of there as quickly as possible, that it’s, at the end of the day, a typical arraignment,” he said.
-ABC News’ Tal Axelrod
Mar 31, 8:49 PM EDT
Trump expected to travel to New York on Monday
Former President Donald Trump is expected to travel to New York on Monday, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
He is expected to appear in court on Tuesday at the earliest, the sources said, on what is expected to be around two dozen counts – including felonies.
The exact charges are unknown since the indictment will not be unsealed until Trump appears in court.
-ABC News’ Aaron Katersky, Katherine Faulders, John Santucci
Mar 31, 6:08 PM EDT
Why Trump indictment might hinge on a ‘novel legal theory’
As legal experts speculate on what charges lay inside the sealed indictment ahead of former President Donald Trump’s expected surrender on Tuesday afternoon, many predict that prosecutors could try out a new legal theory to justify bringing the charges.
“This could be a novel legal theory,” said Kate Shaw, a law professor at Cardozo and ABC News contributor, speculating on what charges the public could see against Trump while stressing it’s unknown until the indictment is unsealed.
-ABC News’ Libby Cathey
Mar 31, 5:31 PM EDT
Trump faces around 2 dozen counts, including felonies, sources say
Former President Donald Trump has been charged with around two dozen counts, including felonies, sources familiar with the sealed indictment told ABC News.
The exact charges remain unknown since the indictment will not be unsealed until Trump appears in court on Tuesday.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office declined to comment.
Mar 31, 4:51 PM EDT
Senate sergeant at arms warns of potential demonstration activity
The Senate sergeant at arms is warning of potential demonstration activity related to the indictment of former President Donald Trump.
“While law enforcement is not tracking any specific, credible threats against the Capitol or state offices, there is potential for demonstration activity,” an email obtained by ABC News said.
Capitol Police “is working with law enforcement partners, so you may observe a greater law enforcement presence on Capitol Hill,” the email said, adding that there could be “nationwide impacts to Senate state offices.”
The Capitol Police declined to comment and the sergeant at arms didn’t immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
-ABC News’ Luke Barr
Mar 31, 12:56 PM EDT
Ivanka Trump speaks out
Former President Donald Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, reacted to the indictment on Instagram Friday, writing, “I love my father, and I love my country. Today, I am pained for both.”
She added, “I appreciate the voices across the political spectrum expressing support and concern.”
Mar 31, 12:30 PM EDT
How DA could use hush money payment to Playboy model Karen McDougal to bolster Trump case
Sources familiar with the matter told ABC News the Manhattan district attorney’s office is also investigating a $150,000 payment to Playboy model Karen McDougal, who, like Stormy Daniels, claimed to have had an affair with Donald Trump.
The former president has denied having an affair with either woman and has called the investigation a witch hunt.
McDougal was paid for the rights to her story in August 2016 by American Media, publisher of the National Enquirer, which did not publish it, a practice known as catch and kill.
Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, has said he recorded Trump discussing reimbursement to American Media for the payment to McDougal, but the payment was never made.
Trump has not responded to ABC News’ request for comment but in a 2018 interview with Fox News, he claimed he wasn’t aware of any payment made to AMI to facilitate the alleged hush agreement.
Mar 31, 12:27 PM EDT
Judge signs order allowing DA to publicly acknowledge indictment
Judge Juan Merchan has signed this order allowing the Manhattan district attorney’s office to publicly acknowledge the indictment.
The People v Donald J Trump. This is the order allowing the DA to publicly acknowledge the indictment pic.twitter.com/leg9vDascr
Mar 31, 10:54 AM EDT
Bragg’s office calls on House GOP to ‘denounce attacks’
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on Friday again resisted the House GOP investigation of his office’s prosecution of Trump.
Bragg’s legal counsel called the inquiry “illegitimate incursion” into a legitimate investigation.
The House Republicans — Reps. Jim Jordan, James Comer and Bryan Steil — have said they want to find evidence of federal funds used to investigate Trump. But Bragg’s office said they were merely doing Trump’s bidding.
“Finally, as you are no doubt aware, former President Trump has directed harsh invective against District Attorney Bragg and threatened on social media that his arrest or indictment in New York may unleash ‘death & destruction.’ As Committee Chairmen, you could use the stature of your office to denounce these attacks and urge respect for the fairness of our justice system and for the work of the impartial grand jury,” counsel Leslie Dubeck wrote in a letter to the lawmakers.
“Instead, you and many of your colleagues have chosen to collaborate with Mr. Trump’s efforts to vilify and denigrate the integrity of elected state prosecutors and trial judges and made unfounded allegations that the Office’s investigation, conducted via an independent grand jury of average citizens serving New York State, is politically motivated,” the letter continued.
Mar 31, 10:52 AM EDT
Biden repeatedly declines to comment
President Joe Biden repeatedly declined to comment on the indictment when leaving the White House Friday morning to head to Mississippi.
Asked by ABC News if he had any reaction, Biden said, “No,” and shook his head.
Reporters tried to get the president to comment on the issue from several different angles, but Biden did not bite each time.
Biden was asked if he was worried the indictment would further divide the country, and he said, “I have no comment on that.”
Asked if he was worried about protests, Biden replied, “No, I’m not going to talk about the Trump indictment.”
Later asked what the indictment said about the rule of law in this country, Biden said, “I have no comment at all on Trump.”
Biden learned about the indictment through the news at the same time as the rest of the country, according to the White House press secretary.
Vice President Kamala Harris also declined to comment.
Mar 31, 10:14 AM EDT
Secret Service, NYPD, other agencies to conduct walk-through of courts building
The NYPD, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Marshals and New York State Court officers will meet on Friday to coordinate next week’s surrender of former President Donald Trump, law enforcement sources told ABC News.
Representatives from the agencies will also conduct a walk-through of the criminal courts building.
The 15th floor, where presiding Judge Juan Merchan’s courtroom is located, is already blocked off.
Mar 31, 9:24 AM EDT
Trump has ‘never been held accountable,’ Cohen says
Donald Trump’s former personal attorney and fixer Michael Cohen said the ex-president is likely “seething” over the indictment because he’s “never been held accountable.”
“The fact that he is being held accountable, something that he has no desire to ever be. He’s never been held accountable,” Cohen told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos in an interview Friday on Good Morning America.
“This is a man who held up the Bible and said he’s never apologized to God because he’s never done anything wrong,” he added. “He doesn’t understand accountability. And right now, [Manhattan District Attorney] Alvin Bragg has finally put that into his lap.”
Cohen, who is now estranged from Trump and is a key prosecution witness, said he decided years ago that his “loyalty can no longer be to a man who doesn’t deserve it.”
Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison in December 2018, after pleading guilty to violating federal campaign finance law in connection with hush-money payments and lying to Congress, among other crimes.
During Friday’s interview on GMA, Cohen said he followed Trump’s “message” for more than a decade and “that is what got me in trouble.”
When asked if he feels ready to be cross-examined, Cohen replied: “Absolutely.”
“The documents will speak for themselves,” he added, referring to the sealed indictment.
“So, not just your testimony?” Stephanopoulos responded.
“No,” Cohen said. “And it’s also corroborating testimony, but it’s documents.”
Mar 31, 8:56 AM EDT
Biden repeatedly declines to comment
President Joe Biden repeatedly declined to comment on the indictment when leaving the White House Friday morning to head to Mississippi.
Asked by ABC News if he had any reaction, Biden said, “No,” and shook his head.
Reporters tried to get the president to comment on the issue from several different angles, but Biden did not bite each time.
Biden was asked if he was worried the indictment would further divide the country, and he said, “I have no comment on that.”
Asked if he was worried about protests, Biden replied, “No, I’m not going to talk about the Trump indictment.”
Later asked what the indictment said about the rule of law in this country, Biden said, “I have no comment at all on Trump.”
-ABC News’ Molly Nagle
Mar 31, 7:49 AM EDT
Trump was ‘shocked’ by indictment, lawyer says
Donald Trump’s attorney, Joe Tacopina, said the former president’s initial reaction to his indictment was “shock,” despite predicting his own arrest “based on rumours and leaks.”
“It was shock because it’s actually coming to fruition,” Tacopina told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos in an interview Friday on “Good Morning America.”
“At the end of the day, we were really hoping and he was hoping that the rule of law would’ve prevailed,” he added. “In my opinion — and I don’t say this with pride or pleasure — in my 32 years as a lawyer, both as a prosecutor and a defense attorney, I feel like the rule of law died yesterday in this country.”
When asked what to expect next week, Tacopina said “it’s a great question.”
“This is unprecedented in this country’s history. I don’t know what to expect other than an arraignment,” he said. “I understand they’re going to be closing off blocks around the courthouse, shutting down the courthouse. You know, we’ll go in there and we’ll proceed to see a judge at some point, plead not guilty, start talking about filing motions, which we will do immediately and very aggressively regarding the legal viability of this case.”
Tacopina noted that “there is really no precedent for this case, [because] this was done with personal money.”
“Statutorily, the law says this: If the payment was made with personal funds and it would’ve been made irrespective of the candidate’s campaign, it’s outside of campaign finance and, clearly, that’s what you have here,” he said.
When asked whether there will be handcuffs, a mugshot or a perp walk, Tacopina responded: “I’m sure they will try to get every ounce of publicity they can out of this thing.”
“The president will not be put in handcuffs,” he added. “As far as a mugshot’s concerned, perp walk, I mean, you know, as I said, I’m sure they’ll try to make sure they get some joy out of this by parading him.”
“But, you know, I think this is a different situation,” he continued. “It is a lot of groups involved here and I don’t think they’re going to allow this to become a circus, as much as humanly possible.”
When asked how concerned he is about this case and the other potential cases Trump could be facing, Tacopina said: “We have to deal with it one at a time.”
“Right now, I’m dealing with this case exclusively and another civil matter for the president, but not the Fulton County case and not the special prosecutor’s case at this point,” he added. “And really, I’m not even thinking about those cases at all. I’m focused — laser focused — on this case and I’ll keep all my attention here until this is resolved.”
Mar 31, 12:00 AM EDT
Trump making phone calls to Republicans on Capitol Hill to firm up support: Sources
Former President Donald Trump has been making calls to Congressional allies on Capitol Hill Thursday night, urging them to go on the offensive and defend him following the news of the indictment by a Manhattan grand jury, sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News.
Trump has been asking members who support him to firm up their support and rally behind him, the sources said.
-ABC News’ Rachel Scott, Will Steakin and Katherine Faulders
Mar 30, 9:50 PM EDT
Pence, DeSantis and more confirmed or potential 2024 rivals react
Some of Trump’s confirmed or prospective rivals for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination were among those who spoke out Thursday night in the wake of the news of the former president’s indictment.
In an interview with CNN on Thursday night, former Vice President Mike Pence called it an “outrage,” arguing that the case against Trump is “tenuous” and will “only further serve to divide our country.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, whom sources have told ABC News is expected to launch a presidential campaign in the coming months, tweeted that the indictment was “un-American” and “a weaponization of the legal system,” adding that Florida would “not assist in an extradition request.”
Mar 30, 9:39 PM EDT
Adam Schiff says Oval Office ‘will be tarnished’ by Trump’s conduct
California Rep. Adam Schiff said “it’s a sober moment for the country,” telling Linsey Davis on ABC News Live on Thursday that the dignity of the Oval Office “will be tarnished by the conduct of the former president by his being charged criminally.”
“I think you have to be guided by the facts and the law, and you have to set aside the political calendar and do what the law requires,” said Schiff, a leading Democrat in the House. “I think that’s the obligation of a district attorney, and I think that was done here. How this cuts politically, I really don’t know. That, to me, is very secondary.”
-ABC News’ Imtiyaz Delawala and Anna Katharine Ping
Mar 30, 8:44 PM EDT
Scenes from Manhattan, Mar-a-Lago
Demonstrators gathered outside Manhattan Criminal Court and near Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in the wake of the indictment Thursday evening.
In Manhattan, a giant sign that stated “Trump lies all the time” could be seen unfurled outside Manhattan Criminal Court, where police had erected barricades last week ahead of a possible indictment.
Meanwhile, several supporters gathered near Mar-a-Lago with Trump 2024 flags and signs.
Mar 30, 8:15 PM EDT
Schumer: ‘Trump is subject to the same laws as every American’
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer urged “Trump’s critics and supporters to let the process proceed peacefully and according to the law” in a statement following the indictment of the former president.
“Mr. Trump is subject to the same laws as every American,” Schumer said. “He will be able to avail himself of the legal system and a jury, not politics, to determine his fate according to the facts and the law.”
Mar 30, 7:41 PM EDT
Lawmakers react to historic indictment
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle took to Twitter to react to the historic indictment on Thursday evening, laying bare the sharp partisan divide when it comes to Donald Trump.
GOP House and Senate members decried the investigation by the Manhattan district attorney as a political prosecution.
Many Democrats, on the other hand, praised the decision as proof “no one is above the law.”
-ABC News’ Alexandra Hutzler
Mar 30, 7:24 PM EDT
Trump expected to surrender in New York early next week: Sources
Former President Trump is expected to surrender in New York early next week, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
While a day has not been firmed up, sources said that Tuesday is the day being discussed by Trump’s legal team and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
Mar 30, 7:24 PM EDT
House Speaker McCarthy vows to hold Manhattan DA accountable
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said in a tweet that the House GOP will use its power to hold Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg “and his unprecedented abuse of power to account.”
“The American people will not tolerate this injustice,” McCarthy said, adding that Bragg has “weaponized our sacred system of justice against President Donald Trump.”
House Republicans have requested documents and testimony from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in its investigation of Trump, but Bragg has said he won’t comply.
-ABC News’ Lauren Peller
Mar 30, 7:18 PM EDT
DA’s office has contacted Trump’s attorney ‘to coordinate his surrender’
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office said in a statement that it has contacted former President Donald Trump’s attorney “to coordinate his surrender” for arraignment on a state Supreme Court indictment, noting that it remains under seal.
“Guidance will be provided when the arraignment date is selected,” the office said.
Mar 30, 7:00 PM EDT
NYPD officers to deploy across city on Friday
In the wake of the indictment, all officers with the New York Police Department have been ordered to show up in uniform Friday morning for deployments around New York City, police sources told ABC News.
There are no credible threats, according to the mayor’s office.
Mar 30, 6:49 PM EDT
Trump indictment marks unprecedented moment in presidential history
The indictment of Donald Trump marks an unprecedented development in the country’s history — the first time a former president has ever faced criminal charges.
Historians say that not since Richard Nixon had there been the real prospect of a commander-in-chief being formally accused of a crime, though Nixon avoided that fate after being pardoned by successor Gerald Ford.
-ABC News’ Tal Axelrod
Mar 30, 6:42 PM EDT
RNC calls indictment ‘blatant abuse of power’
Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel called the indictment “a blatant abuse of power from a DA focused on political vengeance.”
“When our justice system is weaponized as a political tool, it endangers all of us,” she tweeted.
Mar 30, 6:36 PM EDT
What to know about an indictment with Trump facing charges
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.
However, Southerland noted that prosecutors can start with the criminal indictment process in the beginning, especially if their case needs more evidence to press those charges.
Cheryl Bader, an associate clinical professor of law at Fordham University, told ABC News that such a move is common in white-collar criminal investigations that involve looking at delicate nuances in the state law and require more time.
Bader said investigations into prominent figures, such as the current investigation by the Manhattan district attorney’s office into former President Donald Trump, also prompt prosecutors’ offices to make their case to the grand jury in the most meticulous and thorough way possible.
-ABC News’ Ivan Pereira
Mar 30, 6:28 PM EDT
DNC responds
The Democratic National Committee said in a statement Thursday, “No matter what happens in Trump’s upcoming legal proceedings, it’s obvious the Republican Party remains firmly in the hold of Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans.”
The DNC vowed, “We will continue to hold Trump and all Republican candidates accountable for the extreme MAGA agenda that includes banning abortion, cutting Social Security and Medicare, and undermining free and fair elections.”
Mar 30, 6:27 PM EDT
Trump could still be elected president despite indictment, experts say
Former President Donald Trump can still be elected president — even if he is convicted — experts tell ABC News. But there are practical reasons that could make it a challenge, experts say.
Trump said recently at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference that he would “absolutely” stay in the race for president even if he were to be criminally indicted.
Trump has denied wrongdoing and has characterized the probe as part of a “witch hunt” against him.
The U.S. Constitution does not list the absence of a criminal record as a qualification for the presidency.
Constitutional experts also told ABC News that previous Supreme Court rulings hold that Congress cannot add qualifications to the office of the president. In addition, a state cannot prohibit indicted or convicted felons from running for federal office.
-ABC News’ Laura Romero
Mar 30, 6:16 PM EDT
Trump tells ABC News indictment is ‘attack on our country’
Former President Donald Trump told ABC News over the phone that the indictment is “an attack on our country.”
He called it a “political persecution,” adding, “They are trying to impact an election.”
Mar 30, 6:14 PM EDT
Stormy Daniels’ lawyer responds to indictment
Stormy Daniels’ lawyer, Clark Brewster, issued a statement on the indictment, saying: “The indictment of Donald Trump is no cause for joy. The hard work and conscientiousness of the grand jurors must be respected. Now let truth and justice prevail. No one is above the law.”
While the indictment remains under seal, Trump had been under investigation by the Manhattan district attorney over a $130,000 payment he made to the adult film actress to keep her from going public with a claim of an affair, which he denies.
Mar 30, 6:03 PM EDT
Trump’s indictment could mark turning point in 2024 campaign, even if he says otherwise: ANALYSIS
Donald Trump being formally accused of a crime could change the outlook for the still-forming field of Republican presidential candidates in 2024 — either rallying primary voters primed by his talk of the “deep state” and “retribution” or opening up an unprecedented line of criticism for Trump’s rivals.
The indictment itself isn’t disqualifying, legally speaking. The U.S. Constitution doesn’t prevent people under indictment or criminal investigation from running for the White House, experts have told ABC News, so the former president could still be reelected despite the indictment — and would still be eligible even if it leads to a conviction, regardless of practical obstacles like potential incarceration.
Mar 30, 5:34 PM EDT
Trump indicted
ABC News has learned that former president Donald Trump has been indicted, according to multiple sources with knowledge.
Mar 28, 9:29 PM EDT
Grand jury expected to meet Thursday on other matters: Sources
The Manhattan grand jury weighing charges against former President Donald Trump will not convene on Wednesday and is expected to meet Thursday on other matters, sources familiar with the situation told ABC News.
The proceeding is conducted in secret and the grand jury could be presented with evidence or vote at any time.
Mar 27, 4:30 PM EDT
Former publisher of the National Enquirer seen leaving DA’s office
David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer, was seen leaving the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office with his lawyer on Monday.
Pecker testified before the grand jury for about an hour, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
Pecker, who allegedly helped arrange the payment to Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election, previously spoke to the grand jury in January.
The district attorney’s office may have called Pecker to bolster Michael Cohen’s earlier testimony about the purpose of the payment.
Mar 27, 7:29 AM EDT
Manhattan grand jury expected to reconvene Monday
The Manhattan grand jury weighing charges against former President Donald Trump is expected to reconvene on Monday, sources tell ABC News.
-ABC News’ Aaron Katersky
Mar 26, 4:48 PM EDT
GOP oversight chair defends getting involved in NY Trump probe
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer on Sunday defended taking the escalatory step of getting Congress involved in the Manhattan district attorney’s investigation of Donald Trump by using his position to request answers from the prosecutor, Alvin Bragg.
“If Mr. Bragg wants to come in and explain to us what he what he’s doing, and he makes a good explanation, he makes a good argument and we see that we’re in an area where we shouldn’t belong, such as the Republicans — some of the Republican senators — say, then we will back off,” Comer, R-Ky., said on CNN. But, he added, “I don’t believe that Bragg would be doing this if Donald Trump were not running for president, and that’s something that we would like to ask Mr. Bragg as well.”
Pushed by CNN anchor Jake Tapper, who said Bragg is investigating potential violations of state and not federal crimes, Comer said, “This is about politics. This is a presidential candidate.”
Comer insisted that he would be more accepting of the investigation if it was being brought by the Department of Justice rather than a local district attorney, though he later said he wanted all “meddling” to end.
Bragg’s office has signaled that they may be moving closer to a charging decision — such as for falsifying business records, sources have said — in relation to $130,000 that Trump paid the adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election in order to prevent her from going public with an affair claim.
Trump denies all wrongdoing, including a relationship with Daniels.
He falsely said that he would be arrested last week and has urged protests.
-ABC News’ Adam Carlson and Cheyenne Haslett
Mar 25, 7:46 PM EDT
Republicans urge Alvin Bragg to comply with their request for documents, testimony
In a new letter Saturday, the Republican leaders of three powerful House committees responded to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s rebuff of their request for documents and testimony related to the Trump probe.
Reps. Jim Jordan, James Comer and Brian Steil argued in the 8-page letter they have legislative purpose for demanding such material.
Bragg’s office pushed back against the chairmen’s original request on March 20, stating it would “not be intimidated by attempts to undermine the justice process.”
Leslie Dubeck, Bragg’s general counsel, responded that it was “an unlawful incursion into New York’s sovereignty.”
In a new statement Saturday, Bragg’s office said it is “not appropriate for Congress to interfere with pending local investigations.”
“This unprecedented inquiry by federal elected officials into an ongoing matter serves only to hinder, disrupt and undermine the legitimate work of our dedicated prosecutors,” his office said.
Read more about the GOP request for information on the Trump case here.
-ABC News’ Lauren Peller
Mar 24, 10:30 PM EDT
Mayor Adams’ office condemns threat to DA Bragg
A spokesman for New York City Mayor Eric Adams issued a statement Friday evening condemning the threatening letter sent to District Attorney Alvin Bragg that included powder later deemed non-hazardous.
“While we cannot comment on the specifics of any ongoing investigation, no public official should ever be subject to threats for doing his or her job,” the statement read.
The spokesman added, “I’m confident that every elected official in the City, including Manhattan DA Bragg, will continue to do their work undeterred, and anyone found to be engaging in illegal conduct will be brought to justice.”
Mar 24, 5:35 PM EDT
DA Bragg stresses ‘safety’ for staff after threat sent to him
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg thanked his staff for their “strength and professionalism” in an email sent Friday and reassured them the powder sent to him in a letter discovered earlier in the day was not hazardous.
The email, which was obtained by ABC News, was sent to Bragg’s 1,600-member staff about three hours after the letter was discovered in a basement mail room on Friday.
“I want to reiterate my message from Saturday: your safety is our top priority,” the email said, referring to an earlier message to staff obtained by ABC News that followed former President Donald Trump’s social media call for protest and an inaccurate prediction he would be arrested on Tuesday.
The latest message revealed that some in the office had received “offensive or threatening phone calls or emails” and Bragg apologized for what he called the “distressing disruptions.”
Bragg concluded with his often-repeated vow to apply the law evenly and fairly.
He also mentioned a film shoot occurring this weekend outside the courthouse at 60 Centre St. could include simulated explosions.
Mar 24, 4:33 PM EDT
Letter threatening to kill ‘Alvin’ found at Manhattan DA’s office: Sources
A white powder was discovered in the mailroom at 80 Centre Street, where the Manhattan District Attorney has offices and where a grand jury has been meeting to hear evidence in former President Donald Trump’s case, according to a court official. The powder was determined to be non-hazardous, officials said.
The powder came in an envelope addressed to “Alvin,” an apparent reference to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, according police sources.
Inside the envelope was a letter containing the typewritten message, “Alvin: I am going to kill you,” with 13 exclamation points, according to sources.
This envelope followed a series of unfounded threats that targeted municipal offices in New York this week.
“For three days we got four emails,” Susan Stetzer, district manager at Manhattan Community Board 3, told ABC News on Friday.
At least one of the messages prompted the court to pause a hearing in the New York Attorney General’s civil lawsuit against Trump.
None of the email messages mentioned Trump by name. One included what Stetzer described as a “horrible homophobic rant.”
According to Stetzer, the messages came from @mail.ru domains and some contained Cyrillic characters. The FBI is aware but does not immediately assess that the emails came from Russia, according to a law enforcement official.
“We did not get one today so I’m hoping it stops,” Stetzer said.
New York City courthouses will see increased security, the Office of Court Administration said Friday.
Mar 24, 4:12 PM EDT
White powder addressed to ‘Alvin’ found at Manhattan DA’s office
A white powder was discovered in the mailroom at 80 Centre Street, where the Manhattan District Attorney has offices and where a grand jury has been meeting to hear evidence in former President Donald Trump’s case, according to a court official. The contents of the envelope were determined to be non-hazardous, officials said.
The powder came in an envelope addressed to “Alvin,” an apparent reference to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, according police sources.
This envelope followed a series of unfounded threats that targeted municipal offices in New York this week.
“For three days we got four emails,” Susan Stetzer, district manager at Manhattan Community Board 3, told ABC News on Friday.
At least one of the messages prompted the court to pause a hearing in the New York Attorney General’s civil lawsuit against Trump.
None of the email messages mentioned Trump by name. One included what Stetzer described as a “horrible homophobic rant.”
According to Stetzer, the messages came from @mail.ru domains and some contained Cyrillic characters. The FBI is aware but does not immediately assess that the emails came from Russia, according to a law enforcement official.
“We did not get one today so I’m hoping it stops,” Stetzer said.
New York City courthouses will see increased security, the Office of Court Administration said Friday.
Mar 24, 4:08 PM EDT
Trump escalating attacks on Manhattan DA
Former President Donald Trump has escalated his attacks on Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and his staff. Overnight, Trump posted on social media that if he were to be indicted it could result in “potential death and destruction.”
Senior administration officials at the Department of Homeland Security are continuing to “watch closely, particularly in the online environment” surrounding a potential indictment against former President Donald Trump, a senior administration official said.
There is nothing “that rises to the level of being credible and specific” or “actionable,” the administration official said. However, the official said that online “there are always things that emerge that will cause people to take note and possibly raise concern.”
As the grand jury continues, the lines of communication with local authorities like the NYPD and Capitol Police have been “wide open.”
“It’s been a several day period of, I’d say, very open and continued information exchange between and among federal and state partners, focused on this issue,” a senior administration official said.
Senior administration officials at the Department of Homeland Security are continuing to “watch closely, particularly in the online environment” surrounding a potential indictment against former President Donald Trump, a senior administration official said.
There is nothing “that rises to the level of being credible and specific” or “actionable,” the administration official said. However, the official said that online “there are always things that emerge that will cause people to take note and possibly raise concern.”
As the grand jury continues, the lines of communication with local authorities like the NYPD and Capitol Police have been “wide open.”
“It’s been a several day period of, I’d say, very open and continued information exchange between and among federal and state partners, focused on this issue,” a senior administration official said.
-ABC News’ Luke Barr
Mar 23, 11:31 AM EDT
DA says compliance with GOP’s requests for information would interfere with investigation
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s general counsel responded to House Republicans Thursday, telling them compliance with their requests for information would interfere with a legitimate law enforcement investigation.
General counsel Leslie Dubeck noted the House inquiry only resulted from former President Donald Trump’s social media post.
“Your letter dated March 20, 2023 (the “Letter”), in contrast, is an unprecedented inquiry into a pending local prosecution,” Dubeck wrote. “The Letter only came after Donald Trump created a false expectation that he would be arrested the next day and his lawyers reportedly urged you to intervene. Neither fact is a legitimate basis for congressional inquiry.”
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.
Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — A plurality of Americans think former President Donald Trump should have been charged by a Manhattan grand jury with a history-making indictment, yet a near equal amount believe that the charges against him are politically motivated, according to a new ABC News/Ipsos poll.
According to the poll, 45% think Trump should have been charged with a crime in this case, whereas 32% don’t think so and 23% say they don’t know.
Democrats are, unsurprisingly, rallying behind the grand jury’s decision.
Almost nine in 10 Democrats (88%) think Trump should have been charged in the investigation by the Manhattan D.A., which has been probing a $130,000 hush money payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels who alleges the two had an affair. Trump has long denied these claims.
Compared with Democrats, Republicans are less united. While a majority, 62%, say that Trump should not have been charged, one in five Republicans say they “don’t know” and 16% say he should have been charged, per the ABC News/Ipsos poll conducted using Ipsos’ KnowledgePanel.
Independents see more of a split, with two in five saying he should have been charged, 32% saying he shouldn’t have been and 27% saying “don’t know.”
Big picture, half of Americans believe the charges are very or somewhat serious, while 36% say they are not too serious or not serious at all. A smaller portion, 14%, say they don’t know. Considered among party lines, 87% of Democrats say the charges are very (49%) or somewhat serious (38%), and six in 10 Republicans say the charges are not too serious (19%) or not serious at all (41%).
Some members of the public may be waiting to see what precisely the indictment is connected to or what specific charges Trump will face.
Former President Trump has been charged with around two dozen counts, including felonies, sources familiar with the sealed indictment told ABC News. The indictment will be unsealed when Trump appears in court in New York on Tuesday.
At the same time, a plurality of Americans (47%) say the charges against the former president are politically motivated, echoing the sentiment from top GOP figures. An even larger majority of Republicans, 79%, hold that view, as does a plurality of independents (48%).. As expected, 64% of Democrats take the opposite view, though a far cry from overwhelming opposition.
Even Trump’s potential own competitors dismiss the investigation as political theater.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, who is mulling a presidential bid himself, said the indictment is “offensive” and an “outrage.”
“I also think at a time when the American people are struggling so much, that this will only further serve to divide our country,” said Pence.
Speaking to ABC News, Trump himself called the indictment “political persecution” and “an attack on our country.”
Trump continues to be the front-runner for his party’s nomination among Republican primary voters. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who trails Trump in the polls despite not formally announcing his candidacy, said Saturday that the “law has been weaponized for political purposes.”
Only 43% of Americans think that Trump should suspend his campaign because of the indictment, while most (57%) either say it shouldn’t affect his bid (35%) or that they don’t know (22%).
Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a Republican, has broken from the party line, telling ABC News that he believes Trump should terminate his campaign.
“I mean, first of all, the office is more important than any individual person. And so for the sake of the office of the presidency, I do think that’s too much of a sideshow and distraction and he needs to be able to concentrate on his due process and there is a presumption of innocence,” said Hutchinson.
Yet, many Americans are still keen that Trump should be charged for various other controversies in his orbit, with a plurality saying he should be charged for his handling of classified documents and his actions relating to the Capitol insurrection.
In addition, a slim majority (51%) say he should be charged for his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Democrats are near unanimous in this view, with 90% believing he should be charged for his efforts to change the 2020 election results. Nearly half of all independents (49%) feel this way, but only 20% of Republicans agree.
Only 29% of Americans have a favorable view of Trump, but President Joe Biden’s favorability rating is similar at 32%. Both presidents see a drop from their approval in October 2020, when Trump saw a 35% favorability and Biden a 44% rating.
METHODOLOGY — This ABC News/Ipsos poll was conducted using Ipsos Public Affairs’ KnowledgePanel® March 31-April 1, 2023, in English and Spanish, among a random national sample of 593 adults. Results have a margin of sampling error of 4.4 points, including the design effect. Partisan divisions are 26-25-40 percent, Democrats-Republicans-independents. See the poll’s topline results and details on the methodology here.
ABC News’ Dan Merkle, Ken Goldstein, Aaron Katersky, Katherine Faulders and John Santucci contributed to this report.
(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) — A powerful storm system unleashed violent tornadoes and severe thunderstorms across the U.S. on Friday.
At least 23 people were killed in the South and Midwest on Friday and one person was confirmed dead in Delaware on Saturday as the powerful storm pattern moved to the Northeast.
Damage assessment is still underway, and it’s unclear exactly how many tornadoes have been confirmed yet. But here’s a look at the extent of the storms so far.
Tornado damage reported in in 9 states
Dozens of locations in 9 states have reported tornado damage since Friday afternoon, according to meteorologists. The number of reported locations continued to increase Saturday amid an ongoing tornado threat.
The National Weather Service will be conducting storm surveys Saturday to investigate the damage and give a more definitive number of confirmed tornadoes.
EF3 in Little Rock
In Little Rock, Arkansas, a confirmed “catastrophic” tornado moved through the city Friday afternoon, the NWS said. Based on preliminary information, the city was hit by an EF3 tornado with winds up to 165 mph and a path length spanning 20-25 miles, according to the NWS in Little Rock.
24 fatalities
At least 24 people in seven states have been confirmed dead following Friday’s powerful storms, per state and local officials:
Tennessee: 7 (McNairy County), Adamsville Mayor David Leckner told The Associated Press
Arkansas: 5 (4 in Wynne, 1 in North Little Rock), state officials said
Illinois: 5 (1 in Belvidere, 3 in Crawford County), according to Boone County and state officials
Indiana: 5 (Sullivan County and Owen County), according to the Sullivan County coroner and Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Alabama: 1 (Madison County), the Madison County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to ABC News
Mississippi: 1 (Pontotoc County), Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said
Delaware: 1 (Sussex County), the Delaware State Police said
More than 730,000 customers without power
Severe weather was in the forecast Saturday, with damaging winds and an isolated tornado possible for parts of the Northeast.
As of approximately 4:46 p.m. ET, more than 730,000 customers in five states were experiencing power outages in the U.S. The states with the most outages were:
Pennsylvania: 258,919
Ohio: 248,079
Tennessee: 105,417
West Virginia: 64,343
Kentucky: 55,209
ABC News’ Daniel Amarante contributed to this report.
(TENNESSEE) — A powerful storm system unleashed violent tornadoes and severe thunderstorms across the South and Midwest on Friday.
Damage assessment is still underway, and it’s unclear exactly how many tornadoes have been confirmed so far. But here’s a look at the extent of the storms so far.
57 tornado reported in 7 states
There were at least 57 tornado reports across a large area spanning seven states over the past 24 hours, as of Saturday morning, according to meteorologists. The number of tornado reports continued to increase Saturday morning amid an ongoing tornado threat.
The National Weather Service will be conducting storm surveys Saturday to investigate the damage and give a more definitive number of confirmed tornadoes.
Several violent long-track tornadoes caused significant damage, notably in Arkansas, as a confirmed “catastrophic” tornado tore through northwest Little Rock, according to the NWS.
18 fatalities
At least 18 people in six states have been confirmed dead following Friday’s powerful storms, per state and local officials:
Tennessee: 7 (McNairy County), Adamsville Mayor David Leckner told The Associated Press
Arkansas: 5 (4 in Wynne, 1 in North Little Rock)
Indiana: 3 (Sullivan County)
Illinois: 1 (Belvidere)
Alabama: 1 (Madison County)
Mississippi: 1 (Pontotoc County)
Nearly 400,000 customers without power
Severe weather was in the forecast Saturday, with damaging winds and an isolated tornado possible for parts of the Northeast.
As of approximately 1:37 p.m. ET, nearly 400,000 customers in five states were experiencing power outages in the U.S. The states with the most outages were:
Ohio: 200,849
Indiana: 59,817
Minnesota: 51,963
Arkansas: 41,915
Kentucky: 41,245
ABC News’ Daniel Amarante contributed to this report.
(ITALY) — Pope Francis left hospital on Saturday morning after spending three days recovering from bronchitis, according to the Vatican press office.
The pope, standing on his feet, answered reporters’ questions outside Rome’ Gemelli hospital. He then embraced a crying woman and proceeded to bless her. Pope Francis also spoke to a couple, then got in the front passenger seat of a white Fiat 500.
Pope Francis said he will deliver the Angelus Prayer tomorrow on Palm Sunday from St Peter’s Square.
The Director of the Vatican press office, Matteo Bruni, released two press releases early Saturday.
“This morning, Saturday 1 April, Pope Francis was discharged from the A. Gemelli University Hospital. Before leaving the facility, the Holy Father greeted the Rector of the Catholic University, Franco Anelli, with his closest collaborators , the General Director of the Polyclinic [hospital], Marco Elefanti, the general ecclesiastical assistant of the Catholic University, Monsignor Claudio Giuliodori, and the team of doctors and health workers who assisted him during these days,” the statement read. “As he left the Polyclinic, Pope Francis got out of the car and greeted the people present. He embraced a couple of parents who lost their daughter last night, stopping to pray with them.”
The pontiff’s hospital stay had gone well “with normal medical progress,” officials said.
Francis, according to a statement, ate pizza for dinner on Thursday night, had breakfast yesterday morning, read his newspapers and then went back to work.
“I can confirm that, since he is scheduled to leave the hospital [on Saturday], Pope Francis is expected to be present in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday for the Eucharistic celebration of Palm Sunday, the Passion of the Lord,” Bruni said in a statement.
Francis, 86, was taken Wednesday to the Gemelli University Hospital after complaining of some respiratory difficulties and had tests performed.
“The outcome of these showed a respiratory infection (excluding Covid 19 infection) that will require several days of appropriate hospital medical treatment,” the press office said at the time.
Bronchitis occurs when the airways in the lungs, which are known as the bronchial tubes, become inflamed.
It often develops as a result of viral infections including the common cold, influenza and RSV, according to the National Institutes of Health.
It’s unknown what treatment the Pope is receiving aside from an “infusion-based antibiotic therapy,” according to the Vatican. The NIH says most cases of bronchitis clear up on their own with a mix of over-the-counter medications to relieve coughing and loosen mucus, drinking hot tea or water, and inhaler medications if needed.
The overnight stay marked the first time the Vatican has publicly announced that Francis has gone to the hospital since he underwent surgery to have part of his colon removed in July 2021 due to intestinal inflammation.
It’s previously been reported that the Pope had part of one lung removed as a young man because of a respiratory infection.
President Joe Biden sent well wishes to Francis during remarks at an event Wednesday celebrating Greek Independence Day.
“The pope is ill now, so say an extra prayer for him,” said Biden, who — in 2021 — became the first Roman Catholic U.S. leader in more than half a century to meet at the Vatican with the head of the Catholic Church.
On Thursday, Francis sent a message of thanks to those who’d wished him well.
“I am touched by the many messages received in these hours and I express my gratitude for the closeness and prayer,” he said on Twitter.
ABC News’ Joseph Simonetti contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Starting April 1, Twitter users who don’t subscribe to Twitter Blue are going to have to say goodbye to their blue check marks.
Recent changes implemented under Elon Musk, the company’s CEO, mean anyone who subscribes to Twitter Blue gets a blue “check” icon next to their profile. But that wasn’t always the case.
Twitter’s check marks were originally intended to verify the authenticity of prominent accounts. “Blue Checks” appear next to the names of many high-profile celebrities, politicians, journalists, activists and organizations.
“This is a person that the powers that be at Twitter decided is important in some way,” Amanda Silberling, a senior culture reporter at TechCrunch, said about the original check mark status.
In addition to cutting down on scam accounts, Silberling told ABC Audio the checks came to convey a sense of legitimacy on the platform.
“I think in some ways it is a status symbol,” said Silberling. “I was very excited when I got my blue check … people are noticing what I’m doing as a journalist, that makes me feel good.”
Hear ABC Audio’s Mike Dobuski report:
Following a revamp of Twitter Blue last year, now any user who pays a monthly subscription fee automatically gets a check mark – regardless of the relevancy of the account. For months now, new Twitter Blue subscribers enjoyed verified status alongside the “legacy” blue check accounts. But starting in April, the company said any existing blue check accounts that don’t subscribe to Twitter Blue will have to pay up – or lose the check.
“Starting April 1, 2023, we’ll begin winding down our legacy verification program,” reads Twitter’s help page. It goes on to detail the process by which users can receive a blue check. Accounts must be older than 30 days, for example. They also “may not impersonate individuals, groups or organizations to mislead, confuse or deceive others, nor use a fake identity in a manner that disrupts the experience of others on Twitter.”
Musk said charging for verification is part of an attempt to cut down on automated spam accounts, known as “bots.” In a recent tweet, Musk wrote that “paid account social media will be the only social media that matters.”
At the same time, Twitter has rolled out additional gray and gold check marks, intended to verify government and business accounts. The official White House Twitter account, for example, currently displays a gray check mark. ABC News, meanwhile, has a gold check.
But Silberling says tying blue checks to payment still leaves the door open to impersonation and misinformation on the platform.
“The blue check is essentially just going to lose its meaning,” she said, adding that users now bear more responsibility in determining which accounts are real on the platform.
“It’s always a good thing if social media users are aware of what they’re reading, and is it true,” said Silberling. “But also part of the job of social media platforms is to make it more difficult for misinformation to circulate, and I don’t think that Twitter is doing a great job of that right now.”
(NEW YORK) — Millions of people will begin to lose their health insurance on Saturday, as five states begin the unwinding of a pandemic-era protection that kept people from being removed from the Medicaid rosters.
During the public health emergency, states were required to keep people on Medicaid without the often yearly reapplication process normally in place. But now that the public health emergency is winding down, so are the Medicaid rolls.
“We’re now in a position within just a couple of days where states can begin to disenroll people — to redo their rosters for Medicaid — and this continuous coverage requirement is no longer going to be in place,” Dr. Avenel Joseph, vice president of policy for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, told ABC News.
The issue that Joseph and other advocates are concerned about is that not enough people know they’re about to get kicked off their coverage.
For Jeffrey Jackson, a 62-year-old Medicaid beneficiary in Arkansas who faces losing that coverage in a matter of days, that could be a “nightmare.”
Arkansas is one of the five states that will start removing people from coverage on April 1, along with Arizona, Idaho, South Dakota and New Hampshire.
Without Medicaid, Jackson’s financial decisions would have to come down to “whether I would eat or whether I will get my medication.”
Jackson said he’ll have to meet with his doctors to ask them what medications he can do without.
“We’ll look at what’s left and then I’ll say I’ll look at the price and what I can afford or can’t afford,” Jackson told ABC News.
Despite the dire stakes, losing Medicaid is a common problem that used to happen annually before the pandemic — the average person on Medicaid got about 10 months of coverage a year, because of something called “churn,” which often occurs when bureaucratic hurdles push people out of the system for reasons as simple as missing a letter in the mail or moving.
Despite the dire stakes, losing Medicaid is a common problem that used to happen annually before the pandemic — the average person on Medicaid got about 10 months of coverage a year, because of something called “churn,” which often occurs when bureaucratic hurdles push people out of the system for reasons as simple as missing a letter in the mail or moving.
“What we’ve heard from Medicaid administrators across the states is this is the largest shifting of insurance coverage for people since the Affordable Care Act was put in place over 10 years ago,” Joseph said. “This is a massive undertaking.”
“And with that kind of movement,” Joseph said, “vulnerable people will fall through the cracks.”
(RUSSIA) — When President Joe Biden was asked Friday what his message was to Russia over the arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich this week, he replied, “Let him go.”
And as has become routine, there was public outcry for the American’s release.
But how to handle what some call “hostage taking” can be much trickier to deal with than issuing simple warnings and pleas. That’s especially true when political pressure builds at home to free an individual — versus the broader national interest in not giving in to the “leverage” critics say Russia is seeking.
The process of bringing back an American detained overseas can take months or even years.
While at least 67 Americans were detained unjustly overseas as of July 2022, according to the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, the U.S. government will decline to get involved in many cases. However, if an American accused of breaking a law in another country is being treated or held unfairly, the United States may initiate a prisoner swap.
Here are some of the factors that could come into play if U.S. officials consider a prisoner swap to bring Gershkovich home.
Designation of detention
The U.S. is much more likely to act on behalf of citizens who are classified by the State Department as “wrongfully detained.” That designation applies to an “individual whose detention the Department of State determines tobe wrongful based on certain discretionary criteria,” according to a State Department resource guide for families of wrongful detainees.
“The first thing that I am watching for will be whether or not the State Department gives Evan that designation — whether they designate him as wrongfully detained. And that decision could come tomorrow or it could come months from now,” Dartmouth College foreign policy fellow Danielle Gilbert told ABC News.
The State Department offers no exact timeline of how long that classification process takes.
“Every wrongful detention is different, and there is no one pre-determined way to secure the safe release of a person who has been wrongfully detained overseas. … While we cannot know beforehand what series of events will lead to your loved one’s release, please know that the U.S. government will continue to work tirelessly towards the goal of reuniting you with your family member,” the department’s website says.
In the case of WNBA basketball star Brittney Griner, it took months before the U.S government designated her as “wrongfully detained,” Gilbert noted.
“Months went by of gathering information to really determine whether or not there was something unjust about [Griner’s] arrest that kind of allowed the United States to get involved,” she added.
Since Gershkovich’s case is in its “very, very early days,” the process of classifying his detention and deciding what actions to take to secure his release could take a long time, according to Gilbert.
While the State Department has not classified Gershkovich, accused of espionage, as a wrongful detainee, the White House has referred to his arrest as a “detention.”
“These espionage charges are ridiculous. The targeting of American citizens by Russian government is unacceptable. We condemn the detention of Mr. Gershkovich in the strongest — in the strongest terms,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
Yet, she declined to characterize the Gershkovich’s detention as a hostage situation when asked by ABC News’ Stephanie Ramos.
History of ‘hostage diplomacy’
Another factor is whether the arresting country has a history of engaging in hostage diplomacy, defined as “the taking of hostages under the guise of law for use as foreign policy leverage,” according to The Texas National Security Review.
“Given the cases we’ve seen unfold over the past several years, there are certainly reasons to imagine that this will be a case of hostage diplomacy,” Gilbert said.
In many cases, Russia holds onto individuals for an extended period of time in order to make demands of the U.S., often a prisoner swap. Most recently, President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin arranged a prisoner swap of Griner, two-time Olympic gold medalist and basketball star, for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, dubbed “the Merchant of Death” due to his conviction on terrorism charges.
Griner, who was facing a nine-year sentence for bringing hash oil into Russia, was released last December after serving only nine months in a Russian prison.
The Biden administration was slammed for leaving behind Paul Whelan, a former U.S Marine who has been imprisoned in Russia for four years. Whelan, who had made several visits to Russia, was convicted of espionage by a Moscow court and sentenced in June 2020 to 16 years in a Russian prison.
While Gerskovich, a correspondent based in Moscow, was also arrested on espionage charges, Gilbert notes that the severity of Gershkovich’s case is still unknown.
On Thursday, the family of Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine held in Russia since being arrested in 2018, notably backed the deal that led to Griner’s release, called Gershkovich’s arrest a “frame up.”
“Our family is sorry to hear that another American family will have to experience the same trauma that we have had to endure for the past 1,553 days. It sounds as though the frame up of Mr. Gershkovich was the same as it was in Paul’s case,” wrote David Whelan, Paul Whelan’s twin brother.
While David Whelan said he appreciates the Biden administration’s efforts, he urged the president to ramp up efforts to secure his brother’s release.
Willingness to negotiate
Prisoner swaps require the cooperation of both countries. Former CIA officer John Woodward notes that while family members are justified in calling on administration for help and awareness, oftentimes, the White House cannot act immediately as it awaits signals of the other country’s willingness to negotiate.
Woodward says Greshkovich’s case is “nothing new,” referencing Putin’s history of wrongfully capturing American journalists. Woodward believes Putin sees potential prisoner swaps as a “useful tool” in retrieving Russians who have been detained in the United States.
“We’ll have to see what kind of feelers the Russians put out. As far as what kind of a swap they might be interested in,” he said.
While Woodward speculates that “there will be some type of a swap that would be negotiated” based on who Putin might be willing to trade for, there is no sense of urgency from Russian leadership on this matter. And the waiting could be painful for Gershkovich.
“I don’t really expect any kind of benign attitude from the Russian government toward the Wall Street Journal reporter, unfortunately,” Woodward added.
Gilbert noted that despite tensions between the U.S. and Russia, the Biden administration has been successful in bringing home many Americans unjustly detained overseas.
“I personally believe that this administration is committed to working on these cases. I mean, they have a tremendous track record of success. They’ve brought home dozens of Americans over the last year and a half from countries all around the world,” said Gilbert.
“From my perspective, it’s not a question of willingness to make these efforts. It’s whether or not the foreign government is willing to accept. And so you know, just remembering who, who the perpetrator is here,” she added.
Impact of news media coverage
Since Griner’s return, experts have noted the impact of news media attention in these situations.
“It was fortunate that [Griner] was much more of a celebrity and I think that helped galvanize a lot of influential people to support our cause. Whereas, I think Paul Whelan didn’t have quite that kind of expensive backing,” Woodward said. “I think it definitely helped her case. Oh, I think there’s no doubt about it.”
Earlier this month, Iran’s longest-held American prisoner made a personal plea to Biden to prioritize efforts to secure his release
“I remain deeply worried that the White House just doesn’t appreciate how dire our situation has become,” said Siamak Namazi, speaking by phone with Christiane Amanpour in an unprecedented live interview with CNN from inside Iran’s notorious Evin prison.
Namazi’s family has repeatedly called on Biden and Congress to bring him and other Iranian prisoners home. So far, they say they have not been contacted by the Biden administration.
Gilbert says there has been serious debate about whether such media coverage is a net positive or negative.
“There is, I think, a reasonable concern that raising media attention to cases of Americans arrested overseas will make the prisoners seem more valuable, and therefore increase leverage or get our adversaries to dig their heels and to hold on to someone for longer. I think that that’s increasingly a minority opinion. And many more people think that the advocacy is crucial internally in the United States, and irrelevant internationally,” said Gilbert.
“Vladimir Putin is not making his decisions based on whether or not the U.S. media is covering something. He just assumes it will be effective anyway,” she added.
(RUSSIA) — When President Joe Biden was asked Friday what his message was to Russia over the arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich this week, he replied, “Let him go.”
And as has become routine, there was public outcry for the American’s release.
But how to handle what some call “hostage taking” can be much trickier to deal with than issuing simple warnings and pleas. That’s especially true when political pressure builds at home to free an individual — versus the broader national interest in not giving in to the “leverage” critics say Russia is seeking.
The process of bringing back an American detained overseas can take months or even years.
While at least 67 Americans were detained unjustly overseas as of July 2022, according to the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, the U.S. government will decline to get involved in many cases. However, if an American accused of breaking a law in another country is being treated or held unfairly, the United States may initiate a prisoner swap.
Here are some of the factors that could come into play if U.S. officials consider a prisoner swap to bring Gershkovich home.
****************Designation of detention
The U.S. is much more likely to act on behalf of citizens who are classified by the State Department as “wrongfully detained.” That designation applies to an “individual whose detention the Department of State determines tobe wrongful based on certain discretionary criteria,” according to a State Department resource guide for families of wrongful detainees.
“The first thing that I am watching for will be whether or not the State Department gives Evan that designation — whether they designate him as wrongfully detained. And that decision could come tomorrow or it could come months from now,” Dartmouth College foreign policy fellow Danielle Gilbert told ABC News.
The State Department offers no exact timeline of how long that classification process takes.
“Every wrongful detention is different, and there is no one pre-determined way to secure the safe release of a person who has been wrongfully detained overseas. … While we cannot know beforehand what series of events will lead to your loved one’s release, please know that the U.S. government will continue to work tirelessly towards the goal of reuniting you with your family member,” the department’s website says.
In the case of WNBA basketball star Brittney Griner, it took months before the U.S government designated her as “wrongfully detained,” Gilbert noted.
“Months went by of gathering information to really determine whether or not there was something unjust about [Griner’s] arrest that kind of allowed the United States to get involved,” she added.
Since Gershkovich’s case is in its “very, very early days,” the process of classifying his detention and deciding what actions to take to secure his release could take a long time, according to Gilbert.
While the State Department has not classified Gershkovich, accused of espionage, as a wrongful detainee, the White House has referred to his arrest as a “detention.”
“These espionage charges are ridiculous. The targeting of American citizens by Russian government is unacceptable. We condemn the detention of Mr. Gershkovich in the strongest — in the strongest terms,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
Yet, she declined to characterize the Gershkovich’s detention as a hostage situation when asked by ABC News’ Stephanie Ramos.
********************History of ‘hostage diplomacy’
Another factor is whether the arresting country has a history of engaging in hostage diplomacy, defined as “the taking of hostages under the guise of law for use as foreign policy leverage,” according to The Texas National Security Review.
“Given the cases we’ve seen unfold over the past several years, there are certainly reasons to imagine that this will be a case of hostage diplomacy,” Gilbert said.
In many cases, Russia holds onto individuals for an extended period of time in order to make demands of the U.S., often a prisoner swap. Most recently, President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin arranged a prisoner swap of Griner, two-time Olympic gold medalist and basketball star, for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, dubbed “the Merchant of Death” due to his conviction on terrorism charges.
Griner, who was facing a nine-year sentence for bringing hash oil into Russia, was released last December after serving only nine months in a Russian prison.
The Biden administration was slammed for leaving behind Paul Whelan, a former U.S Marine who has been imprisoned in Russia for four years. Whelan, who had made several visits to Russia, was convicted of espionage by a Moscow court and sentenced in June 2020 to 16 years in a Russian prison.
While Gerskovich, a correspondent based in Moscow, was also arrested on espionage charges, Gilbert notes that the severity of Gershkovich’s case is still unknown.
On Thursday, the family of Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine held in Russia since being arrested in 2018, notably backed the deal that led to Griner’s release, called Gershkovich’s arrest a “frame up.”
“Our family is sorry to hear that another American family will have to experience the same trauma that we have had to endure for the past 1,553 days. It sounds as though the frame up of Mr. Gershkovich was the same as it was in Paul’s case,” wrote David Whelan, Paul Whelan’s twin brother.
While David Whelan said he appreciates the Biden administration’s efforts, he urged the president to ramp up efforts to secure his brother’s release.
**********************Willingness to negotiate
Prisoner swaps require the cooperation of both countries. Former CIA officer John Woodward notes that while family members are justified in calling on administration for help and awareness, oftentimes, the White House cannot act immediately as it awaits signals of the other country’s willingness to negotiate.
Woodward says Greshkovich’s case is “nothing new,” referencing Putin’s history of wrongfully capturing American journalists. Woodward believes Putin sees potential prisoner swaps as a “useful tool” in retrieving Russians who have been detained in the United States.
“We’ll have to see what kind of feelers the Russians put out. As far as what kind of a swap they might be interested in,” he said.
While Woodward speculates that “there will be some type of a swap that would be negotiated” based on who Putin might be willing to trade for, there is no sense of urgency from Russian leadership on this matter. And the waiting could be painful for Gershkovich.
“I don’t really expect any kind of benign attitude from the Russian government toward the Wall Street Journal reporter, unfortunately,” Woodward added.
Gilbert noted that despite tensions between the U.S. and Russia, the Biden administration has been successful in bringing home many Americans unjustly detained overseas.
“I personally believe that this administration is committed to working on these cases. I mean, they have a tremendous track record of success. They’ve brought home dozens of Americans over the last year and a half from countries all around the world,” said Gilbert.
“From my perspective, it’s not a question of willingness to make these efforts. It’s whether or not the foreign government is willing to accept. And so you know, just remembering who, who the perpetrator is here,” she added.
************************Impact of news media coverage
Since Griner’s return, experts have noted the impact of news media attention in these situations.
“It was fortunate that [Griner] was much more of a celebrity and I think that helped galvanize a lot of influential people to support our cause. Whereas, I think Paul Whelan didn’t have quite that kind of expensive backing,” Woodward said. “I think it definitely helped her case. Oh, I think there’s no doubt about it.”
Earlier this month, Iran’s longest-held American prisoner made a personal plea to Biden to prioritize efforts to secure his release
“I remain deeply worried that the White House just doesn’t appreciate how dire our situation has become,” said Siamak Namazi, speaking by phone with Christiane Amanpour in an unprecedented live interview with CNN from inside Iran’s notorious Evin prison.
Namazi’s family has repeatedly called on Biden and Congress to bring him and other Iranian prisoners home. So far, they say they have not been contacted by the Biden administration.
Gilbert says there has been serious debate about whether such media coverage is a net positive or negative.
“There is, I think, a reasonable concern that raising media attention to cases of Americans arrested overseas will make the prisoners seem more valuable, and therefore increase leverage or get our adversaries to dig their heels and to hold on to someone for longer. I think that that’s increasingly a minority opinion. And many more people think that the advocacy is crucial internally in the United States, and irrelevant internationally,” said Gilbert.
“Vladimir Putin is not making his decisions based on whether or not the U.S. media is covering something. He just assumes it will be effective anyway,” she added.
