Highlights and analysis: Donald Trump indicted in hush money probe

There are about 30 counts of document fraud-related charges in the indictment against Trump, two sources familiar with the matter said.

The indictment remains sealed, so the exact charges are not publicly known, according to a source familiar with the matter. It is at the discretion of the Manhattan district attorney's office if they choose to seek to unseal the indictment before Tuesday when Trump is expected to be arraigned.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., tweeted Friday that she plans to go to New York City on Tuesday, which is when Trump is expected to be arraigned. She suggested that she plans to protest the former president's indictment and seemed to encourage Republicans to do the same.

The comment comes after Greene said earlier this month that Republicans don't need to protest Trump's possible arrest.

The Manhattan district attorney's office said in a new letter to several GOP committee chairmen Friday that it will not submit to any requests that "interfere" with the office's Trump investigation.

“Like any other defendant, Mr. Trump is entitled to challenge these charges in court and avail himself of all processes and protections that New York State’s robust criminal procedure affords,” the office's general counsel, Leslie Dubeck, wrote about the Trump indictment. “What neither Mr. Trump nor Congress may do is interfere with the ordinary course of proceedings in New York State.”

Dubeck reiterated that the House Judiciary, Oversight and Administration committees lack the authority to intervene in a state criminal prosecution, and the DA office's use of federal funds is limited and unconnected to its prosecution of Trump.

The letter also accuses the three GOP chairmen — Jim Jordan of Ohio, James Comer of Kentucky, and Bryan Steil of Wisconsin — of contributing to the threat campaign directed at Bragg.

"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," Dubeck wrote. "We urge you to refrain from these inflammatory accusations, withdraw your demand for information, and let the criminal justice process proceed without unlawful political interference."

Dubeck added that the office would be willing to meet with committee staff to discuss their requests.

Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina claimed Friday on the "TODAY" show that the Federal Election Commission “turned this down, they said there was no crime” in regard to the illegal campaign contribution that Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to making to Trump’s campaign through the $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels.

That statement is misleading at best. The FEC took no action on the case because it was paralyzed: Two Democratic commissioners wanted to move forward with an investigation, while the two Republicans did not. One Democrat was absent on the day of the vote and one Republican was recused.

In December 2020, the FEC issued an internal report from its Office of General Counsel that said it had found “reason to believe” the Trump campaign had violated campaign finance law “knowingly and willfully.”

FEC lawyers had recommended among other things that the commission “Find reason to believe that Donald J. Trump knowingly and willfully violated 52 U.S.C. § 30116(f) by knowingly accepting excessive contributions from Michael D. Cohen.”

Two of the Democratic commissioners, Shana Broussard and Ellen Weintraub, criticized the inaction in a letter released publicly.

“To conclude that a payment, made 13 days before Election Day to hush up a suddenly newsworthy 10-year-old story, was not campaign-related, without so much as conducting an investigation, defies reality,” they wrote.

Attorney Jim Trusty, who is representing Trump in the classified documents case, said Friday on CNN that he expects Trump's legal team in the hush money case will try to dismiss to the charges against the former president before it even goes to trial.

"I would think in very short order, you’ll see a motion to dismiss — or several motions to dismiss," Trusty said, adding that he expects to see pre-trial motions to dismiss in "days."

Trusty said Trump's lawyers will likely argue that the legal theory underpinning the charges does not hold water — an issue that even some impartial legal experts have raised. But Trusty, like others who have publicly commented on the case, acknowledged that it's impossible to know until the indictment and the evidence supporting it are unsealed.

The office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg wanted Trump to turn himself in and surrender on Friday, according to Joe Tacopina, attorney for the former president.

Tacopina, along with other aides, rebuffed the request, telling NBC News that the U.S. Secret Service needed more time to prepare. 

The Secret Service, however, denies this. Sources said Trump’s Secret Service detail could be ready to transport him to New York at a moment’s notice and they are simply taking orders based on the date Bragg and Trump’s defense team agree to. 

Tacopina’s version of events was first reported by Politico.

New York Mayor Eric Adams has been in communication with the city's police commissioner, Keechant Sewell, about public safety issues, said press secretary Fabien Levy.

"The NYPD continues to monitor all activity and there are no credible threats to the city at this time. The NYPD always remains prepared to respond to events happening on the ground and keep New Yorkers safe," Levy said.

There was a visible police presence in lower Manhattan on Friday morning, along with the barricades that were put up earlier this month. 

The president took a few questions from reporters outside the White House on Friday morning and repeatedly said he had no comment on Trump's indictment.

Biden then boarded Marine One with first lady Jill Biden. They are traveling to Rolling Fork, Mississippi, to view the damage caused by major storms, including a massive tornado last weekend.