Mike Pence will talk to CNN following the historic indictment of Donald Trump

Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks at a law enforcement round table hosted by Republican candidate for Wisconsin governor Rebecca Kleefisch at the Ingleside Hotel on August 3, 2022, in Pewaukee, Wisconsin. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Former Vice President Mike Pence will join CNN's Wolf Blitzer for a one-on-one CNN Primetime conversation at 9 p.m. ET tonight.

The interview comes just hours after the historic indictment of former President Donald Trump by a Manhattan grand jury, marking the first time in American history that a current or former president will face criminal charges.

The CNN conversation also comes just days after a judge ruled Pence must testify about conversations he had with Trump leading up to January 6.

Former President Donald Trump and his team will be rolling out surrogates beginning Friday to hit Democrats, the investigation and District Attorney Alvin Bragg across various forms of media as they work to shape the public narrative, according to sources close to Trump. 

His team will also keep track of members of Congress and 2024 potential Republican hopefuls who defend Trump. They plan to blast out those responses and likely go after those who do not rally around the former president. 

Trump's team, while caught off guard by the timing of the indictment, has been working on a media plan to respond to the potential charges for the last two weeks.

Several advisers said that they were learning many of the details of the indictment and potential arraignment from media reports. There have been preliminary conversations on what getting Trump in and out of New York will look like.

House GOP leaders have rushed to former President Donald Trump's defense, which shows the GOP's division over Trump, as top Senate Republicans Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Whip John Thune have remained silent. 

Republican Sen. Rick Scott is calling on Senate leadership to support House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s efforts to investigate Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

"I fully support speaker McCarthy's efforts to investigate this. We are now living in a nation where people can't trust the legal process, FBI, DOJ, or IRS … and I will do all I can in the Senate to support @SpeakerMcCarthy's efforts. I call on Senate leadership to do the same," Scott tweeted Thursday.

Former President Donald Trump speaks during the America First Agenda Summit organized by America First Policy Institute AFPI on Tuesday, July 26, 2022 in Washington, DC.  (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post/Getty Images)

Former President Donald Trump faces more than 30 counts related to business fraud in an indictment from a Manhattan grand jury, according to two sources familiar with the case.

Earlier Thursday, a spokesperson for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the office has contacted Trump's attorney to "coordinate his surrender" for arraignment on "a Supreme Court indictment, which remains under seal."

"Guidance will be provided when the arraignment date is selected," it added.

Trump will likely appear in court early next week, his defense attorney said.

CNN's Kara Scannell contributed reporting to this post.

Donald Trump's attorney Chris Kise called Trump’s indictment “the lowest point in history for our criminal justice system.”

The Trump indictment in New York is not expected to impact the timing of potential indictments in the criminal probe into Donald Trump and his allies in Georgia, according to a person familiar with the matter. If charges are brought in that case, indictments could come as soon as this spring. 

The source said staff in the Fulton County district attorney’s office will be closely watching how the security situation plays out in New York, particularly surrounding Trump’s arraignment.

The Fulton County district attorney’s office declined to comment on the New York indictment. 

The Atlanta-area special grand jury investigating whether Trump and his allies violated the law in their efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia recently concluded its work and recommended multiple indictments, according to the foreperson who has spoken out publicly. Now it’s up to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to make charging decisions.

A spokesperson for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg released a statement Thursday saying the office has contacted former President Donald Trump's attorney to "coordinate his surrender" for arraignment on "a Supreme Court indictment, which remains under seal."

"Guidance will be provided when the arraignment date is selected," it added.

Two of Donald Trump's sons tweeted their responses to his indictment Thursday.

Eric Trump tweeted the indictment "is third world prosecutorial misconduct."

Donald Trump Jr. tweeted "corrupt elites" don't care about violent crimes, "but they are threatened by Trump."

Donald Trump Jr. also reacted on his "Triggered" podcast, saying he learned the news of the indictment about 15 minutes before his show.

"This is stuff that would make Mao, Stalin Pol Pot, it would make them blush. It's so flagrant. It’s so crazed,” he said.

A Manhattan grand jury’s indictment of former President Donald Trump will set in motion a criminal process that will, in some ways, work like that of any other defendant, and in others, look very different. 

When someone is indicted, the charges are sometimes kept under seal until the defendant’s first appearance in court. The charges that the grand jury approved against Trump are currently not public.  

First appearances are usually public proceedings. If an arrest of a defendant is not needed, arrangements are made with them or their lawyers for a voluntary surrender to law enforcement. With their first appearance in court, defendants are usually booked and finger-printed. 

Trump’s attorneys were informed of the grand jury’s vote shortly after the indictment was publicly reported, sources told CNN. A Trump lawyer told CNN that Trump will likely be arraigned in court next week. 

What happens in a first appearance can vary. But if a first appearance is also an arraignment, a plea is expected to be entered. It is typical at a first appearance that release conditions are discussed – such as travel restrictions or home confinement – and defendants are informed of their rights. The lawyers for the government and the defendant also often enter their appearance at this stage of the court proceedings. 

Trump will likely be allowed to turn himself in voluntarily, but it’s still unclear if his arraignment will happen in-person or remotely. 

Trump will have to go through certain processes that any other defendant must go through when a charge has been brought against him. But Trump’s status as a former president who is currently running for the White House again will undoubtably inject additional security and practical concerns around the next steps in his case. 

Whatever travel Trump must take for his arraignment will need to be coordinated with Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies.

Those conversations between the Secret Service, the US Marshal’s Service and the New York Police Department have begun, a senior NYPD source told CNN. 

NYPD officers were told Thursday evening via internal memo that they should be in uniform and ready for deployment on Friday.

CNN's Kara Scannell, Paula Reid, Lauren DelValle, Shimon Prokupecz, Brynn Gingras and Evan Perez contributed to this reporting.