- Robert Plummer and Nada Tawfik
- BBC News New York and London
Former US President Donald Trump is expected to appear in court in New York next Tuesday afternoon, according to the American CBS network.
Trump believes he will leave Florida on his private plane, to surrender himself to federal agents for his protection.
A grand jury decided to indict Trump in a case related to the $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.
The indictment has not yet been made public, and Trump’s lawyer said he has not yet seen it.
“He will not be handcuffed.”
A US official told CBS that Trump is expected to leave Florida for New York on his private jet before turning himself in to federal officials.
Dozens of Secret Service forces are also expected to be involved in securing Trump’s court appearance, according to the same source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The official added that Trump would not be handcuffed, stressing that the handcuffs are used for suspects who are likely to try to escape or who pose a threat to the safety of others.
The hearing is expected to take place at 2:15 pm New York local time.
lockout process Fear of attacks
Trump’s attorney, Joe Tacopina, told ABC that Trump “may appear in court next Tuesday, but that can’t be confirmed.”
He added that the prosecution “will try to use everything that can be used from this thing (the trial) for the purpose of publicity.”
“I understand that they will close the buildings around the courtroom, and they will also close the court itself,” Tacubina added.
Coordination will be made to secure this between the FBI, the New York Police Department, the Secret Service, and the New York Courthouse Security Forces.
Sources told CBS that they are preparing for possible scenarios that involve attacks on Trump, the plaintiffs, the jurors, or anyone in the courtroom. They noted that the district attorney’s office had received “a lot of threats”.
The streets around the court were quiet on Friday morning, but some barriers were put up in anticipation of what might happen next week.
Police patrols are in the streets surrounding the court, and security plans have been put in place amid expectations that the area will be closed when the former president is present.
The New York Attorney General’s office asked Trump to turn himself in Friday, according to Politico, but his request was denied, citing the need for more time to finalize security preparations.
The former US president, 76, denies any wrongdoing, but Trump is the first person to serve as US president to face criminal charges.
Disclosure of the indictment
It is not yet clear how many charges will be brought against the former president.
Media reports said Trump could face more than 30 charges related to institutional fraud, while Takobena said last Thursday that he expected his client to face 34 charges, but indicated on Friday that he did not know exactly how many charges were included in the regulation.
“We know what the case is about, and we also know the basis for the accusations. But we don’t know exactly how many or how they were formulated,” Tacubina said.
On Friday, Trump launched an attack on the judge in charge of the case, in an attempt to cast doubt on the credibility of the investigations and strengthen his defense.
And accused Republicans – including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy – the attorney general in Manhattan of using the criminal justice system as a weapon to influence the presidential elections scheduled for next year.
Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, whom Trump has proposed to since her 2026 Senate race, called on her supporters to protest.
She also announced that she plans to be in New York next week.
In response to those calls, Attorney General Alvin Bragg said the charges are being brought against the former president by New Yorkers performing their civic duties — and neither the former president nor Congress can interfere with the proceedings.
In Washington, the Capitol Police – charged with securing members of Congress – said the forces expect protests across the country and have plans to increase security around the Capitol building.
What is Trump’s relationship with Stormy Daniels?
In 2016, porn star Stormy Daniels contacted the media to offer to sell her account of the sexual relationship she allegedly had with Trump in 2006, a year after he married his current wife, Melania.
And the Trump team at that time found themselves in an awkward position, which prompted Trump’s lawyer at the time, Michael Cohen, to pay Daniels $ 130,000 in exchange for remaining silent, which is not a violation of the law.
But when Trump made the payment to his attorneys, the payment record said the money was paid as legal fees.
Prosecutors say recording the amount under this heading amounts to fraud, which may be among the charges brought against Trump, a misdemeanor in New York state.
US President Joe Biden refused to comment on Trump’s indictment, despite the pressure he faced from journalists as he left the White House on a trip to Mississippi.
Takupina said that his client, Trump, is being “persecuted by a prosecutor who has political views that are opposed to Trump and contradict the president’s political views, so this issue is considered a thorny issue.”
He added that the former US president is “not worried at all” about these accusations.
He continued, “He is upset, he is angry, and he is going to undergo a politically motivated trial. This is clear to many, not only to the right, but to the left as well.”