Crowd shows support for Trump near Mar-a-Lago following indictment
From CNN's Leyla Santiago
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.
Pence says Trump and Cohen's charges are different
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.
"This decision today is a great disservice to the country," Pence says
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."
Pence says Trump's indictment has "no bearing" on consideration of launching presidential campaign
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.
Pence: Indictment of Trump "is an outrage"
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.
Stormy Daniels' wasn't surprised and is relieved about Trump indictment, attorney says
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.
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:
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.
Trump expected to appear in court Tuesday for arraignment
From CNN's Kara Scannell, Kaitlan Collins, Lauren del Valle and Evan Perez
Former President Donald Trump is expected to appear in court Tuesday for his arraignment, multiple sources tell CNN.
Judge Juan Merchan is expected to preside, one source said.