Former President Donald Trump arrives in New York this Monday, a day before as a presenter before the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, to face the 30 accusations, in a case of high political and media impact.
The Republican is the first figure of his level to face criminal charges in court, which has forced the implementation of never-before-seen protocols, amid various reactions for and against the process led by prosecutor Alvin Bragg.
Trump left his residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, to travel to New York, where he will spend the night in his apartment in the Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue, to leave Tuesday for the Court in Lower Manhattan.
The 30 accusations against Trump are not yet public, but they are for violations of the electoral financing process, after paying $130,000 dollars to the porn star, Stormy Daniels, to prevent her from revealing the relationship she had with the former president in 2006.
“It is hard to believe that I will be arrested tomorrow (Tuesday) as a result of the most shameful witch hunt in the history of our nation,” the former president sent in a message to supporters of his “Save America” campaign.
After the allegations against him last week, former President Trump has managed to rack up $4 million in donations.
1. Without handcuffs, but with footprints
Former President Trump will not be handcuffed to enter the prosecution, since he reached an agreement with prosecutor Bragg to turn himself in on a certain day and time.
This will occur this Tuesday between 10:30 am and 2:30 pm. when the former president follows the protocol process before the prosecutor’s office in Lower Manhattan, where he will be escorted by security personnel, in addition to the Secret Service.
As part of the judicial processes, people with criminal charges have their photograph taken, but in this case it is not yet clear that this happens, since it is possible that – given Trump’s fame – this step is unnecessary.
“All the Tuesday stuff is still up in the air,” Joe Tacopina said Sunday on CNN.
Because this case is high-impact and involves a former president, the New York Police (NYPD) and court guards coordinate with the Secret Service, since the former president—like all former presidents—have at their disposal personal position that monitors it 24 hours.
2. The reading of 30 counts
It will be before Judge Juan Merchan when the charges are read against former President Trump, who at that time must plead “guilty” or “not guilty.”
The lawyer Tacopina said that the former president will plead “not guilty.”
“We will say loudly and proudly that we are not guilty,” Tacopina said.
There is no specific time on this process, but it should be before 2:30 pm, after which Trump will be allowed to withdraw, although under the promise of returning for the following judicial processes in which his presence is required.
The lawyer Tacopina and the prosecutors in charge of the case could negotiate the following motions, including a possible trial date for the former president; in subsequent motions it is possible that the presence of the former president is not necessary, except at the beginning of the trial or when the judge deems it appropriate.
3. What’s next
Former President Trump will return to Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday afternoon, from where he intends to hold a press conference on the case, which is expected to follow the same line of criticizing the investigation as a “witch hunt.”
There are no specific dates on the following court actions, as they depend on the motions filed by the parties and the response; an eventual decision before trial would be made by Judge Merchan in hearings scheduled at the last minute.
Former President Trump can continue with his personal life and his political campaign towards 2024, but when he must appear in court he must obey the instructions of Judge Merchan, unless the defense shows that the presence of the former president is unnecessary and the judge so consider feasible.
Although Trump has criticized Judge Merchan for saying that he “hates him,” attorney Tacopina rules out that there is any prejudice by the judge, who was also in charge of the legal proceedings against the Trump Organization and its former financial director, Allen Weisselberg.
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