Former President Donald Trump has arrived at the Manhattan Criminal Court to surrender himself after being indicted by a grand jury on Thursday.
Trump is the first former president to be charged with a crime, with the indictment stemming from an alleged hush money payment in 2016.
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BREAKING: Former President Trump has arrived at the courthouse to surrender and be arrested on criminal charges. https://t.co/Le705IMhsX pic.twitter.com/9asEOA69WI
— NBC News (@NBCNews) April 4, 2023
The former president entered the courtroom just before 2:25 p.m. and did not take any questions from the press after he was processed. Trump was reportedly fingerprinted as part of the processing.
After Trump was processed, he was seen walking out a pair of double doors, guarded by police and flanked by his legal team, on his way into the courtroom to hear the charges against him and enter his plea.
On his way into the courtroom, Trump was expected to make a statement to the press gathered in the hallway. However, he only looked at the crowd and continued walking. One reporter could be heard asking him if he would answer questions or make a statement.
Video cameras are not permitted inside the courtroom, but a pool of still photographers are taking photos of the arraignment in the courtroom. One of the first photos shows Trump with his lawyers.
Trump is expected to plead not guilty to the reported 34 felony counts for falsification of business records related to a hush money payment in 2016. The former president’s lawyer said Tuesday on ABC’s Good Morning America that he believes the trial will not see a jury trial and will “go away on papers.”
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A line for court access formed overnight, with some waiting in the darkness of the early morning to get a chance to be in the courtroom for the arraignment.
The indictment will not be made public until Trump is arraigned, but it appears to have stemmed from an investigation by prosecutors in New York City into allegedly falsified business records regarding a $130,000 reimbursement of Trump’s then-lawyer Michael Cohen for paying off porn star Stormy Daniels to stay quiet about an alleged affair she had with Trump. The payment was made in 2016 as Trump was running for president.
