Former President Donald Trump on Monday confirmed that he will appear Tuesday in a Manhattan courtroom for his arraignment while echoing his attorneys’ call for venue change if the criminal case against him goes to trial.
In a series of posts on his Truth Social platform, Mr. Trump announced he’ll leave his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida on Monday and head to Trump Tower in New York City ahead of his arraignment Tuesday morning.
“On Tuesday morning I will be going to, believe it or not, the Courthouse. America was not supposed to be this way!” he wrote.
A grand jury in Manhattan last week voted to indict Mr. Trump after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, reopened an investigation into hush money payments the former president made to pornographic film actress Stormy Daniels.
Mr. Trump, a candidate for the 2024 Republican nomination, is the first former president in history to face criminal charges.
The details of the charges will not be known until the indictment is unsealed at Tuesday’s arraignment. Mr. Trump’s attorneys have publicly said there are more than 30 charges. At least one of the charges is a felony, according to multiple media reports.
Mr. Trump’s legal team is considering asking a New York judge to move his trial from Manhattan to the more conservative-leaning Staten Island, arguing the former president won’t get a fair trial in the liberal bastion.
However, they have not formally requested a venue change.
In the 2020 election, President Biden defeated Mr. Trump in Manhattan by an 87% to 12% margin. Yet, Mr. Trump won Staten Island with a 57% to 42% margin.
“The Corrupt D.A. has no case. What he does have is a venue where it is IMPOSSIBLE for me to get a Fair Trial (it must be changed!),” Mr. Trump wrote. “And a Trump Hating Judge hand selected by the Soros backed D.A. (he must be changed!). Also has the DOJ working in D. A.’s Office — Unprecedented!”
The charges stem from a $130,000 hush money payment by Mr. Trump’s attorney, Michael Cohen made to Ms. Daniels in the weeks leading up to the 2016 presidential election.
The payment was made in exchange for Ms. Daniels’ silence about an affair she says she had with Mr. Trump in 2006. Mr. Trump has denied the affair but said he was aware of the payment.
SEE ALSO: New York DA Alvin Bragg made tough-on-Trump record central to campaign
It is not a crime to pay someone hush money, but under New York law it is a criminal act to falsify business expenses. Mr. Cohen said Mr. Trump’s company reimbursed him for the payments but logged the funds as “legal expenses,” possibly running afoul of the law.
The grand jury weighed whether logging the payments as “legal expenses” violates a New York law against falsifying business records. The charge is a misdemeanor but can be upgraded to a felony if records were falsified to cover up a second crime. A felony conviction can carry up to four years in prison.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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