Donald Trump plans to speak in Mar-a-Lago in Florida on Tuesday evening following his historic indictment on criminal charges in a further sign that he is planning to weaponise the legal case for his campaign.
Due to appear in court on Tuesday in New York to face charges over a hush-money payment to an adult film star in 2016, the former President said in a statement he would deliver remarks in Palm Beach when he arrives back.
He is scheduled to speak at 8.15pm local time about the case, which he has described as a “political witch-hunt”. It comes as leading media organisations are demanding cameras be allowed into the courtroom when he is arraigned in New York on Tuesday.
Judge Juan Merchan has also been urged to unseal the indictment immediately and reveal the offences for which Trump has been charged.
An ABC/IPSOS poll showed that 50 per cent of Americans believe the charges Trump faces are serious and 35 per cent say they are not serious.
According to reports in the US, the former President is facing around 30 charges relating to the hush money he is accused of paying to porn star Stormy Daniels to cover up an alleged affair, which he denies.
Judge Merchan has been told the “unprecedented and historic arraignment of a former US President” made “the broadest possible public access” essential. He has also been told there was no justification for keeping the indictment sealed because of the “overwhelming public interest” in its contents.
The demands from the coalition, which includes NBC News, Associated Press and the New York Times, come as New York gears up for the historic hearing. Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, has already been negotiating with the Trump legal team over the mechanics of his arrest, including the arrangements for fingerprinting and bringing the former President — and his Secret Service entourage — to court.
Joe Tacopina, Trump’s lawyer, said on Sunday the former President’s surrender to the court would be “painless and classy”.
Tuesday’s arraignment is the next step in what is expected to be a prolonged legal process, with a trial unlikely to take place until next year. Marc Agnifilo, a former Manhattan assistant district attorney, told MSNBC that it would be open to Trump’s legal team to demand the indictment be thrown out, arguing that the evidence was insufficient.
It would be just the first salvo in what is likely to be a lengthy legal battle with Trump, a veteran litigator.
The Manhattan case is just one of the legal challenges Trump faces.
A grand jury is examining Trump’s alleged attempt to overturn his election defeat in Georgia by asking Brad Raffensperger, the secretary of state, to “find” enough votes to overturn Joe Biden’s victory.
The US Justice Department is investigating whether Trump broke the law in taking classified documents from the White House to Mar-a-Lago. And Jack Smith, a war crimes prosecutor, is overseeing a separate investigation into the January 6 insurrection when Trump supporters invaded the Capitol to try to block Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential election being certified.
In the hush money trial, legal experts believe the Trump team will try to undermine the credibility of the prosecution’s key witness, Michael Cohen, the former President’s lawyer.
In New York, security is being tightened amid fears of unrest when Trump is arraigned.
There have already been reports of clashes between supporters and opponents of Trump elsewhere, including Huntington Beach in California.
The Daily Telegraph, London
