WASHINGTON โ Live updates on former President Donald Trump's expected surrender on charges stemming from 2016 hush money payments.
What to know:
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โ Trump's lawyer says former president will maintain innocence
โ Crowds lining up outside courthouse
โ Police brace for protests
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TRUMP ATTORNEY: โNO GUILTY PLEA'
Trump attorney Joe Tacopina said the former president's appearance in court for Tuesdayโs arraignment would be brief because the processing โdoes not take long.โ
โIt wonโt be a long day in court,โ he said on ABCโs โGood Morning America.โ
"We know the basis of the indictment and the factual allegations in the indictment,โ Tacopina said, adding Trump would maintain his innocence.
โOne thing I can assure you as I sit here today, thereโll be no guilty plea in this case. Thatโs one thing I can guarantee you,โ he said.
Tacopina appeared to predict the case would ultimately be dismissed.
โI donโt think this case is going to see a juror,โ he said. โI think thereโs a legal challenge that will be made and should be made successfully.โ
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SPECTATORS LINE UP
Spectators, many of them members of the news media, lined up overnight to get a seat inside the courtroom, or even just a glimpse of Trump, who wasnโt expected until Tuesday afternoon.
The building was surrounded by barricades, and people were undergoing layers of security checks.
The nationโs 45th commander in chief was expected to be escorted from New York Cityโs Trump Tower โ also surrounded by barricades โ into a lower Manhattan courthouse by the Secret Service. The building was surrounded by barricades and was under heavy security.
Police braced for protests from supporters of Trump, a Republican who is running for the White House again in 2024. He called the decision by a grand jury to indict him โpolitical persecution and election interference at the highest level.โ
Prosecutors investigated money paid to porn actor Stormy Daniels and ex-Playboy model Karen McDougal to keep the women from going public with claims that they had sex with him.