NEW YORK: Donald Trump is due to be fingerprinted and photographed in a New York courthouse next week as he becomes the first ex-president to face criminal charges, in a case involving a 2016 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.
Trump’s expected appearance before a judge in Manhattan on Tuesday as the Republican mounts a comeback bid for the presidency could further inflame divisions across the country.
For nearly two weeks, Trump has been using the legal threats he confronts to raise money and rally supporters as he seeks his party’s nomination to challenge Democratic President Joe Biden next year.
The first US president to try to overthrow an election defeat, inspiring the deadly assault on the US Capitol, has signaled he will continue to campaign even as he faces charges.
Trump says expecting ‘arrest’ on Tuesday, calls for protests
“I am not afraid of what’s to come,” he said in a fundraising email on Friday.
Those specific charges have not yet been made public as the indictment remains under seal, but CNN reported on Thursday that Trump faced more than 30 counts related to business fraud.
Susan Necheles, a Trump attorney, told Reuters the former president will plead not guilty.
Another Trump lawyer, Joseph Tacopina, said Trump will not have to wear handcuffs at his court appearance and will likely be released without having to post bail.
“He’s ready to fight. He’s gearing up,” Tacopina told Reuters in a phone interview.
Trump, 76, said on Thursday that he was “completely innocent” and accused Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, the Democrat who led the investigation, of trying to damage his electoral chances.
Trump’s claims of political interference have been echoed by many of his fellow Republicans and his potential rivals in the 2024 race.
Mike Pence, Trump’s former vice president, said the charges send a “terrible message” to the world about US justice.
“I’m very troubled by it,” Pence, a possible 2024 candidate, said at a forum in Washington.
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