Former President Donald Trump has arrived at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in lower Manhattan, where he is being held in police custody pending his arraignment.
As part of the arrest, Trump is expected to be fingerprinted, though it’s unclear whether his mugshot will be taken. He will then be taken to a courtroom to be arraigned — an appearance that is expected to be brief and routine but represents a surreal and historic moment in US history.
Trump is the first sitting or former American president to be criminally indicted.
This is 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 was arraignment with charges of hush money paid to a porn star ahead of the 2016 election that brought him to power.
Although Trump was indicted last week for becoming the first former president to face criminal charges, he has said he is innocent and is due to plead not guilty.
Trump’s lawyers opposed videography, photography and radio coverage saying it would exacerbate an already almost circus-like atmosphere around this case, detracting from dignity and decorum.
US Judge Juan Merchan late on Monday ruled 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.
The specific charges in the indictment by a grand jury convened are due to be disclosed on Tuesday. Trump and his allies have portrayed the charges as politically motivated.
