Trump Says He'll Be Arrested, Invites Protest, Derails GOP Confab

The NPR Politics Podcast

NPR

Politics, Daily News, News

4.5 • 24.9K Ratings

🗓️ 21 March 2023

⏱️ 13 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The former president's announced on social media that he'd soon be arrested, apparently referring to an ongoing state investigation in New York over his hush money payments to adult film actor Stormy Daniels. Trump invited his supporters to protest. The president's post derailed the ongoing House Republican retreat in Florida, where GOP members denounced New York's investigation into the former president and are once again torn between distancing themselves from his alleged actions and alienating his base.

This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, congressional correspondent Susan Davis, and national justice correspondent Carrie Johnson.

The podcast is produced by Elena Moore and Casey Morell. It is edited by Eric McDaniel. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi. Research and fact-checking by Devin Speak.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, this is Liz from Carmel, Indiana, sitting here with my two-year-old son Ben on World Down Syndrome Day.
0:08.0	The day we celebrate those like Ben who were born with three copies of the 21st chromosome.
0:14.0	This podcast was recorded at 204 PM Eastern Time on Tuesday March 21st of 2023.
0:22.0	Things may have changed by the time you hear this, but I'll still know what a lucky mama I am.
0:28.0	Okay, here's the show.
0:30.0	Hey Ben.
0:36.0	I'd love to hear from another Hoosier. Always, always loving that on our show.
0:40.0	Hey there, it's the NPR Politics Podcast. I'm Asma Khalid, I cover the White House.
0:44.0	I'm Deer Jervosha, I cover Congress.
0:46.0	And I'm Carrie Johnson, National Justice correspondent.
0:48.0	And down in Florida this week at the Retreat House Republicans are rallying around
0:54.0	former President Donald Trump after the former president announced on social media that he might be arrested
1:00.0	by the Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, an elected Democrat.
1:04.0	And before we dive into the politics of this, Carrie, I want to start with you on what the Manhattan DA is
1:12.0	reportedly investigating here. What is the alleged crime?
1:15.0	DA Bragg seems to be looking into some hush money payments that the Trump organization
1:21.0	and Donald Trump himself gave to Stormy Daniels, an adult film actress who says she had an affair with Trump years and years ago.
1:29.0	A few weeks before the 2016 election, Trump's then fixer Michael Cohen wired money or sent money to Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels.
1:41.0	In an effort to apparently keep her quiet in the waning weeks of the 2016 election where Trump was a candidate.
1:49.0	And Cohen, who has since pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection with those checks, says he was reimbursed by Trump with checks that Donald Trump himself signed.
2:00.0	And the DA's office seems to be investigating whether any business records were falsified and whether any underlying crime may have been covered up by these payments and these bills.
2:10.0	We should know that Donald Trump has denied having an affair with Stormy Daniels, but he has acknowledged authorizing those payments.
	...

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