He’ll be in court Tuesday, and he’ll have to surrender via tunneling to avoid finger-printing and handcuffs
Trump was at the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. He will be appearing as a criminal on Tuesday at the U.S. Courthouse. He was also arraigned in a New York courthouse in April on charges of falsifying business records related to hush money payments.
The indictment alleges that Trump was personally involved in packing the documents as he left the White House in 2021, that he bragged about having secret materials and caused his own lawyer to mislead the FBI about what kind of papers he had stored at Mar-a-Lago.
Still, Tuesday’s court appearance is likely to mark a new era in his winding political tenure as the charges levied against him grow in number and severity, all as he mounts a 2024 presidential reelection bid.
According to the former president and his lawyers, Trump’s hearing is scheduled for 3 p.m. But before he can appear in court, he’ll need to surrender for pretrial services, including booking and processing.
Weaver told NPR’s Weekend Edition that the federal courthouse is connected to an underground garage. The tunnel could be a place where Trump could be safely finger-printed.
As for handcuffs and mugshots? Those steps probably won’t be necessary in this controlled environment with such a high-profile figure, Weaver says. Skipping both steps would be in line with what had happened before his Manhattan arraignment.
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Trump’s private plane was parked near his golf resort, in Bedminster, N.J. Around 11 a.m. cable news networks showed live shots of his motorcade leaving the resort in the direction of the airport.
Trump will make remarks at a charity event in Bedminster on Tuesday. He went to his home turf in Mar-a-Lago in Florida for a campaign speech after being indicted in New York, and he described himself as a political martyr.
It’s unclear which judge will oversee Tuesday’s hearing, but we do know his case has been assigned to Judge Aileen M. Cannon, and it could be the first time the two come face-to-face.
Trump appointed Cannon to the bench in 2020. She surprised legal experts by ruling in Trump’s favor last summer, appointing a special master to review documents seized by the FBI from Mar-a-Lago. Federal prosecutors were stopped from investigating the documents temporarily.
His attorney added that Trump would not try to get a plea deal because he didn’t have anything wrong. He wouldn’t admit guilt.
Trump’s personal aide, Walt Nauta, has also been summoned to appear in court at the same time. According to federal prosecutors, the co-conspirators in the case include a man who helped Trump hide boxes of classified documents.
“We need strength at this point”: Donald Trump and the right-wing anti-fascist in the U.S.
“We need strength at this point. Everyone is afraid of something. They are afraid to speak. They have to go out and protest peacefully,” Trump said in a radio interview hosted by his former advisor, Roger Stone, on Sunday afternoon.
Laura Loomer, a right-wing activist, tweeted about plans for a “peaceful rally” outside the courthouse, urging attendees to bring pro-Trump attire and “love” for the former president.
Kari Lake, the Republican firebrand from Arizona, alluded to possible violence in a press conference on Saturday, saying, “We’re at war, people,” and “If you want to get to President Trump, you’re going to have to go through me, and you’re going to have to go through 75 million Americans just like me.”
The former president’s Republican allies in Congress have also used sharp rhetoric while coming to Trump’s defense, pledging to investigate the Department of Justice for a perceived weaponization of government.
“Don’t let it get to you.” You should know your bridges by 1-50K. Clay Higgins, Republican from Louisiana, wrote in an apparent reference to military terms. Two days later he backpedaled, telling all “patriots” not to “trip the wire” the mainstream media laid.
The U.S. marshals and the Secret Service have been talking about protecting the courthouse. Local police have also been planning, with additional first responders on standby.
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Smith said Friday he is seeking a speedy trial. Under the law, that could mean within 70 days, which would be well ahead of the presidential primary season next year.
Federal law stipulates that a “speedy trial” is one that starts no later than 70 days after an arraignment. But that doesn’t account for defense motions, and in this case, there could be plenty, according to Weaver.
“There are going to be motions to dismiss it on the basis of prosecution,” he told NPR. “You prosecuted me, but you didn’t prosecute Hillary Clinton or President Joe Biden for possessing classified documents, as well.”
Weaver is also expecting delays over the choice of venue (a possible move to West Palm Beach, which could see a jury pool more favorable to Trump) and delays related to the Classified Protection Act (the defense attorney might need a security clearance just to review the records included as evidence).
The former president said he would stump from prison if needed in order to help Trump in his presidential bid.
Trump claims he is being targeted by prosecutors because he’s running for president again. His Republican allies in Congress are talking about the bias in the Justice Department.
It’s not clear whether Trump will be taken into custody. He did not appear in court in New York State in April to answer questions about hush money payments made before the 2016 election.
The judge could impose restrictions as the case goes on, for example asking them to surrender passports, limit travel or check in with court supervision.
Trump’s campaign for the federal indictment and his role in the House of Representative Joe Biden’s investigation of the Capitol riot
Extremity researchers are not seeing large-scale or detailed planning for the courthouse appearance like they were in the leadup to the Capitol riot.
Trump could also make other pretrial motions contesting various aspects of the case that could add up to months of delays. The legal team could even try to postpone the trial until after the presidential election.
Trump is making the federal indictment a part of his campaign. He is going to speak at a charity event on Tuesday night at his golf club.
A special counsel is currently looking into how Biden himself came to have classified documents in his private office and residence. After Trump turned over all the papers, there’s no indication that Biden won’t do the same.