Donald Trump set to be arraigned in Manhattan court on Tuesday
New York, Apr 3: Donald Trump is set to be arraigned on Tuesday after being indicted last week by a Manhattan grand jury on charges arising from hush money payments made to a porn star during his 2016 campaign, making him the first former US president to face a criminal charge and upending his bid to retake the White House in 2024.
The 76-year-old is expected to fly to New York City from his Mar-a-Lago home on Monday and plans to return back to his resort in Florida following his court hearing, where he will address his supporters on Tuesday night, his office said Sunday.
"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 wrote on his social media account on Truth Social Sunday, as the city braces for demonstrations from his supporters and protestors in the wake of the unprecedented criminal indictment of a former president.
Trump, who is the first former US president to face a criminal charge, will be arraigned on Tuesday. The proceeding is expected to be brief. The charges in the indictment will be read to him at the hearing, which is set to last about 10-15 minutes.
He has denied all wrongdoing in connection with the payments made to Daniels, 44, ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
Trump will appear before Judge Juan Merchan at 2.15 pm EST (11:45 pm IST) on Tuesday. American media has quoted Trump's attorneys as saying that the former president will plead not guilty.
After his court appearance, Trump will immediately fly back to Florida where he will deliver remarks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach later Tuesday.
The grand jury on Thursday voted to indict Trump, a Republican, for his role in paying money to porn star Stormy Daniels in an attempt to buy her silence over an alleged affair. The indictment remains under seal and it is not clear what crimes and how many criminal counts Trump has been charged with. CNN reported that the former president has been charged with more than 30 counts.
Trump has called Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who is bringing the criminal charges against him, as "corrupt" and said he has "no case. What he does have is a venue where it is IMPOSSIBLE for me to get a Fair Trial (it must be changed!), and a Trump-hating Judge, hand selected by the Soros-backed D.A. (he must be changed!). Also has the DOJ working in the D.A.'s Office - Unprecedented!"
It is expected that Trump will be processed before appearing in court, and his fingerprints and mugshot will be taken. In a report in The Guardian, Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina said, "I'm sure they'll try to get every ounce of publicity from this thing."
He added that the "president will not be put in handcuffs. I'm sure they'll try to make sure they get some joy out of this by parading him."
Outlining the scene at the courthouse as Trump makes his appearance, Tacopina said the courthouse is expected to close as Trump arrives. He will appear in front of a judge and plead not guilty. His team will file motions against the indictment, arguing against "the legal liability of this case".
According to a report in Politico, Tacopina said Sunday that he eventually expects to move to dismiss the charges against the former president.
"I very much anticipate a motion to dismiss coming because there's no law that fits this," Tacopina told Dana Bash on CNN's "State of the Union."
"We're not doing anything at the arraignment because that would be showmanship and nothing more because we haven't even seen the indictment yet. We will take the indictment. We will dissect it. The team will look at every every potential issue that we will be able to challenge and we will challenge," he said.
The New York Police Department as well as the Secret Service, tasked with the protection of the former president, are coordinating to ensure that the entire proceedings go through without law and order disruptions. Security is expected to be very tight outside the courthouse when Trump arrives and leaves. Barricades have been put in place amid heavy NYPD presence around the courthouses in lower Manhattan.
Last week on Thursday, news of a grand jury voting to indict Trump ignited mixed responses from New Yorkers, with some hailing the development as "spectacular" while others slamming it as a "political witch hunt" from which the ex-president will emerge stronger.
About 6.5 kilometers from the Lower Manhattan courthouses where the grand jury decided to indict Trump, the scene outside the Trump Tower in the upscale Fifth Avenue in Manhattan was sombre and quiet.
It was inside this popular Manhattan building in June 2015 when Trump descended the "golden escalators" into a crowd of supporters and media persons to announce his presidential run.
On the chilly Thursday evening, barring a couple of New York Police Department (NYPD) patrol vehicles, barricades lining the sidewalk and some reporters and camera persons, the scene outside Trump Tower was uneventful.
New Yorkers and tourists strolled by the building, some stopping only briefly to take pictures of the multi-story glass tower, which is ensconced among the world's most luxurious brands on 5th Avenue, and that bears Trump's name.
"As far as Trump being indicted is concerned, sure they'll handcuff him, they'll take a mugshot and then he will be good to go. This has made Trump's base stronger," New York activist Susan-Anne Miller told PTI outside the Trump Tower.
"By the time the case goes to trial, he will be President again," she said.
She said prosecutors have a weak case against Trump. "There was no case, they were trying to find a way to work it around so that they could hold him. This is a political witch hunt and in the end, he will be proven innocent," she said.
Miller said there will be no riots from Trump supporters in the aftermath of the indictment.
An elderly couple said it was "about time" that Trump was indicted.
Charle Earlston, a lawyer and veteran, said he had hoped to see more crowds of protestors and supporters outside the Trump Tower after the indictment news.
The indictment is "symbolic" of where the country is at right now, he said.
"The Democratic Party and their allies have been wanting to get Trump indicted on something, whatever it was, for the better part of about eight years now," he said.
Benjamin Adams, a New Yorker, said the Trump indictment was going to divide the American people even more. "I think the country has a lot more pressing issues at the moment than to worry about this," he said.
Al Mason, Indian-American Trump supporter, real estate businessman and co-chair of the Trump Victory Indian-American Finance Committee, told PTI that the charges against Trump are "100 per cent political."
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
