Former U.S. president Donald Trump, who faces multiple investigations, will surrender to face criminal charges in a historic arraignment in New York City on Tuesday.
According to CNN, Trump wouldn’t plead guilty to lesser charges to settle matter, his lawyer said Tuesday.
Trump is the first sitting or former American president to be criminally indicted — a historic development that has propelled the United States into uncharted political waters.
Amid tight security in Manhattan — and a global media frenzy — the 76-year-old will learn at his arraignment precisely what charges he faces over hush money paid to a porn star ahead of the 2016 election that brought him to power.
The mid-afternoon booking and arraignment are likely to be relatively brief, as Trump is fingerprinted, learns the charges against him and pleads, as expected, not guilty. Judge Juan Merchan has ruled that TV cameras won’t be allowed in the courtroom.
Merchan did rule that five photographers will be admitted before the arraignment starts to take pictures for several minutes until they must stop, with cameras allowed in the hallways of the building.
Trump, who was impeached twice by the U.S. House of Representatives but was never convicted in the U.S. 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.
Trump was indicted last week, becoming the first sitting or former president to face criminal charges, over a case involving a 2016 hush money payment to Stephanie Clifford, known as the porn performer Stormy Daniels. He has said he is innocent and is due to plead not guilty.
