Trump Loyalists Plot Last-Ditch Effort to Save Him From Being Arrested

Senior Republicans were planning a last-ditch effort to countermand an investigation by the Manhattan district attorney into Donald Trump over an alleged hush money payment as they gathered for the annual House GOP conference in Orlando, Florida.

According to Politico's Playbook, citing officials familiar with the plans, House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan and others are preparing to fire off letters to DA employees calling for sworn testimony. Trump and his allies have portrayed the investigation as being politically motivated by a Democrat district attorney.

Trump is being investigated by the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, over his alleged involvement in hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels by his then-lawyer Michael Cohen in 2016.

Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, was allegedly paid $130,000 by Cohen to stay quiet about her supposed involvement with Trump while the presidential campaign was ongoing. Cohen has said under oath and in print that he was reimbursed by Trump.

If charges are brought, it would be the first indictment of a former president and could damage Trump's hopes of retaking the presidency in the 2024 race, where he remains the only big name to have declared his candidacy so far.

A grand jury has been hearing testimony from witnesses, and Trump's attorney, Joe Tacopina, confirmed that his client had also been invited to testify last week—which legal experts described as the "last stop" before an indictment.

Trump wrote on his Truth Social media platform on Saturday that he expected to be arrested on Tuesday, and called for supporters to protest. He has repeatedly and insistently denied wrongdoing, describing the case as a "fairytale" and a "political witch-hunt."

On Monday, Politico reported that Jordan had been spotted making calls in a hallway during the Orlando retreat. An anonymous source told the outlet that Kevin McCarthy, the Republican House Speaker, was "fully supportive and pushing folks to be aggressive."

It quoted Jordan as calling the investigation a "purely political sham," but did not comment on whether he would subpoena Bragg.

Newsweek approached the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, via a direct message to the director of communications, for comment on Monday.

A legal expert questioned the motivation for the reported move by some Republicans, and what bearing it would have on the investigation.

"It will (or should) not have any bearing on potential legal proceedings against Trump," Jonathan Moore, a New York lawyer specializing in misconduct and partner at Beldock, Levine & Hoffman, told Newsweek. "If a case is brought, or before it is brought, prosecutors have an ethical and legal obligation not to discuss the details with anyone outside the office, including congressional committees."

He added: "The folks running those committees know this. The only reason for their request is to score political points with Trump."

Trump's allies appear to be singing from the same hymn sheet when it comes to the investigation: Joe Tacopina, his attorney, described it as "weaponizing the justice system against him," while Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican congresswoman for Georgia and Trump acolyte, told reporters that "fake charges" were being considered that could be "used in Democrat ads."

Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor and lawyer to Trump, took to Newsmax on Sunday to claim it was "the kind of thing that ends a civilization." Trump has used a steady stream of social media posts to lambaste Bragg, describing it as a "fake case" designed to "get Trump."

McCarthy split with Trump by telling Politico he did not think people should protest any indictment in New York, but claimed to the Associated Press that Trump "doesn't think that either." He argued the former president had a "constitutional right to run" in the 2024 election.

Newsweek contacted Trump's campaign for comment via email on Monday.

Bragg told DA staff to ignore the public commentary about the case and calls for protests. In an email, he said he would "not tolerate attempts to intimidate our office or threaten the rule of law" and that "we will continue to apply the law evenly and fairly."

Cohen is among those who have testified in front of a grand jury over the issue. At least five witnesses gave evidence in January: Jeffrey McConney and Deborah Tarasoff, Trump company employees; David Pecker and Dylan Howard, two former leaders of the National Enquirer who helped arrange the alleged deal; and Keith Davidson, a former lawyer for Daniels.

On Wednesday, it emerged that Daniels had met with prosecutors. Her lawyer said she "agreed to make herself available as a witness," in a further sign the Manhattan district attorney's office is gearing up to bring charges.

At the same time, the district attorney for Atlanta, Georgia, signaled last week that a decision on a two-year investigation into Trump and his allies' efforts to overturn the 2020 election was imminent. A Department of Justice special counsel is also investigating those efforts, as well as the handling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago, Florida, residence.

Update 03/20/23, 12:25 p.m. ET: This article was updated to include comment from Jonathan Moore.