Trump lawyer who spent night with ex-president says he doesn't think Stormy Daniels case will see a jury - and slams prospect of gagging a 2024 candidate

• e-mail

Donald Trump's lawyer Joe Tacopina said he was with Trump 'all night' before his historic arraignment, and didn't believe the Stormy Daniels hush-money case would see a jury trial. 

Speaking with ABC's George Stephanopoulos, he also said he couldn't see how Trump could abide by a gag order. 

'Here you have something uniquely different,' Tacopina said on GMA. 'The defendant is the leading Republican candidate for the office of the president of the United States and will be campaigning. 

'Hard to put a gag order when he's going to be fielding questions about his current legal situation.'

Donald Trump's lawyer Joe Tacopina said he was with the former president all night before his historic arraignment

Trump is spotted entering Trump Tower on Monday after arriving in New York City for his arraignment in the Stormy Daniels hush-money case on Tuesday 

In fact, Trump's attorney Chris Kise told CNN Tuesday morning that he believed Trump would speak to the cameras positioned outside the courtroom after the arraignment. 

The former president then plans to fly back to Florida on Tuesday afternoon to deliver remarks to a pack of reporters at Mar-a-Lago at 8:15pm. 

Tuesday morning, ahead of Trump's scheduled 2:15pm arraignment, Tacopina remarked to Fox 5 that the whole situation was 'surreal,' and told a Vice reporter that the ex-president is 'ready to go.' 

'Really, there's a lot of mystery here because we're doing something that's never been done before,' he said on GMA. 'We're having an arraignment at 100 Centre Street with Secret Service involvement.'

He told Stephanopoulos that Trump would be fingerprinted.  

'I think there will be a typical processing, which does not take long - 20, 30 minutes - there won't be handcuffs, but he'll be processed the way everyone else would be, to a degree,' Tacopina shared. 

He also said it 'wouldn't be a long day in court' and that he's only been in touch with Manhattan prosecutors 'about certain procedural things.

'But nothing substantially involving the indictment,' he continued. 'They have not shared it with us, won't share it with us until it's unsealed. But we know the basis of the indictment and the factual allegations in the indictment.

Supporters of Donald Trump wave a flag outside Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on Tuesday

Protesters gather outside the courthouse in lower Manhattan.

Trump denies ever having an affair with Stormy Daniels

Tacopina (right) appeared Tuesday morning on Good Morning America with ABC's George Stephanopoulos (left) 

Police officers stand outside the press area on the street near the Manhattan District Court in New York ahead of Trump's Tuesday arraignment 

NYPD officers stand outside the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York on Tuesday morning ahead of Trump's historic arraignment 

Media trucks are seen parked outside Manhattan Criminal Courthouse for Trump's arraignment on Tuesday

'One thing I can assure you as I sit here today, they'll be no guilty plea in this case,' the lawyer said, adding, 'I don't think this case is going to see a jury.'  

Trump raged on Truth Social Monday night after longtime D.C. journalist Michael Isikoff, writing for Yahoo News, reported that the former president would be charged with 34 felony counts - but spared handcuffs and a mugshot. 

'Wow! District Attorney Bragg just illegally LEAKED the various points, and complete information, on the pathetic Indictment against me,' Trump posted to Truth Social. 

'I know the reporter, and so, unfortunately, does he,' Trump added, pointing to Isikoff. 

Isikoff became a national figure during the 1990s as the first D.C. reporter to know about President Bill Clinton's affair with intern Monica Lewinsky. 

'This means that he MUST BE IMMEDIATELY INDICTED,' Trump said of Bragg, a Democrat. 'Now, if he wants to really clean up his reputation, he will do the honorable thing and, as District Attorney, INDICT HIMSELF. He will go down in Judicial history, and his Trump Hating wife will be, I am sure, very proud of him!'