Former President Donald Trump has arrived at the Manhattan district attorney’s office in lower Manhattan, where he is under arrest and in police custody before his upcoming arraignment.
Trump is expected to be fingerprinted as part of the arrest, though it’s still unclear whether his mug shot will be taken. He will next be brought to a courtroom, where he will be arraigned – an appearance that is expected to be quick and routine but represents a surreal and historic moment in US history.
Trump is not expected to be handcuffed following his arrest, as he will remain under constant law enforcement protection.
News outlets will not be able to broadcast the arraignment live, a judge said Monday night, rejecting a request from several media organizations, including CNN. Five still photographers, however, will be allowed to take pictures of Trump and the courtroom before the hearing begins.
The indictment returned last week by a grand jury against Trump is also expected to be unsealed Tuesday, providing the public – and Trump’s legal team – with the first details about the specific charges he will face. The investigation stemmed from a hush money payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign.
It remains to be seen whether Trump will speak in New York. Chris Kise, one of Trump’s lawyers, said he expects the former president to speak to the cameras in the hallway outside of the courtroom before and after his arraignment, and multiple people familiar with Trump’s thinking tell CNN that he has weighed saying something while still in Manhattan. Advisers have warned him, however, that any unplanned remarks put him at high risk of hurting his case. (CNN)
