During the reading of the indictment against former US President Donald Trump, no video cameras will be allowed to broadcast live from the court. The responsible judge Juan Merchan rejected a request from a number of media on Monday evening (local time), as reported.
However, five photographers are allowed to take photos at the beginning of the indictment reading. The media organizations had justified their application with the public interest, Trump’s lawyers blocked video transmission.
“Unfortunately, the interests of news organizations, while genuine and undoubtedly important, must be balanced against competing interests,” Merchan said.
According to media reports, the indictment hearing in Manhattan, to which Trump must appear, is scheduled for Tuesday. Around 30 charges should therefore be brought against the 76-year-old.
Trump had already arrived in New York on Monday afternoon (local time). His private plane landed at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, TV footage showed.
Trump is the first ex-president in the history of the United States to face criminal charges. The district attorney’s office in Manhattan announced charges against the Republican on Thursday.
The New York police prepared for the court date with increased security precautions and warned demonstrators against violence.
Meanwhile, one revealed Survey commissioned by the US broadcaster CNNthat a clear majority of Americans think the ex-president’s indictment is correct.
According to the survey by the SSRS institute, 60 percent of those surveyed support the charges against Trump. However, more than three quarters of those surveyed say that political motives probably played a role in the indictment.
Trump writes again of “witch hunt”
The background to the process: Shortly before his election as President in 2016, Trump paid hush money to the porn actress Stormy Daniels. She claimed she had sex with him. Trump denies an affair, but not that money flowed. The payment could conflict with campaign finance rules.
Trump lives in the luxury Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. On Monday afternoon (local time), a convoy of black vehicles that took Trump to the airport in Palm Beach could be seen on television pictures. From the side of the road, a number of supporters cheered for Trump, some waving US or Trump flags.
A short time later, Trump was seen boarding his private plane and taking off. Trump used the time on the plane to rail against the judiciary again on his Twitter replacement, Truth Social. “Witch hunt while our great country goes to hell,” he wrote.
New York’s mayor wants “no violence or vandalism” in the big city
New York Mayor Eric Adams has meanwhile announced decisive action against possible violent protests. “As always, we will not allow violence or vandalism of any kind,” said Adams on Monday in the US city hall.
“If someone takes part in an act of violence, they will be arrested, no matter who it is.” Adams also said that “agitators” could travel to New York. “Our message is clear and simple: control yourself.”
The Democratic Party politician named right-wing Republican MP Marjorie Taylor Greene, who plans to take part in protests in New York on Tuesday. The MP is known for spreading “misinformation and hate speech,” Adams said.
He hopes she will put on her “best behavior” on the day. At the same time, the mayor emphasized that there are currently “no specific, credible threats to our city”.
Trump’s attorney Joe Tacopina once again rejected the allegations over the weekend. “It was a personal issue, not a campaign issue,” Tacopina told CNN on Sunday. There is also no evidence of an alleged falsification of business documents. The indictment has so far been kept under wraps – the exact charges and details are therefore still unclear and will only become public when the indictment is read out.
For the court date in New York, Trump is likely to be briefly detained so that fingerprints and police photos can be taken of him. In these situations, the accused are often handcuffed – but it is very questionable whether this will happen in Trump’s case.
The ex-US President is using the indictment to once again present himself as a victim of a politically controlled judiciary and to mobilize his supporters, on whose votes he will depend when running for the 2024 presidential election. From a purely legal point of view, Trump could theoretically also stand as a convicted criminal in the 2024 election, as legal experts emphasize.
Prior to the indictment, prominent representatives of the Republican Party backed Trump. Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy tweeted that Attorney Bragg had “instrumentalized our sacred legal system against President Donald Trump.”
McCarthy is considered a Trump ally. Trump’s former deputy, ex-Vice President Mike Pence, also described the charges as a “scandal”. Pence told CNN: “This will only serve to further divide this country.”
A party colleague, however, openly opposed Trump: the former Republican governor of the state of Arkansas, Asa Hutchinson, called on Trump in an interview with ABC on Sunday to withdraw from the race because of the indictment. At the same time, Hutchinson announced his own candidacy for the presidency. (dpa)
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