NEW YORK (AP) — An extraordinary moment in U.S. history unfolds Tuesday at a Manhattan courthouse.
Former President Donald Trump, who faces multiple election-related investigations, surrendered in 2016 and faces criminal charges over hush money payments.
The appointment and appearance before Judge Juan Merchan should be relatively brief as Trump is fingerprinted, learns of the charges against him and, predictably, pleads not guilty. Merchan ruled that the use of television cameras in court was not permitted.
Trump has been impeached twice by the House, but has not been convicted by the Senate, making it the first time he has been indicted as a former president. The 45th commander-in-chief of the United States could be escorted from Trump’s tower to court by his services incognito and his mugshot taken. But Trump was also defiant. He used his own social media his network to repeatedly attack Bragg and criticize Bragg members by declaring “Kangaroo in his coat” and “This is not what America should be!” was even targeted. family.
Nonetheless, the scenes surrounding Trump Tower and the courthouse where Trump stands before a judge were mostly silent.Police tried to separate demonstrators who supported the former president from those who opposed him used metal barricades to trap them on either side of the park near the courthouse.
Republic of Georgia Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of Trump’s staunchest supporters in Congress, organized a rally at the park Tuesday, but it was tough to hear her over the crush of reporters and protesters for and against Trump. Like Greene, embattled Republican New York Rep. George Santos was showing solidarity with Trump, saying, “I want to support the president.”
“I think this is unprecedented and it’s a bad day for democracy,” Santos told The Associated Press, suggesting that future prosecutors could target Biden and other presidents with other cases, which “cheapens the judicial system.”
One demonstrator hoisted a sign reading “Trump or death 1776 2024,” but others carried placards showed images of Trump in prison.
The public fascination with the case was evident Monday as national television carried live images of Trump’s motorcade from his Mar-a-Lago club to a private, red, white and blue Boeing 757 stenciled with his name. From there, Trump was flown to New York, where cameras followed his motorcade into Manhattan and he spent the night at Trump Tower as he prepared to turn himself in. Former president and his aide participate in media circus. After being initially surprised when news of the indictments broke Thursday night, Trump and his team hope to use the case to their advantage. He asked the judge to ban the photo and video coverage of the charges.
As prosecutors in Atlanta and Washington conduct their own investigations into Trump, New York’s ability to conduct safe, drama-free trials in cases involving a polarizing ex-president could lead to indictments. These investigations are about efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and the possible misuse of classified documents in Mar-a-Lago. Many senior Republican officials, including some of Trump’s potential rivals in next year’s Republican presidential primary, have criticized the lawsuit against him. and other leading Democrats said little.
Prosecutors say their case against Trump has nothing to do with politics.
