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NEW YORK/PALM BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) – Former U.S. President Donald Trump is on the verge of his planned arraignment in connection with hush money paid to porn stars before the 2016 election. and will fly from Florida to New York City on Monday. , as security tightens in Manhattan.
Trump, the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges, is scheduled to be arraigned, fingerprinted and photographed in a downtown Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday. His attorney says he will file a plea of not guilty.
The specific charges included in the grand jury indictment were not disclosed. Tuesday’s arraignment marks Trump’s first appearance in court and before a judge.
The Republican businessman-turned-politician traveled from the Mar-a-Lago mansion in Palm Beach at noon Monday, arrived in New York later that day, spent the night at Trump Tower in Manhattan, and appeared in court Tuesday morning. We will be arriving, said the adviser.
Court officials said an arraignment is scheduled for Tuesday at 2:15 pm (1815 GMT). Trump will then return to Florida and speak at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday at 8:15 p.m. (0015 GMT on Wednesday), his office said.
Over the weekend, the New York Police Department will begin building barricades along the edge of the sidewalk around Trump Tower and the Manhattan Criminal Court building in downtown Manhattan, while several other courtrooms will be removed.
Demonstrations were expected at these locations, and police vowed to be prepared. “Police officers are on high alert and stand ready to respond when necessary to ensure that everyone can exercise their rights peacefully,” the New York Police Department said in a statement.
Other courtrooms on higher floors of the court will be closed ahead of the arraignment as part of security precautions, court officials said.
US Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green tweeted an invitation on Sunday to join the protests near the courthouse on Tuesday, saying, “They’re not aiming at President Trump, they’re aiming at us. He is in the way.”
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Prior to the indictment, the grand jury had heard evidence that adult film actress Stormy Daniels was paid $130,000 towards the end of the 2016 presidential election. Daniels, she said, was paid to keep her silence about having a sexual encounter with Trump at a Lake Tahoe hotel in 2006. Trump has denied the incident.
Trump, 76, was president from 2017 to 2021, and in November, he launched a campaign to regain the presidency in 2024, aimed at preventing Democratic President Joe Biden from winning a second term. Bidding has started.
The indictment, which stemmed from an investigation led by Manhattan Democratic District Attorney Alvin Bragg, surfaced last Thursday. It claims to be politically motivated.
Trump’s attorney, Joe Tacopina, said on Sunday he expects details on the arraignment to be worked out on Monday, noting that the Secret Service protecting the former president also has a role to play on Tuesday. Tacopina said security concerns made it unlikely there would be a “purp walk” where the accused person marches in front of the press.
Tacopina added that once the indictment is released, Trump’s lawyers will “analyze” it, look at “all potential issues” and challenge it, and will eventually file a motion to drop the charges. He added that he hopes
“Honestly, I don’t know how this is going to turn out. I hope it goes as smoothly as possible,” Tacopina said on CNN’s “State of the Union” program.
Trump is scheduled to appear before Judge Juan Merchan, who last year presided over the criminal trial that found Trump’s real estate company guilty of tax evasion. Trump himself was not indicted in that case.
Court officials said on Sunday that the judge has asked for both sides to submit their views on whether to allow the use of cameras and video in court and is expected to make a decision on the matter on Monday.
Reporting by Rich McKay of Palm Beach, Florida and Karen Freifeld of New York.Additional reporting by Jonathan Allen, Gina Moon, and David Dee Delgado in New York Written by Will Dunham Editing by Heather Timmons and Matthew Lewis
Our standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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