Former US President Donald Trump gestures in a vehicle as he leaves his Florida home after he was indicted by a New York City grand jury following a probe into hush money paid to porn star before the 2016 presidential elections.
An extraordinary moment in US history is set to soon unfold in a New York courthouse on Tuesday as former US President Donald Trump, who faces multiple election-related probe, will surrender to face criminal charges stemming from 2016 hush money payments.
The booking and arraignment are likely to be relatively brief — though hardly routine — as Trump is fingerprinted, learns the charges against him and pleads, as expected, not guilty.
Judge Juan Merchan has ruled that TV cameras would not be allowed in the courtroom.
Trump, who was impeached twice by the US House but was never convicted in the US Senate, will become the first former president to face criminal charges.
The nation's 45th commander in chief will be escorted from Trump Tower to the courthouse by the Secret Service and may have his mug shot taken.
Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina said on Tuesday that Trump would not plead guilty to lesser charges, even if it might resolve the case.
New York police are braced for protests by Trump supporters, who share the Republican former president’s belief that the New York grand jury indictment and three additional pending investigations are politically motivated and intended to weaken his bid to retake the White House in 2024.
Trump, a former reality TV star, has been hyping that narrative to his political advantage, saying he raised $8 million in the less than a week since the indictment on claims of a “witch hunt.”
He has assailed the Manhattan district attorney, egged on supporters to protest and claimed without evidence that the judge presiding over the case “hates me” — something his own lawyer has said is not true.
Trump is scheduled to return to his Palm Beach, Florida, home, Mar-a-Lago, on Tuesday evening to hold a rally, punctuating his new reality: submitting to the dour demands of the American criminal justice system while projecting an aura of defiance and victimhood at celebratory campaign events.
A conviction would not prevent Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024.
The investigation is looking into the six-figure alleged hush payments made to porn actor Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal.
Both say they had sexual encounters with the married Trump years before he got into politics. Trump denies having sexual liaisons with either woman and has denied any wrongdoing involving payments.
READ MORE: Trump flies to New York to surrender after indictment
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