Former President Donald Trump surrendered at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office Thursday afternoon to face unprecedented criminal charges tied to the Stormy Daniels “hush money” payment.
Trump, 76, defiantly raised his fist as he emerged from his Trump Tower residence in Midtown shortly after 1 p.m. before he was escorted downtown via a motorcade — en route to becoming the first ever US president to be criminally prosecuted.
The 45th president waved before heading inside to give himself up at the DA’s office in Lower Manhattan, where sources said he’ll likely be fingerprinted — but could avoid having his mugshot taken — ahead of his scheduled 2:15 p.m. arraignment in Manhattan Supreme Court.
His attorney, Joe Tacopina, has already said he will enter a “not guilty” plea during the historic hearing.
Unlike Trump’s journey to the courthouse — which was carried live on cable TV — his hearing won’t be broadcast to the masses, the judge in the case ruled on Monday night.
Judge Juan Merchan, however, ruled that a handful of photographers could take photos of the proceedings — despite Trump’s lawyers requesting that cameras be banned altogether.
Trump became the first president to be hit with criminal charges after a grand jury convened by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg voted last Thursday to indict him in connection to six-figure hush money payments made in the lead-up to the 2016 election.
The exact charges against Trump will remain under seal until the hearing, but sources and reports said the 2024 White House hopeful faces more than 30 felony counts of falsifying business records — a charge that could land him behind bars for up to four years if convicted.
Trump has repeatedly blasted the hush money case as a politically driven “witch hunt.”
As he was holed up in his namesake skyscraper Monday night, Trump raged on Truth Social that Bragg should be “IMMEDIATELY INDICTED” over what the ex-president claimed were illegal leaks related to his indictment.
Bragg is set to address the media following the hearing.
Trump’s lawyers said the former president is also expected to speak to reporters briefly after the hearing ends before hightailing back to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida to give a speech to his supporters Tuesday night.
Source: Donald Trump arrives for NYC arraignment (nypost.com)