Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Friday, March 31.
Well, here we are. Donald Trump has become the first former U.S. president to be criminally prosecuted.
The 45th president was indicted Thursday in New York City, on charges related to the much-reported $130,000 payment that former Trump attorney Michael Cohen made to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election — allegedly intended to keep Daniels from publicly saying she’d had an affair with Trump. The specific criminal charges against the former president haven’t been disclosed yet.
Manhattan Dist. Atty. Alvin Bragg’s office contacted Trump’s attorney Thursday to “coordinate his surrender … for arraignment on a Supreme Court indictment,” according to a D.A. spokesperson. An arraignment date is not yet set (and don’t expect a public arrest).
The former president…
