TRUMP. Charged in the case between him and Stormy Daniels, Donald Trump is expected in court in New York on Tuesday, April 4, for his indictment. Charges and penalties are to be clarified as pro and anti-Trump protesters are massed outside the court.
The essential
- Donald Trump is due to appear in court on Tuesday, April 4, 2023 in New York. He is due to arrive in court at 2:15 p.m. (8:15 p.m. in Paris).
- The billionaire is the first former president of the United States to appear in court and especially the first to be charged in a criminal case.
- Donald Trump is accused of breaking election laws by paying Stormy Daniels $130,000 from his campaign funds in 2016. The money was allegedly used to buy the porn actress silence over an alleged extramarital affair.
- This Tuesday, the charges against Donald Trump must be specified as well as the penalties incurred by the Republican, whether it is a period in prison or the consequences on his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election.
- Pro and anti-Trump demonstrators gathered outside the court in New York to support the former head of state or to encourage his conviction. Local police fear overflows when Donald Trump arrives.
Live
15:14 – Donald Trump will plead not guilty
No surprise is expected regarding the defense of Donald Trump: the man will plead not guilty. Lawyer Susan Necheles confirmed this with Reuters without commenting further on the billionaire’s appearance in court.
15:05 – Donald Trump relaxed before his appearance
“He’s in good spirits. Honestly, he’s business as usual.” It is in these terms that one of Donald Trump’s lawyers, Alina Habba, described the billionaire a few hours before his appearance in New York at the microphone of FoxNews. “He is ready to come in and do what he has to do,” she added, showing confidence in the case and maintaining that her client “did nothing wrong”.
14:57 – Will Donald Trump’s impeachment be filmed?
It was a request from the media: the live broadcast of Donald Trump’s appearance. The acting judge of the Supreme Court of New York, Juan Merchan, however, refused the request which was “understandable” but responded to “competing interests” between need for information and impartiality of justice, according to information from CNN. The magistrate acknowledged that the appearance of Donald Trump is “a matter of monumental importance” recalling that “never in the history of the United States has a current or outgoing president been charged with criminal charges. indictment of Mr. Trump has generated unprecedented public interest and media attention.”
14:44 – Will Donald Trump be handcuffed?
The chances of seeing Donald Trump go to court with his wrists shackled by handcuffs are very slim. Because of his status as a former head of state, the billionaire will not be handcuffed, but accompanied by federal agents. On the other hand, the American media agree in thinking that the politician will submit to the “perpetrator walk”, this march during which the defendant of a crime goes to court surrounded by police officers under the flashes of the press. Nothing is guaranteed yet, but one of Donald Trump’s lawyers, Joe Tacopina, said he expects “they will try to get as much publicity out of this as possible”, according to comments reported by The Dispatch.
14:36 - How will Donald Trump’s impeachment go?
The hearing should be quick and must simply formalize the indictment of Donald Trump in the case which opposes him to the actress of X movies Stormy Daniels. The man will arrive at the court, probably escorted by the police, and will have to state his identity to the judge (name, age, profession) before submitting to a fingerprinting and, perhaps, a photo shoot. . The specific charges and charges against him will be read and Donald Trump will then plead not guilty according to his lawyers with Reuters and go free after paying a bail fixed by the judge.
14:29 – The appearance of Donald Trump: a historic day in the United States
The situation is unprecedented. For the first time in the history of the United States, a former president will appear in court. Donald Trump is expected in court in New York on Tuesday, April 4. His arrival is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. (8:15 p.m. French time) and the hearing of his indictment could last an hour. Many protesters, supporters or opponents of Donald Trump are also expected in court.
Arrived the day before in New York, Donald Trump is expected from 2:15 p.m. (8:15 p.m. Paris time) at the Manhattan court, this Tuesday, April 4. The billionaire goes voluntarily to the hearing of his indictment and should respond, with a few adjustments, to the usual procedure to which the defendants are subject. However, if it is normally handcuffed that those charged with criminality appear in court, the billionaire should not be hampered by bonds on Tuesday, because of his status as a former president of the United States. The taking of photos is also still subject to discussion because the authorities fear leaks of the pictures according to information from CNN. For the rest, Donald Trump will have to state his identity and his profession and submit to a fingerprinting.
After reading his indictment and the details of the charges against him, Donald Trump should plead not guilty according to his lawyer Susan Necheles at Reuters. A decision that will lead to the opening of a trial and a long series of procedures. According to the political scientist specializing in the United States interviewed by The ParisianNicole Bacharan, the trial “will last for months” because “the lawyers [de Donald Trump] will raise each point of procedure“. So much so that the hearings could only take place in 2024. The fact remains that the preliminary hearing will have to be fixed soon after the appearance of Donald Trump. 76-year-old man should also be released from court on Tuesday.
Could this case send Donald Trump to prison? Hard to say, because the answer to this question depends on several factors. We must first know the exact charges and therefore the charges against the former American president, which must be made public on Tuesday, April 4. According to the washington post, New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg is reportedly considering “charges of falsifying business records in the commission of another crime, possibly a campaign finance violation.” This crime carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison.
The charges brought against Donald Trump, like the penalties incurred, can however be revised downwards. Since the billionaire has no criminal record, he is unlikely to face a long prison term, especially for a “low-level non-violent criminal offence”.
Donald Trump’s time in prison is therefore far from guaranteed. The conviction of the former American president, itself, is not certain. The boss of the Trump Organization is already certain not to go to prison for the duration of the trial. According to experts quoted by The world at the first appearance, the judge would have to decide on the amount of bail and a release and the billionaire could pay this sum.
Donald Trump’s indictment comes just months before the 2024 presidential campaign, but it won’t be a damper on the billionaire’s political ambitions. I’Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution which provides for the eligibility requirements of the President of the United States does not mention the obligation to have a clean criminal record. This indictment, the holding of a trial and even a prison sentence will therefore not prevent Donald Trump from being a candidate for the election in 2024. He would, however, be the first former head of state in this situation. .
Among the proceedings against Donald Trump, only one could be an obstacle to his candidacy: the federal investigation into the January 6, 2021 insurrection better known as the assault on the Capitol in which the former head of state would have played a role. To be responsible or to have participated in a rebellion against the United States is indeed a criterion of inequality in the American presidency. If after a parliamentary inquiry the committee of the House of Representatives retained four grounds for prosecution including “incitement to insurrection”, no charge has yet been brought against the billionaire. It would also be necessary for the investigation to lead to the indictment of Donald Trump and for the prosecutions and trials to take place before 2024 and the presidential election to call the Republican’s candidacy into question.
An indictment, advantage or disadvantage for Trump’s candidacy?
If his candidacy is still possible despite the indictment and a possible trial, will Donald Trump still have a chance of winning in 2024? The advisers and relatives of Republican are divided on this point. Some believe that this high-profile affair puts the real estate mogul back in the center of attention, it is not the first, nor the biggest scandal in which the 76-year-old man is involved. The multiple reactions observed on the Republican side also show the weight of Donald Trump in this political camp. Even his rival, candidate and presumed favorite for a Republican primary, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis supported him in the face of justice. All these statements give Donald Trump an almost untouchable position and could push Republican voters towards him at the polls. But the indictment and the holding of a trial would be expensive for the candidate, and his advisers have recognized that it would be difficult to organize an electoral campaign in parallel with a criminal trial which will, for sure, also be very publicized, according to american capital newspaper.
If Donald Trump is accused of having paid $130,000 to porn actress Stormy Daniels to keep silent about a hypothetical extramarital affair, it is more the concealment of this payment that is akin to a crime. or a felony for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Donald Trump allegedly asked his lawyer Michaël Cohen to pay by check during the 2016 presidential campaign and reimbursed him after his election for legal fees in campaign accounts. Mr. Cohen himself confessed to the facts and pleaded guilty to violating campaign finance laws in 2018. He is the main witness in this case.