The day of truth has arrived for Donald Trump, the day in which he will have to surrender to the authorities and will be notified of the charges for which he has been indicted in the Stormy Daniels case.
Here’s how the day should unfold:
The former president, who arrived in New York from Florida yesterday and spent the night in Trump Tower, will go, escorted by Secret Service agents, to the Manhattan prosecutor’s office, where the office of district attorney Alvin is located Bragg, to turn himself in to the authorities. This must take place before the hearing which is scheduled for 2.15pm, 8.15pm in Italy.
Immediately after there will be what is called “processing” in the United States, the identification of the arrested person, with the detection of fingerprints and mugshots. But this could also not happen given that the former US president is not at risk of flight, say experts consulted by ABCnews. The possibility of Trump being handcuffed is also excluded. “I think the typical identification will take no more than 20 to 30 minutes, there will be no handcuffs,” said Trump attorney Joe Tacopina.
Once this procedure is concluded, Trump, passing through a series of protected passages, corridors and elevators, will be escorted to the courtroom where the “arraignment” hearing will have to take place, i.e. the notification of the charges, with the reading of the indictments contested by Bragg to the former president. Also today these indictments should be made public for the first time.
Despite the enormous media attention, there will be no live television given that Judge Juan Merchan did not accept the requests of the broadcasters, which were opposed by Trump’s lawyers. Upon news of the allegations, Trump will be asked how he pleads, e the former president will plead innocent, his lawyers repeated.
At this point the judge will have to decide whether to release Trump with or without bail, which is more likely, before scheduling the new hearing. It is very rare for judges to decide pre-trial detention for ‘white-collar’ crimes, financial crimes such as the one Trump is accused of, who allegedly illegally recorded the $130,000 paid to buy porn star Stormy Daniels’ silence as legal fees.
In some cases, especially if there is a risk of escape, the judge can decide on restrictions, such as the withdrawal of the passport or movement restrictions. But it is not believed that this can be achieved in this case.
Before setting the new date, the judge will give Trump’s lawyers the opportunity to present requests: Tacopina has already clarified that they will immediately take an aggressive line, with motions for the dismissal of a case deemed pure political persecution, or the request to move the venue of the trial. After the hearing, Trump should leave the courthouse in Manhattan, always escorted by Secret Service agents, who in recent days have made inspections to identify the safest ways in and out of the building.
However, the unknown factor remains regarding the possibility, aired in these hours, that Trump instead wants to present himself to the public already in New York to make a statement, without waiting for his return to Florida. Indeed, in Mar-a-Lago everything is ready for the speech that the former president will deliver immediately after his return, around 8 pm local time, in front of his supporters in his residence-resort.
Source-www.adnkronos.com