Topline
Former President Donald Trump will surrender to law enforcement Tuesday after being indicted last week in Manhattan on charges stemming from “hush money” payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in 2016, appearing in court Tuesday afternoon for his arraignment as the indictment against him will be made public.
Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower on April 3, 2023 in New York City.
Key Facts
Trump is scheduled to be arraigned in Manhattan criminal court at 2:15 p.m. Eastern time, the court has confirmed, where his attorneys have said he will plead not guilty.
The court hearing will take place after Trump has formally surrendered and had his fingerprints and other information taken, but he is not expected to be put in handcuffs, held in a holding cell ahead of his arraignment or likely have a mugshot taken, according to multiple reports.
The indictment against Trump is expected to be made public at the time of his arraignment, which will detail what’s expected to be 34 counts against him, including felony offenses, for falsifying business records.
The judge in the case has ruled that no news cameras or electronic devices like cell phones and laptops will be allowed in the courtroom—though it’s still unclear if journalists watching the hearing from overflow rooms can have electronics and share updates—so it will not be possible to watch the hearing live, and updates will likely be available once it’s over.
News organizations will be able to take photos for a few minutes in the courtroom before the hearing begins, and the hearing is only expected to take around 15 minutes.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is scheduled to hold a press conference at 3:30 p.m. following Trump’s arraignment, and Trump will speak from Mar-A-Lago in Florida at 8:15 p.m.
What To Watch For
The charges against Trump are expected to carry a possible sentence of up to four years in prison if convicted, though a law enforcement official cited by Yahoo News noted it’s unlikely Trump will face prison time as a first-time offender. After Trump’s arraignment, it’s not expected he’ll be held in custody at all, as New York’s new bail rules, people who are indicted on misdemeanor charges or non-violent felonies are released on their own recognizance without bail unless they’re deemed to be a flight risk. It’s then likely to be months—at least—before the case goes to trial, as Manhattan criminal cases typically take more than a year to go to trial, experts cited by Reuters note.
Key Background
Trump was indicted Thursday by a grand jury as part of a years-long investigation by the Manhattan DA’s office into the ex-president and the Trump Organization, becoming the first former or sitting president to face criminal charges. The charges, while still under seal, are expected to concern Trump allegedly reimbursing his former attorney Michael Cohen for $130,000 paid to Daniels during the 2016 campaign to cover up an alleged affair. Trump allegedly mislabeled the payments as legal expenses, leading to allegations of falsifying business records, which can be a felony in New York if done to cover up another crime. The Manhattan DA’s office had initially opened an investigation into the hush money payments in 2019 before expanding its investigation to more broadly look at the Trump Organization’s financial dealings, which resulted in the company and former CFO Allen Weisselberg being convicted of tax fraud. The New York Times reported in November that prosecutors had then revived their inquiry into the Daniels payments.
Further Reading
Trump To Be Arrested Tuesday In Manhattan—Here’s What Will Happen Next (Forbes)
Trump Indicted By Manhattan Grand Jury—Arraignment Expected Tuesday On Over 30 Charges, Reports Say (Forbes)
Trump’s Arraignment: No News Cameras Inside Courtroom During Hearing, Judge Rules (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2023/04/04/trumps-arraignment-heres-what-time-hell-appear-in-court-and-how-to-get-updates/