March 30, 2023 Trump indictment news

By Elise Hammond, Tori B. Powell, Amir Vera and Jessie Yeung, CNN

Updated 8:50 a.m. ET, March 31, 2023
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10:28 p.m. ET, March 30, 2023

Cohen on Trump indictment: "This is a long time coming"

Michael Cohen said he was surprised the indictment against former President Donald Trump came today, but "this is a long time coming."

In response to a Trump campaign email saying Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is depending on the testimony of a "convicted felon and disbarred lawyer," the one-time Trump fixer said: "There’s plenty of corroborating testimony to go around."

"So clearly, that means that the information provided was more than enough for the grand jury to come back with the determination for an indictment," Cohen told CNN on Thursday night.

"Oh by the way for Donald, since we're talking about convicted felons, see on Tuesday, pal," Cohen added, referring to the day on which the former president is expected to be arraigned in New York.
9:44 p.m. ET, March 30, 2023

Crowd shows support for Trump near Mar-a-Lago following indictment

From CNN's Leyla Santiago

Trang Le of Orlando, right, and Maria Korynsel of North Palm Beach show their support for former President Donald Trump after the news broke that the former president was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury on Thursday.
Trang Le of Orlando, right, and Maria Korynsel of North Palm Beach show their support for former President Donald Trump after the news broke that the former president was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury on Thursday. (Rebecca Blackwell/AP)

Police are outside the front gate of Mar-a-Lago a few hours after former President Donald Trump was indicted by a New York grand jury.

Meanwhile, on the nearby bridge, a few dozen people are showing support for the former president, waving Trump and MAGA flags. The crowd is also playing the song “God Bless the USA.”

CNN saw a much larger presence of supporters in August after the search warrant was executed. 

A security guard walks at the entrance to former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida.
A security guard walks at the entrance to former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. (Rebecca Blackwell/AP)

Kathy Clark of Lantana, Florida, wears an American flag hat with Trump pins as she shows her support for former President Donald Trump.
Kathy Clark of Lantana, Florida, wears an American flag hat with Trump pins as she shows her support for former President Donald Trump. (Rebecca Blackwell/AP)

Amnon Shaleb of Boca Raton stands near his Jeep, decorated in the pattern of the American Flag, as he turns out to show support for former President Donald Trump.
Amnon Shaleb of Boca Raton stands near his Jeep, decorated in the pattern of the American Flag, as he turns out to show support for former President Donald Trump. (Rebecca Blackwell/AP)

11:04 p.m. ET, March 30, 2023

Pence says Trump and Cohen's charges are different

(John Nowak/CNN)
(John Nowak/CNN)

When asked by CNN's Wolf Blitzer whether Michael Cohen's payments to silence women who claimed affairs with Donald Trump were a crime, former Vice President Mike Pence said the self-described fixer went to jail for "lying to Congress."

"Well, I can see the lying to congress is a crime, which was — if memory serves — what Michael Cohen went to jail for the most part," Pence said.

Some background: Cohen pleaded guilty to nine federal crimes including tax fraud, lying to Congress and campaign finance violations for helping pay off two women who threatened to go public with past alleged affairs with Trump just before the 2016 election. Trump has denied the affairs.

Trump was indicted Thursday on more than 30 counts related to business fraud.

The Manhattan district attorney's office has been investigating the former president in connection with his alleged role in the hush money payment scheme.

Watch:

9:30 p.m. ET, March 30, 2023

"This decision today is a great disservice to the country," Pence says

(John Nowak/CNN)
(John Nowak/CNN)

Former Vice President Mike Pence said that while "no one is above the law, including former presidents," that he cannot "speak to the merit of this case at all."

"I really do believe that this decision today is a great disservice to the country and the idea that for the first time in American history a former president would be indicted on a campaign finance issue to me, it just smacks of political prosecution, and I think the overwhelming majority of the American people will see it that way," Pence told CNN's Wolf Blitzer.
9:33 p.m. ET, March 30, 2023

Pence says Trump's indictment has "no bearing" on consideration of launching presidential campaign

(John Nowak/CNN)
(John Nowak/CNN)

Former Vice President Mike Pence said the New York grand jury's decision to indict Donald Trump has “no bearing on our decision" to launch his own presidential campaign in 2024.

He said for his family it comes down “to our sense of calling" and that he intends to continue to travel around the country and listen to Americans.

Pence said while considering the decision to launch a presidential run, he is reflecting on his political experience as governor of Indiana, serving in Congress and as the vice president.

“While it did not end well, I'll always be proud of the record of the Trump-Pence administration. We're going to reflect on all of that and decide where we might next contribute to the life of the nation," Pence told CNN on Thursday.
11:49 p.m. ET, March 30, 2023

Pence: Indictment of Trump "is an outrage"

Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks to CNN's Wolf Blitzer in Washington, DC.
Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks to CNN's Wolf Blitzer in Washington, DC. (CNN)

Former Vice President Mike Pence called the grand jury indictment of Donald Trump an "outrage."

"I think the unprecedented indictment of a former president of the United States on a campaign finance issue is an outrage," he said Thursday night, speaking to CNN's Wolf Blitzer during a CNN Primetime interview.

He said the indictment appears “for millions of Americans to be nothing more than a political prosecution."

Pence said charging the former president is a "disservice to the country" that will only divide people further.

"I think the American people will look at this and see it as one more example of the criminalization of politics in this country," he said.

Watch:

9:34 p.m. ET, March 30, 2023

Stormy Daniels' wasn't surprised and is relieved about Trump indictment, attorney says

CNN's Anderson Cooper speaks to Stormy Daniels' lawyerClark Brewster.
CNN's Anderson Cooper speaks to Stormy Daniels' lawyerClark Brewster. (CNN)

Clark Brewster, the attorney of adult film star Stormy Daniels, said he was the one to share the news of Thursday's indictment with his client.

"She wasn't surprised because I really do believe over the last three or four weeks, particularly, it seemed to be likely or inevitable that an indictment would be returned," Brewster told CNN's Anderson Cooper. "But I think she's relieved. Really it's a fight against his rejection of the truth and his manufacturing of stories."
8:50 p.m. ET, March 30, 2023

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer releases statement on Trump indictment

From CNN's Samantha Beech

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer released the following statement after the announcement of Donald Trump's indictment:

“Mr. Trump is subject to the same laws as every American. He will be able to avail himself of the legal system and a jury, not politics, to determine his fate according to the facts and the law. There should be no outside political influence, intimidation or interference in the case. I encourage both Mr. Trump’s critics and supporters to let the process proceed peacefully and according to the law.”
8:38 p.m. ET, March 30, 2023

Manhattan grand jury heard from another witness before indictment vote, source says

From CNN's John Miller

Before the Manhattan grand jury voted to indict Donald Trump on Thursday, a witness gave about 30 minutes of testimony, a source familiar with the case tells CNN.

The witness’s identity isn’t publicly known. Grand jury proceedings are secret.