Former president to face arraignment in New York court — live updates
Former President Donald Trump is expected to surrender to authorities in New York on Tuesday and appear in state court for the first time to face criminal charges, a historic moment that has prompted strict security measures and a chaotic scene around the courthouse in lower Manhattan.
The charges were handed down in an indictment by a grand jury conducting an investigation related to a payment made on Trump’s behalf to an adult film star in 2016 in exchange for her silence about an alleged affair, which Trump has denied. The specific charges remain under seal, but CBS News previously reported that they include at least one felony charge of falsifying business records.
Trump is the first former president in U.S. history to be charged with a crime, and the case could have serious ramifications for his ongoing bid for the White House as it unfolds over the coming months. He and his team have sought to capitalize on the case, and an aide said Monday that his campaign had raised more than $8 million in the days since news of the indictment first broke.
The former president traveled to New York from his home in Florida on Monday and stayed the night at Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan ahead of his surrender and court appearance. He is expected to turn himself in to police for processing at the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse, where he will be booked and taken into custody. He’s not expected to have a mug shot taken or be placed in handcuffs. After being processed, he will appear in front of a judge at an arraignment hearing, scheduled for 2:15 p.m. ET.
The charges included in the indictment will be read aloud in court at Trump’s arraignment, at which point the indictment will be unsealed. Trump will plead not guilty to the charges, his attorneys have said. No video recording will be allowed in the courtroom, but a handful of photographers will be briefly permitted to take pictures.
The former president is expected to then be released and return home to Florida, where he has said he will deliver remarks Tuesday evening. He has denied all wrongdoing and has denounced the investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office as a “witch hunt.”
The area around the courthouse was crowded but controlled ahead of Trump’s arrival, with barricades and dozens of police officers cutting off access to the building. A park across the street from the courthouse swelled with members of the media and demonstrators as Trump’s surrender grew nearer.
