Joseph Bakare/Agency Report
Former US president Donald Trump who was indicted in a case that centers on a $130,000 hush money payout to the adult film star Stormy Daniels in violation of a campaign financing law is expected to turn himself in voluntarily for an arraignment on Tuesday April 4.
For Donald Trump, the first step after his criminal indictment on Thursday (March 30) is to surrender.
On that day, the exact charges, which are currently sealed, will be disclosed, and Trump will enter his plea. That plea is likely to be: “Not guilty.” Trump claims he is the innocent target of a witch hunt, and has called this indictment “political persecution and election interference at the highest level in history.” His lawyer Susan Necheles also said:“He did not commit any crime.”
During the arraignment, the judge will also outline conditions for Trump’s release, such as travel restrictions, home confinement, and more. It’s unlikely he’ll have to post bail, though.
On his way to the arraignment, Trump will be fingerprinted and have his mug-shot taken, as procedure dictates. The district attorney’s investigators will also swab his cheek to get a mandatory sample for New York’s DNA database.
However, the part of the ordinary arraignment process that he will likely be exempted from is the “perp walk,” in which detainees are paraded before cameras in handcuffs, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Trump will also not be placed in a holding cell; instead, he will probably remain in the custody of the Secret Service agents in charge of his security.
Conversations have already begun between the Secret Service, the US Marshals Service, and the New York Police Department, to make sure the arraignment goes smoothly, a senior police source told CNN.
Juan Manuel Merchan, the same judge who heard the case against the Trump Organization for tax fraud last year and fined the company $1.6 billion, will likely oversee this case.
