♪ line tonight. trump indicted first president in us history to ever face criminal charges. from the beginning. it's been one witch hunt and phony investigation after another grand jury in new york, taking the unprecedented step over trump's alleged hush money payment to adult film star stormy daniels. calling it politically motivated. but his former attorney, saying no one is above the law is not revenge, right? what this is, is that accountability needs to be held accountable. for his dirty deeds . what's next for the former president? nightline will be

right back. kitchen tool, my brain, so i choose new areva plus, unlike some others, areva plus is a multitasker supporting six key indicators of brain health. help. keep me sharp, areva think bigger. pain hits fast relief fast, only talent. all rapid release shells have laser drilled holes. release medicine, fast professed payment. and now get relief without a pill with tyleno

you. tonight, an extraordinary and historic moment in america. new york grand jury indicting former president donald trump over allegedush money to

ad film star stormyfirst ever to face criminal charges. now he's the front runner for the gop nomination for the 2024 election. and he says this indictment won't stop him. the manhattan grand juries move late today, unprecedented handing criminal charges to a former president donald trump, the indictment of political earthquake enormously historic, unprecedented to have a former president and the leading presidential candidates facing an indictment. trump was indicted for his role in allegedly approving an illegal hush money payment to adult star stormy daniels before the 2016 election. daniels, whose real name is stephanie clifford, alleged in a 60 minutes interview that she'd had an affair with trump in 2006 just months after his wife melania had given birth to their son, baron. did you mention his wife or child at all in this? i asked , and he brushed it aside. said

oh, yeah, yeah. you know, don't worry about that. we don't even we have separate rooms and stuff. it was a payment. trump initially said he knew nothing about. former president's one time fixer and lawyer, testified that he made the payment to daniel's at trump's direction to silence her before the election. trump's legal team now acknowledges the payment but says trump was trying to protect his family, not his campaign. trump maintains he didn't have an affair with daniels and that he did nothing wrong. the heart of this case is this $130,000 in hush money payments made to stormy daniels before the 2016 election, and actually hush money came in standing alone. are not illegal, but what is illegal is falsifying business records. from the beginning. it's been one witch hunt and phony investigation after another. tonight the former president now running for reelection, called his indictment, political persecution and election interference at the highest

level in history. for weeks, security has been stepped up in new york city, and now all nypd officers have been ordered to report for duty at seven a.m. sharp for deployment across the city anticipation of an indictment dividing the country. it's all a witch hunt. you know , they're just trying to find a way to bring him down and he's going to prevail. trump's awesome and our country is in dire need of him back supporting more because it's a witch hunt. ever since trump first predicted he'd be indicted. he's been defiant, including at his first official campaign rally in waco, texas. last weekend. the district attorney of new york under the auspices and direction of the department of injustice in washington, d c. was investigating me for something that is not a crime, not a misdemeanor, not an affair. the possibility of the indictment, sparking security concerns at courthouses and the office of district attorney alvin bragg,

who received a death threat and a letter with white powder addressed to him and the grand jury continued to meet. trump urged his supporters to protest warning death and destruction if he were to be indicted his words , sparking condemnation from house minority leader hakeem jeffries. dangerous and if he keeps it up, he's going to get someone killed. the grand jury began convening in january and has heard testimony from a variety of people, including members of his administration's inner circle, hope hicks and kellyanne conway. stormy daniels also meeting with prosecutors as the probe wrapped up the adult film actors reacting to the indictment news, tweeting thank you to everyone for your support and love. i have so many messages coming in that i can't respond. also don't want to spill my champagne. trump declined. the manhattan district attorney's offered to testify, but many calling an indictment and overreach a case that two previous manhattan d, a declined

to prosecute break has failed miserably and all of a sudden you want to get what you do today's indictment, adding to a litany of legal woes and other potential criminal charges the former president is facing. this has nothing to do with the potentially more serious allegations that are coming out of an investigation in georgia to try to overturn the election investigation by the special council over the january 6th and the aftermath, as well as the investigation of the handling of classified documents. all of those could carry penalties could could carry allegations that are far more serious than we're talking about. in this instance, trump repeatedly denying any wrongdoing and all the investigations, but today's indictment now possibly throwing a curveball into his 2024 presidential ambitions. former trump allies and fellow republicans speaking out, house speaker kevin mccarthy tweeting alvin bragg has irreparably damaged our country in an attempt to interfere in our presidential election going on to say the house of representatives will hold alvin

bragg and his unprecedented abuse of power to account his former vice president, calling the indictment and outrage earlier tonight on cnn. i think this is an outrage, but i also think at a time when the american people are struggling so much that this will only further served to divide our country. i don't know what goes into paying hush money to a porn star to secure silence over some type of alleged affair. i just i can't speak to that senate majority leader chuck schumer saying tonight trump is subject to the same laws as every american and encouraging the process to proceed peacefully. the key to donald trump's indictment today, michael cohen is not revenge, right? what this is? is that accountability he needs to be held accountable for his dirty deeds. testimony serving as a linchpin of evidence for prosecutors, cohen standing by his testimony in a statement to abc news tonight. i take no pride in issuing this

statement. however i do take solace in validating the adage that no one is above the law, not even a former president once stormy daniels allege. she had been paid hush money by michael cohen just weeks ahead of the 2016 election, all eyes turned to cohen. nothing at the trump organization was ever done. unless it was run through mr trump in july. 2018 trump's former power player first broke his silence to abc news months after the fbi raided his office and home, seizing a trove of documents, including a payment to stormy daniels. he directed me to make the payments he directed me to become involved in these matters. i gave loyalty to someone. who truthfully does not deserve loyal. he was trying to hide what you were doing. correct, correct. and he knew it was wrong, of course. so you're done with the line with the lying. i am done being loyal to president trump. and my first loyalty belongs to my wife, my

daughter, my son and this country if convicted of the hush money charges, the 2024 hopeful may face a maximum sentence of four years. incarceration wherever on the table, you know, i think it's down quite down the road is, in fact, that is ever a live possibility. um but you know there, too. it wouldn't disable him from running for president even from jail or prison, but obviously there would be substantial logistical complexities. is that such developments might create, but legally there's this has really, truly no bearing on his ability to run for president. we don't know exactly what the charges yet, but presuming that this is a felony as indications would be . yes, there's the possibility of prison time now, even if hypothetically, a candidate were behind bars, he or she could still run for president. but time in prison may not be mandatory and something cohen does not wish upon his former friend. and president. i don't want to see anyone, including donaldtrump indicted, prosecuted, convicted incarcerated simply because i

fundamentally disagree with them . there's no way around the fact that we're in a divided country that just got a little more divided as a result of this, in all likelihood, you're going to see people break down around party lines as to whether they think this is an appropriate prosecution or not, whether they think trump is guilty of this, whether they think you should go to prison over whether they think he should be eligible to run for office again. and joining us now, john santucci, you've covered president trump both the campaigns and the administration. you spoke with him late today. what did he have to say? i spoke to him right after news of that indictment. your jew he called it political persecution, said it's an attack on our country said they are trying to impact an election. obviously the election he's referring to 2024. i then asked the former president, do you plan to come to new york? do you plan to turn yourself in? he said. take care of yourself, john. and he hung up on me. that's an excellent end to that conversation, and yet his lawyers have told us that he is

expected to turn himself in on tuesday. how do you think that will play out? and yet this is also not the only potential criminal charge. it's not the only one. so let's start with new york. he is absolutely planning to come, though he doesn't want to be in court. he's going to take every political bona fide he believes , comes with it. as one aide said to me, do they release the mug shot? we want to print that on a t shirt and added to our campaign roster. as far as the other cases are concerned, because you're right.there are several obviously new york first one out of the gate. we have another case that's been ongoing and fulton county, georgia, this is looking into what he calls donald trump calls that perfect phone call with brad raffensperger the jet. secretary of state there. that is a case that right now we're waiting to see what charges will come out. they've obviously had a special grand jury that's produced a report that said several indictments were recommended. don't know who next one is obviously up in d. c a two pronged doj is looking at those documents that went tomorrow. lago and looking at january 6th

those two happening behind closed doors. a lot of trump folks heading in. waiting to see what happens next. johnson tucci , as always, thanks for your insights and stay with us. we'll be back with the roundtable discussion. when your hair ingredients matter. that's why herbal essences is packed with naturally derived plant ingredients you love and none of the stuff you don't our sulfate free collections smell incredible. a touch obliquely, soft and smooth. herbal essences. moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. now there's sky rizzi . what sky rizzi. most people who achieved 90% clearer skin at four months had lasting clearance through one year. serious allergic reactions and

an increased risk of infections or lower ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, vaccine or plan to talk to your dermatologist about sky rizzi learn how abby could help you save i love shopping, the real real. it's scoring something amazing for 90% off retail. gucci thousands of new finds every day. the real real luxury is yours to define shop now and get 20% off at the real real .com terms supply. allergies don't have to be scary. defeat allergy headaches fast with new flonase headache and allergy relief to pills relieve allergy headache, pain congestion that causes it is headache and allergy reliefs all good, most important kitchen tool, my brain, so i choose areva plus, unlike some others, plus is a multitasker supporting six key indicators of brain health. keep me sharp. areva think bigger. dry skin is

sensitive skin, too, and it's natural treated that way with a vino daily moisture formulated with nourishing prebiotic owed. it's clinically proven to moisturize dry skin for 24 hours of vino. university of utah senior lauren mccluskey. you have a powerful institution. a lot of troubling information was never public until now. this stunning investigation. warren's

that checks all the boxes. it's all here with the comcast business complete connectivity solution. peace of mind with cyberthreat security. the power of the largest, fastest reliable network. plus, save up to 75% a year with comcast business mobile. the complete connectivity solution. from the company powered by the next generation 10g network. get started for just $49 a month. and ask about an $800 prepaid card. comcast business. powering possibilities™.

and joining me now for a roundtable discussion, abc senior national correspondent terry moran and abc news contributors donna brazile and sarah isgur terry. let's jump right in today's indictment is repeatedly returned to as historic as unprecedented. put it all into perspective for us.

those are the words aren't they do this? this is just breathtaking. what happened today and it means that the nation is embarking on unprecedented journey. hard journey through what are likely to maybe. very rough waters, the former president of the united states who 74 million americans voted to reelect the office just two years ago indicted and no matter what you think about that indictment what the grand jury in new york did today is just going to pour gasoline on the raging fires of our political polarization. and this is a moment where i think a lot of americans are overjoyed. a lot of americans are enraged. and there are a lot of americans are anxious for the country as well . now donald trump, as almost expected, is calling the decision and to indict him quote , political persecution and election interference at the highest level. what are democrats saying tonight? and is this going to be viewed as political? of course, everything

in america today is due through political lenses, but this is about the rule of law and the grand jury of everyday new yorkers. citizens heard the evidence and they have returned and indictment while we don't know what's in that indictment. it's not unseal. what we do know is that this former president like any other american citizen , deserves to have his day in court. he had an opportunity to testify before the grand jury. he did not and you know all of the name calling and hurling insults at the d a and likely who knows whatever. it will not excuse the fact that donald trump will be held accountable. now again, he has an opportunity to fight his way through this trial, but as of tonight, it's a sad moment. but the president of the united states department president is not above the law. thank you know, sarah, you are a republican who broke with trump. what does this mean for the republican party? and will this force republicans to clarify

their stand on the former president? well like donna said , we don't know what's actually in this indictment. but i think the shame of this is that this appears to be the weakest case against donald trump, the one that is most susceptible to being attacked as a political indictment, and you know if this is on the shaky legal grounds that we think is it's not that no president is above the law. the problem here would be that these charges wouldn't be brought against someone unless it was donald trump. and unless he was running for president again, and i think that actually very much undermines the rule of law. in a serious way, where you simply find charges to bring against someone you don't like rather than what's happening in georgia, or even what the department of justice is pursuing, which are much more legally strong and factually strong cases. at this point does that merely galvanized his base ? and how might that play out in the next presidential election cycle? certainly in the short term, i think this helps donald trump. we saw that, for instance, in the direct immediate aftermathof the search warrant was executed at

his home in mar a lago. how long that will last just we'll see. but donald trump enjoying the attention right now. definitely we're already seeing a slump and rhonda santa's polls. the question is how long that lasts and whether it's sustainable done in the short time we have. how does this play out in 2024? i don't think it's gonna help donald trump long term he might be able to do some more fundraising, he might be able to call in a few chips here there, but the bottom line is donald trump is going to have to face the music. at some point. there are four major trials for major investigations on donald trump. he's not above the law. this was not brought because someone else broke the law. this is the jury here in evidence that donald trump likely broke, the law will find out just what laws he broke and how strong the cases. but as of now, donald trump has to be held accountable and terry just to bring it home. how can you predict how this will play out when the country sees this former president under arrest?

well, there's no question that it will be the answer to the prayers of some, and it will infuriate others, and one goes back ■to the pardon of richard nixon by president gerald ford. nixon could well have been indicted, but ford decided that would be too divisive for the country and the country needed to move on. this grand jury is donna points out, has seen the evidence and is going in a different direction. but as a general rule countries where the former leader is prosecuted by the opposition party are unhappy and unstable countries and so much depends now then on the legal system, americans will want to see on both sides on all sides that justice be done under law. justice prevail. terry donna, sarah, thank you all for your perspectives and your insights tonight. thanks for joining us. thank you and we'll be right back. stay with us. have moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. now there's sky rizzi

piracy. three out of four people achieved 90% clear skin at four months after just two doses, serious allergic reactions and an increased risk of infections or lower ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, vaccine or plan to. talk to your dermatologist about skyrim. learn how abby could help you save if you have diabetes, it's important to have confidence in the nutritional drink you choose. try boost glucose control. it's clinically shown to help manage blood sugar levels and contains high quality protein to help manage hunger and support. muscle health try boost today works hard at our one and twice as hard when you take it again the next day, so betty can be the beat conductor. go betty must be more than our allergies. z's the day with zyrtec. find the brand's inspiration and value. you need

to own your style at macy sa now,n extra 30% offspring looks 15% off fragrances, skincare makeup and more plus shops specials at macy's important kitchen tool, my brain, so i choose areva plus unlike some others, areva plus is a multitasker supporting six key indicators of brain health. help keep me sharp, areva think bigger. purse is one of the most anticipated documentary events of the year and tomorrow just days before its release, the one and only brooke shields herself is live on. good morning america. so what do you do? i'm a criminal.

and that's not line you can watch all of our full episodes on hulu. we'll see you right back here. same time tomorrow. thanks for staying up with us. good night, america. name image and likeness or an i l.he three magicf colle sports we've k mey through social media marketinging autoapcreangou own er kids could make $2 million.05 million dollars and you're not even blink an eye. how much do you think you raped it? until this point, i want to say six figures. over the n c. a. it's like, what are we going to do here? it is a well a west

to some degree. cavender twins are a social media and marketing sensation there like kardashians of college sports, making millions at a high school level, not even a college. not even a pro, yet is very unbelievable. my concern is how is it handled? are we setting kids up to be successful or we're setting them up to fail? you have to become a big boy. a big girl real quick. this story you couldn't script in hollywood better cashing. the debate over paying college athletes of those same critics will say people like yourself are buying these athletes. i mean, what do you say to that? this is impact by nightline now streaming on hulu. a superhero of the avenger own life to try to save his nephew. been run over by a snow cat. hurry crushed a lot of blood over here. seven tons of machinery bearing down jeremy renner heard that in sign language you said to your family. i'm sorry. i'm

sorry. do you remember the pain , all of it. interview thursday night at 10 9 central on abc. i've never talked about this out loud with anyone and interview, so it's weird to talk about four world saw me as the sex involved inside. i didn't feel that way at all. in her own words streaming on who you. from america's number one news comes the all new abc news app. if you love being in the know you're gonna love this experience, the all new nbc