After being indicted last week by a Manhattan grand jury, Donald Trump, the only former president in history to face criminal charges, arrived in New York on Monday in preparation for his anticipated arraignment on Tuesday.
The anticipated voluntary surrender of a former president and 2024 presidential candidate will be a singular event in many ways, both for the Manhattan district attorney’s office and the New York courthouse where he will be arraigned as well as for a nation watching to see how it will affect the GOP presidential primary.
Trump watched extensive television coverage on his journey from Florida back to his native New York City on Monday, according to an aide, who described his attitude as “defiant and concentrated.”
After an indictment that “caught him and his aides off surprise,” the former president has reportedly maintained a “relatively cool” demeanour, spending the weekend in Florida playing golf and considering how to use it to advance his campaign.
Trump is charged with more than 30 counts of corporate fraud, but the indictment is still under secret.
In relation to his alleged involvement in a cover-up and hush money payment plan involving adult film star Stormy Daniels that dates to the 2016 presidential election, the Manhattan district attorney’s office has been looking into Trump.
Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, has already come under assault from Trump and his allies. A speech scheduled on Tuesday night at Mar-a-Lago will certainly provide Trump further opportunity to say he is the target of political persecution.
What is known about the anticipated arraignment is listed below.
How will it appear, and will Trump be restrained?
On Monday, just after noon ET, Trump departed from Florida and touched down at LaGuardia Airport in New York at about 3:30 ET. The insider stated that the former president will spend Monday night at Trump Tower and that he plans to leave New York as soon as the arraignment on Tuesday is over in order to return to Florida.
Yet, even before he makes an appearance, Trump’s presence will be felt in the Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday, as all trials and the majority of other court proceedings have been suspended.
For Trump’s anticipated presence, the Secret Service, the New York Police Department, and the court officials are coordinating security. Early in the afternoon, Trump is set to travel with the Secret Service to the district attorney’s office, which is housed in the same structure as the courthouse.
The detectives will book Trump, which involves obtaining his fingerprints. A mug shot would typically be taken. Nevertheless, given that Trump’s image is well-known and police were worried about the photo being improperly leaked, which would be against state law, individuals acquainted with the preparations were unsure if a mugshot would be taken.
Before being arraigned, suspects are frequently booked after being detained and held in cells close to the courtroom. But under Trump, it won’t happen. After the former president has finished being processed, he will be brought to the floor with the courtroom by elevators and a back set of hallways. Then he will emerge into a public hallway and enter the courtroom.
Trump won’t likely be restrained because he will be shielded from harm by armed federal officials.
“This is obviously different. Nothing like this has ever occurred. The Secret Service has never participated in an arraignment at 100 Centre Street before, according to Trump attorney Joe Tacopina. Apart than the fact that we will adamantly and proudly say not guilty on Tuesday, “everything is still very much up in the air.”
The indictment will be released and Trump will formally answer to the allegations in the courtroom before the end of the day. Trump will very definitely be freed on his own recognizance following his arraignment. Restrictions being placed on his travel are conceivable but maybe unlikely.
A defendant who is freed often exits through the front doors, but the Secret Service likely seek to restrict Trump’s public appearances. Trump is therefore anticipated to return to his motorcade after the court hearing by walking via the main hallway once more and then through the back hallways to the district attorney’s office.
Then he’ll go to the airport to return to Mar-a-Lago, where he has a public engagement scheduled for that evening.
Can I watch the arraignment on television?
The arraignment of Donald Trump won’t be streamed live, a New York court announced Monday night.
Media groups asked the judge, Juan Merchan, for permission to broadcast Trump’s anticipated Tuesday courtroom appearance. The judge denied their request. He did decide that five still photographers could capture Trump and the courtroom prior to the hearing, though.
The motion, which also urged the judge to unseal the indictment, was made by a number of publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal.
The news organisations wrote in the letter that they are making “this limited request for audio-visual coverage in order to ensure that the operations of the Court will not be disrupted in any way,” asking for a “limited number of photographers, videographers, and radio journalists to be present at the arraignment.”
Merchan acknowledged the historical significance of the proceedings even though he declined the request to broadcast the arraignment.
It is impossible to deny that this indictment relates to a significant issue. No President, living or dead, has ever faced a criminal investigation in the history of the United States. The public and media interest in Mr. Trump’s arraignment has been unprecedented, he said. “The public has a legitimate need for the most up-to-date and accurate information accessible. To imply otherwise would be dishonest.
Merchan stated that although it was obvious why the media wanted access to the proceedings, there were “competing interests” that needed to be taken into account.
The district attorney’s office in Manhattan has not taken a stand on whether or not to let cameras in the courtroom. Trump’s legal team has argued against permitting them by raising security issues.The indictment is anticipated to be made public when Trump appears in court if the judge denies the media outlets’ request to have it unsealed.
Who is the presiding judge?
Juan Merchan, the judge, is no stranger to Trump’s circle.
The Trump Organization tax fraud trial was presided over by Merchan, an interim New York Supreme Court justice, who also ruled over the criminal fraud case involving former strategist Steve Bannon and sentenced Allen Weisselberg, a close confidant of Trump, to jail.
Attorneys who have testified before Merchan that he does not tolerate delays or interruptions and that even when his cases receive a lot of media attention, he is recognized for keeping order in the courtroom.
Timothy Parlatore, a lawyer for Trump, claimed that Merchan was “not easy” on him when he fought a case in front of him but that he will probably be fair.
I’ve previously tried a case in front of him. He might be a brawler. I don’t believe that will necessarily affect his capacity to weigh the evidence and the law in this case, according to Parlatore.
