Former US President Donald Trump, who is due to surrender at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office on Tuesday, flew into New York City on his private plane on Monday. On Tuesday, Trump will likely be fingerprinted prior to appearing before a judge for an arraignment where he will plead not guilty.
The former US President will be formally arrested and charged with 34 Class E felonies for falsification of business records on Tuesday. However, he will not be handcuffed, placed in a jail cell, or subjected to a mug shot, a source said while speaking about the procedures.
Trump was being probed for hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and the New York case is one of several probes Trump faces. With this, Trump is the first former US president to face criminal charges.
Todd Blanche, a prominent white, collar criminal defence lawyer, and former federal prosecutor, along with other Trump lawyers on Monday urged the judge not to allow videography, photography and radio coverage of the arraignment.
In a letter to the court, they argued against allowing such coverage, saying it would “exacerbate an already almost circus-like atmosphere around this case” and “detract from both the dignity and decorum of the proceedings and courtroom.”
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office said it would leave it to the discretion of the judge, but noted that Merchan allowed a limited number of still photos before last year’s criminal trial in which Trump’s real estate company was convicted of tax fraud.
THE CASE AGAINST TRUMP
The Manhattan grand jury that indicted Trump heard evidence for months this year about a $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in the waning days of the 2016 presidential campaign.
Daniels has said she was paid to keep silent about a sexual encounter she had with Trump at a Lake Tahoe hotel in 2006. Trump denies having had any such relationship with her.
Blanche previously represented Paul Manafort, Trump’s 2016 campaign chairman, when Manafort was hit with New York state fraud charges after being sentenced to prison for federal crimes.
The state charges were eventually dismissed and Trump pardoned Manafort before leaving office. Blanche also previously represented Igor Fruman, who was an associate of former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani.
The specific charges in the indictment by a grand jury convened by Bragg, a Democrat, have yet to be disclosed. Trump has said he is innocent. He and his allies have portrayed the charges as politically motivated.
PREPARATIONS IN NEW YORK
A few dozen Trump fans cheered at the Florida airport and along the route he took, carrying signs and flags.
Trump’s detractors also weighed in.
Meanwhile, the New York police, over the weekend, began erecting barricades near Trump Tower and the Manhattan Criminal Court building.
Demonstrations were expected at those sites on Tuesday.
Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, said there was no known specific security threat.
President Joe Biden, upon being asked by Reuters, if he was worried about unrest around Trump’s arraignment, said, “No, I have faith in the New York Police Department.”
TRUMP REMAINS DEFIANT AND FOCUSED
Meanwhile, a report by CNN described Trump’s mood as “defiant and focused”, as he watched expansive television coverage during his flight back to his native New York City from Florida.
According to the report, Trump has been surprisingly calm, spending the weekend in Florida playing golf and mulling how to use it to boost his campaign.
