Prosecutors in New York are preparing for Donald Trump's surrender to court officials, after he became the first US president to be charged with a crime
Trump's lawyer says the former president will not be handcuffed for his court appearance next Tuesday
Joe Tacopina also says Trump will plead not guilty to the charges and they will "aggressively" challenge the "legal viability" of the case
A court spokesman tells the BBC's US partner CBS News the hearing has been set for 14:15 local time (18:15 GMT) on Tuesday
Prosecutors have been investigating the payment of hush money to an adult film star prior to Trump's election in 2016
The payment was legal - but Trump allegedly recorded it as a business expense. Falsifying business records is illegal in New York
He denies wrongdoing, and an alleged affair, saying the indictment is "political persecution"
But exact details of the charges remain unclear and under wraps
Alvin Bragg has just been seen leaving his office in Manhattan.
The district attorney, who was flanked by several members of a security team, drove away in a convoy of NYPD vehicles.
Image source, Reuters
Gary O'Donoghue
Washington Correspondent
Just like in 2016, Donald Trump is once again at the centre of the story, sucking in all the oxygen, everything else in the Republican universe revolving around his situation.
That all puts pressure on other potential GOP candidates, declared and undeclared, to back the former president or be condemned as stooges for their Democratic opponents.
For example, the former president’s big pal and now-main rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, had a whole load of insults and innuendo dumped on his head.
So good so far. But the difficulty for the former president is that while this particular case is not the most serious of crimes, it’s not the only potential criminal charge he could face, and the other investigations are much more serious.
If the other cases end up going to trial, he could find himself mired in court appearances and expensive legal manoeuvres just as he should be devoting his entire energy to the campaign trail.
He's been fundraising nonstop over the recent news - but Donald Trump may up end up being on trial whilst on the trail. And that would be wholly without precedent.
Nada Tawfik
Reporting from New York
Press have once again started flooding into lower Manhattan to broadcast the news of Trump’s indictment.
Many had left after last week, believing the grand jury was pausing its work.
But now, outside of the District Attorney’s office camera crews are crammed into a press pen and news helicopters fly above. So far, there are no signs of any large protests.
The NYPD has security plans in place, though, if that should change.
Sam Cabral
BBC News in Washington
Image source, Getty ImagesThe case against Donald Trump stems from a nearly five-year-long investigation led by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.
The probe began under then-DA Cyrus Vance Jr while Trump was still in the White House. It has since been taken over by his predecessor, Alvin Bragg, 49, who is the first person of colour elected to the office.
Bragg, who is black, claims he helped sue the Trump administration more than 100 times during its four-year term.
The veteran prosecutor took office as Manhattan DA with a two-part platform: investing in alternatives to incarceration while ramping up white collar and public corruption prosecutions.
He now becomes the the first prosecutor - at the federal, state or local level - to bring criminal charges against a former American president.
After a few hours of silence, the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has issued a statement confirming the indictment.
"This evening we contacted Mr Trump’s attorney to coordinate his surrender to the Manhattan DA’s office for arraignment on a Supreme Court indictment, which remains under seal. Guidance will be provided when the arraignment date is selected.”
Image source, Manhattan District Attourney
Kayla Epstein
Senior reporter
We have been bringing you lots of immediate reaction from Republicans. Now Democrats in Congress are reacting to the news.
Their remarks took on a serious tone and play on a similar theme, arguing that not even a former president is "above the law", as Rep Jamaal Bowman wrote today.
"The indictment of a former president is a sombre day for America," said Rep Eric Swalwell, who was involved in Trump's first impeachment.
He added: "Donald Trump deserves every protection provided to him by the Constitution and due process under our rule of law."
Twice, in 2020 and 2021, Democrats in the US House of Representatives took the extraordinary step to impeach Trump. He was aquitted both times by the US Senate.
Kevin McCarthy has just released a blistering statement indicating he will go after New York prosecutor Alvin Bragg using the power of Congress.
The Republican Speaker of the House writes on Twitter: "Alvin Bragg has irreparably damaged our country in an attempt to interfere in our presidential election.
"As he routinely frees violent criminals to terrorise the public, he weaponised our sacred system of justice against President Donald Trump.
"The American people will not tolerate this injustice, and the House of Representatives will hold Alvin Bragg and his unprecedented abuse of power to account."
Image source, Getty ImagesKevin McCarthy voices his opinion of Alvin Bragg on Twitter
Image source, Getty ImagesTrump's legal team says the former president will probably surrender next week, according to reporting from the BBC's US partner, CBS.
Nomia Iqbal
BBC News, Washington
The details of the charges have not yet been released, but they relate to his part in the payment of money to a porn star before the 2016 election to buy her silence about an alleged affair.
Now he's been indicted, Trump will have to go to New York where he'll be finger printed and have his mugshot and DNA taken.
He'll then have to enter a plea on the charges before a judge, at which point he will probably be bailed.
This case may be the first where criminal charges have been brought, but it is by no means necessarily the last facing the former president.
There are two other big investigations involving the 6 January Capitol riot and efforts to overturn the 2020 election - and those cases are much more serious.
Image source, Getty ImagesHouse Republican Chair Elise Stefanik says it is a 'dark day for America'
House Republican Chair Elise Stefanik - a staunch Trump ally and the third-ranking Republican in the House of Representatives - described the indictment as an "unprecedented election interference" and a "dark day for America".
In a statement posted online, Stefanik accused Trump's political opponents of suppressing the "will and voice of the American people".
"Tens of millions of patriotic Americans have never been so energised to exercise their constitutional right to peacefully organise and vote at the ballot box," the statement added.
Stefanik has publicly endorsed Trump in his 2024 presidential run.
We are bringing you more reaction, now from senior figures in the Republican Party.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise described the news as a "sham New York indictment".
He called it "one of the clearest examples of extremist Democrats weaponising government to attack their political opponents".
Jim Jordan, chairman of the House judiciary committee, is more succinct in his response - simply writing "outrageous" on Twitter.
Image source, Getty ImagesHouse Majority Leader Steve Scalise is calling the indictment a sham
Nada Tawfik
BBC News
The BBC's Nada Tawfik explains what could happen if Donald Trump is arrested.
The Trump arrest saga in 70 seconds
Image source, Getty ImagesThis is a complicated story with a lot of legal jargon. Here’s a quick explanation of some terms you’ll see a lot in our upcoming coverage.
Indictment – A formal written accusation that a person has committed a crime. It typically involves felony charges, though not always. In Trump’s case, it does. The indictment is used to inform an accused person about the charges against them. Unlike regular charges brought forth by a prosecutor, an indictment is the result of a grand jury proceeding.
Grand jury – A group of citizens that hear evidence from a prosecutor ahead of a trial. Witnesses may be called to testify in front of them and evidence is shown. The grand jury listens and then votes in secret about whether they believe there is enough evidence to charge the person with a crime. A separate criminal trial with another jury awaits the indicted. Read more about a grand jury here.
Hush money – Hush money is money paid to someone in exchange for them keeping information secret, also known as a bribe. In this case, the hush money was allegedly paid to ex-film star Stormy Daniels by the former president. Hush money payments aren’t illegal but prosecutors are trying to prove that Trump falsified business records to pay them, which constitutes as a misdemeanour in New York. Prosecutors are also assessing whether or not Trump violated campaign finance laws, as the payments were made just before the 2016 presidential election, which would be a class E felony.
Image source, Getty ImagesWe are now bringing you more reaction from the former president, who has just released a long statement.
Trump is calling his indictment "political persecution" and "election interference at the highest level of history".
"The Democrats have lied, cheated and stolen in their obsession with trying to 'get trump', but now they've done the unthinkable - indicting a completely innocent person in an act of blatant election interference," he said.
"Never before in our nation's history has this been done," he added.
He also called Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg a "disgrace" and claimed he was "doing Joe Biden's dirty work".
Donald Trump has just spoken to ABC News by phone, the US network reports.
The former president told the network the indictment was "an attack on our country" and a "political persecution".
"They are trying to impact an election," he said.
Trump is running for president again in the 2024 race.
In a statement, the ex-president's lawyers Susan Necheles and Joseph Tacopina said: "President Trump has been indicted. He did not commit any crime. We will vigorously fight this this political prosecution in court."
Image source, Getty ImagesOn Twitter, Stormy Daniel's lawyer Clark Brewster has said that the indictment of Donald Trump is "no cause for joy".
Quote Message"The hard work and conscientiousness of the grand jurors must be respected," he added. "Now let truth and justice prevail. No one is above the law."
Image source, Getty ImagesStormy Daniels exiting court in 2018
Chelsea Bailey
BBC News, Washington
Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's former lawyer, who was a key witness in the hush money case, reacted to the indictment in an interview on MSNBC.
“Today's indictment is not the end of the chapter, it's rather the beginning. And now that the charges have been filed it’s better to let the indictment speak for itself.
"This is an important day for America and it’s a very important day for justice and also for accountability. I always believed that this day was going to come ... And at the end of the day [Donald Trump] is going to understand that no one is above the law."
In 2018, Michael Cohen pleaded guilty and went to federal prison for tax evasion and campaign finance violations related to the hush money payments.
Image source, Getty ImagesMichael Cohen is Donald Trump's former lawyer
Some Democratic lawmakers were quick to comment on the news of Trump’s indictment, arguing the former president is finally facing accountability for his conduct.
"The indictment and arrest of a former president is unique throughout all of American history. But so too is the unlawful conduct for which Trump has been charged,” said Democratic Rep Adam Schiff of California.
Fellow Republicans and relatives of the former president rushed to Trump’s defence.
The former president’s son, Eric Trump, called the charges “third world prosecutorial misconduct”.
“It is the opportunistic targeting of a political opponent in a campaign year,” he said in a tweet, external.
Image source, Getty ImagesEric Trump tweeted criticism of the indictment
Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent
Donald Trump has made history again. Never, in the 235 year history of the United States, has a former president faced a criminal indictment.
The exact details of the charges have yet to be disclosed – and may not be fully revealed for days. But they will almost certainly revolve around the payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels to keep her from talking about an alleged affair with Trump in the days before the 2016 presidential election.
The evidence behind the charges – whether prosecutors can connect Trump directly to those payments and prove that the connection constituted a crime – will be key to the seriousness of Trump’s legal predicament.
After a rush of attention following Trump’s speculation more than a week ago that he was on the verge of being charged, the furor had died down somewhat.
The New York City’s district attorney’s office suggested the grand jury was on the verge of an extended break and was not considering the Trump investigation in recent days.
That all may have been a calculated misdirection to help calm the waters before dropping a legal and political bombshell.
We’ve just gotten word that former President Donald Trump is to be indicted in connection to alleged hush money payments made via lawyer to former adult film star Stormy Daniels.
The issue has been brewing since allegations the two had an affair came to light before the 2016 election. The former president denies he had sexual relations with Daniels.
Follow along as we bring you the latest news and reaction.