Trump plea deal 'not gonna happen,' lawyer says

Legal experts have derided the case as baseless and Republicans have near-uniformly condemned the move as an act of political persecution.

By Ben Whedon

Published: March 31, 2023 3:14pm

Former President Donald Trump will not accept a plea bargain with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg should his indictment proceed to trial, his lawyer has confirmed.

Appearing on NBC's "Today" on Friday, attorney Joe Tacopina indicated there was "zero" chance Trump would accept such an arrangement, the Washington Times reported.

"President Trump will not take a plea deal in this case. It’s not gonna happen," he said. Reports emerged Thursday that a Manhattan grand jury had voted to indict the former president in connection with District Attorney Alvin Bragg's investigation of a 2016 hush money payment that Trump's then-personal attorney, Michael Cohen, made.

Legal experts have derided the case as baseless and Republicans have near-uniformly condemned the move as an act of political persecution. Nonetheless, Trump will face arraignment on Tuesday. He is not expected to be handcuffed.

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has indicated that his administration would not cooperate with any extradition requests, potentially setting up a constitutional standoff should Trump remain in the state. Tacopina, however, has indicated that Trump is "not going to hole up in Mar-a-Lago."

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.