Trump arrives in New York ahead of court appearance
Former US President Donald Trump flew into New York City on his private plane on Monday to face charges stemming from a probe into hush money paid to a porn star, while his lawyers argued against letting cameras in the courtroom.
With New York taking security precautions and the mayor telling potential rabble-rousers to behave, Trump was due to surrender at the Manhattan District Attorney's Office on Tuesday and will likely be fingerprinted before appearing before a judge for an arraignment where he will plead not guilty.
Trump, a 76-year-old Republican seeking to regain the presidency in 2024, is the first former US president to face criminal charges.
His plane - painted in red, white and blue with "TRUMP" in big letters on the side and an image of the American flag on the tail - arrived at LaGuardia Airport in Queens after a 3-1/2 hour flight from West Palm Beach near his Florida home.
Clad in a blue suit and wearing a red tie, Trump walked deliberately and alone down a flight of stairs from the aeroplane and climbed into an SUV for a drive in a motorcade to Trump Tower in Manhattan.
He got out of the vehicle, waved to people behind barricades set up by police for security purposes and walked into Trump Tower while making no public comments.
Beefing up his legal team, Trump hired Todd Blanche, a prominent white-collar criminal defence lawyer and former federal prosecutor, to join his defence, two sources familiar with the matter said. Blanche and other Trump lawyers on Monday urged the judge not to allow videography, photography and radio coverage of the arraignment.
In a letter to the court, they argued against allowing such coverage, saying it would "exacerbate an already almost circus-like atmosphere around this case" and "detract from both the dignity and decorum of the proceedings and courtroom."
Justice Juan Merchan was expected to decide the matter on Monday.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office said it would leave it to the discretion of the judge, but noted that Merchan allowed a limited number of still photos before last year's criminal trial in which Trump's real estate company was convicted of tax fraud.
The Manhattan grand jury that indicted Trump heard evidence for months this year about a $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in the waning days of the 2016 presidential campaign. Daniels has said she was paid to keep silent about a sexual encounter she had with Trump at a Lake Tahoe hotel in 2006. Trump denies having had any such relationship with her.
Blanche previously represented Paul Manafort, Trump's 2016 campaign chairman, when Manafort was hit with New York state fraud charges after being sentenced to prison for federal crimes. The state charges were eventually dismissed and Trump pardoned Manafort before leaving office. Blanche also previously represented Igor Fruman, who was an associate of former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani.
The specific charges in the indictment by a grand jury convened by Bragg, a Democrat, have yet to be disclosed. Trump has said he is innocent. He and his allies have portrayed the charges as politically motivated.
A motorcade of several vehicles took Trump at midday from his Mar-a-Lago estate to the airport in nearby West Palm Beach. Trump climbed out of an SUV vehicle before he and members of his entourage climbed a set of stairs to enter his plane.
"WITCH HUNT, as our once great Country is going to HELL!" Trump posted on social media right before he left Florida.
Trump said on social media he would head to the courthouse on Tuesday morning.
Reuters
