Donald Trump Returns to New York for Arraignment After Historic Indictment

By Rick Martin Apr 03 2023, 23:22 PM EDT

Donald Trump has finally arrived in New York City to face his historic indictment as he is now the first president in U.S. history to be criminally indicted. He is expected to be arraigned after he gives himself up on Tuesday.

The charges will not be known until he is finally arraigned, as these are still kept under seal. All these charges are related to his alleged role in covering up hush money payment to former porn star Stormy Daniels in the days leading up to his 2016 presidential run, where he defeated Hilary Clinton to become the 45th president of the United States.

The 23-person grand jury heard enough evidence of wrongdoing on the part of the former president to finally indict him. This evidence included testimony from Daniels and Trump's former personal attorney, Michael Cohen. Over half of the jury was convinced that the evidence was enough to indict the former president.

According to NPR, Trump has denied any wrongdoing to this day, despite mounting evidence to the latter. He wrote on Truth Social, "On Tuesday morning I will be going to, believe it or not, the Courthouse. America was not supposed to be this way!"

Donald Trump Will Not Be Handcuffed During His Arraignment

Donald Trump may be surrendering to New York authorities, but he is still a former president, which means he still has his own Secret Service security detail. Axios reported that his Secret Service bodyguards will remain with him as he is booked.

However, while he will be fingerprinted much like any other suspected criminal, Trump will not be handcuffed. He will still have to give a DNA sample, though, as stated in New York law. His being handcuffed but still fingerprinted is typical for felony defendants.

He will still have his mug shot taken, but it was noted that in the state of New York, these mug shots are usually not released to the public. However, it should also be noted that granted the immense public interest in Trump's case could change that, which means we may see that Trump mug shot soon.

Before he is arraigned, Trump will not be held in a cell but inside a "holding room," according to court officials.

Media Outlets Requesting Arraignment To Be Televised

Given the large amount of interest that is being generated by the Donald Trump indictment, several news outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal, have all asked New York Judge Juan Merchan permission to broadcast Trump's expected appearance in the courtroom on Tuesday.

According to CNN, these news organizations are asking for a "limited number of photographers, videographers, and radio journalists to be present at the arraignment." In a letter, it stated that "this limited request for audio-visual coverage in order to ensure that the operations of the Court will not be disrupted in any way."

So far, the Manhattan district attorney's office has not yet taken any position on whether they would allow cameras in the courtroom. However, Trump's legal team had been very vocal against it.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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