Trump plans to surrender in Manhattan, likely on Tuesday, says his lawyer
- Trump will surrender to the Manhattan DA's office likely on Tuesday, according to his lawyer.
- Trump will fight the case all the way to trial if needed, his lawyer added, "if it's not dismissed."
Former President Donald Trump will surrender to the Manhattan district attorney's office next week, likely on Tuesday, his attorney Joe Tacopina told Insider.
A Manhattan grand jury voted on Thursday to indict Trump, likely over his role in a hush-money payment made ahead of the 2016 election to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
The indictment will not be unsealed until Trump is arraigned, a source familiar with the matter told Insider. The Manhattan district attorney's office announced on Thursday evening that it's coordinating Trump's surrender with his attorney.
When asked if Trump plans to fight the case all the way to trial, Tacopina said, "For sure, if it's not dismissed beforehand."
The criminal charges come after the Manhattan grand jury heard two months of testimony about Trump's connection to a $130,000 payment made to Daniels ahead of the 2016 election.
Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen alleged that he facilitated the payment to Daniels, with Trump's approval, in exchange for her silence about an affair she claimed she had with Trump in 2006. Prosecutors have called the payment an illegal campaign contribution.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing and disputes that the payment was unlawful. He's heavily criticized Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg over the probe and blasted the indictment on Thursday as a political witch hunt.
"Never before in our Nation's history has this been done," Trump said in a statement. "The Democrats have cheated countless times over the decades, including spying on my campaign, but weaponizing our justice system to punish a political opponent, who just so happens to be a President of the United States and by far the leading Republican candidate for President, has never happened before. Ever."
Trump is the first former president in American history to face criminal charges, and they come as he pursues his third campaign for the White House and is widely considered the GOP frontrunner.
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.