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Former United States President Donald Trump is due to fly to New York City from Florida for his scheduled arraignment related to a hush-money payment made to an actress in pornographic films before the 2016 presidential election.
Trump, the first former president to face criminal charges, is expected to be arraigned, fingerprinted and photographed at the central Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday.
The specific charges included in the grand jury indictment have not been disclosed. Trump’s lawyers have said he will enter a plea of not guilty.
“I will be leaving Mar-a-Lago on Monday at 12 noon, heading to Trump Tower in New York. On Tuesday morning I will be going to, believe it or not, the Courthouse. America was not supposed to be this way!” Trump, who seeks the Republican nomination to run again in 2024, said late on Sunday on his social media site Truth Social.
The New York investigation led by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg centres on a $130,000 payment that Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal lawyer and fixer, made to adult film star Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford.
fice said.
New York police, over the weekend, began erecting barricades along the edge of the sidewalks around Trump Tower and the Manhattan Criminal Court building, and some other courtrooms will be cleared.
Demonstrations are expected at those sites which police said would be prepared. “Officers have been placed on alert and the department remains ready to respond as needed and will ensure everyone is able to peacefully exercise their rights,” the New York Police Department said in a statement.
Joe Tacopina, a Trump lawyer, on Sunday said it was unlikely there will be a “perp walk” – perp being shorthand for perpetrator – in which an individual who has been charged is paraded in front of the news media because of security concerns.
Separately on Sunday, a court official said the judge had asked both sides to submit their positions on whether cameras and video should be allowed in the courtroom and will decide on the issue on Monday.
SOURCE:ALJAZEERA
