Trump is ‘gearing up for battle’ as New York braces for arraignment, attorney says

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Donald Trump is “gearing up for battle” as he heads to New York on Monday to face criminal charges over hush money payments to Stormy Daniels, the former president’s attorney said.

Lawyer Joe Tacopina gave a fighting talk on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday as he vowed that the former president’s team is “ready for this fight” and vowed that he will be exonerated on the unspecified charges.

“He’s someone who’s going to be ready for this fight,” Mr Tacopina said.

“We’re ready for this fight. And I look forward to moving this thing along as quickly as possible to exonerate him.”

He added: “He’s gearing up for a battle. This is something that, obviously, we believe is a political persecution and I think people on both sides of the aisle believe that. It’s a complete abuse of power.”

The tough talk comes as New York is bracing for Mr Trump’s arrival with a heavy police presence and barricades erected around Manhattan Criminal Court where he will appear to face charges.

The former president announced on Truth Social that he is heading to the Empire State on Monday ahead of Tuesday’s historic day – where he will become the first current or former US president to ever be arrested and charged with a crime.

“I will be leaving Mar-a-Lago on Monday at 12 noon, heading to Trump Tower in New York,” he wrote.

“On Tuesday morning I will be going to, believe it or not, the Courthouse. America was not supposed to be this way!”

Like all defendants facing criminal charges, he will be processed, with his fingerprints and mug shot taken.

Mr Trump is then scheduled to appear for his arraignment before Judge Juan Merchan at 2.15pm on Tuesday.

The former president has indicated it will likely only be a fleeting court appearance as he expects to be back at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida to deliver a prime-time address just hours later at 8.15pm ET.

It is currently unclear what Mr Trump is charged with but multiple reports say that he is facing more than 30 counts related to business fraud. The charges are expected to be unsealed at his arraignment.

Mr Tacopina said that the former president’s team doesn’t know what to expect from the “unprecedented” case.

“What I hope is that we get in and out of there as quickly as possible, that it’s... a typical arraignment where we stand before the judge, we say ‘not guilty,’ we set schedules to file motions and whatnot... and we move forward and get out there,” he told ABC.

On Thursday 30 March, a Manhattan grand jury voted to indict Mr Trump on criminal charges over hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels days just before the 2016 presidential election.

Manhattan prosecutors have been investigating whether Mr Trump falsified the Trump Organization’s business records when his former lawyer and “fixer” Michael Cohen made the payment of $130,000 to Ms Daniels.

Prosecutors claim that the money was used to silence Ms Daniels about an alleged affair she had with Mr Trump.

Mr Trump has long denied having an affair with the adult film star.

Cohen was convicted of tax evasion, lying to Congress and campaign finance violations related to the payments to Ms Daniels. He was sentenced to three years in prison.

In recent weeks, the probe ramped up with both Cohen and Ms Daniels testifying before the grand jury.

Mr Trump was also invited to testify. Though it was an invite he unsurprisingly turned down, it was a strong sign an indictment was on the way.

But – despite his rampant Truth Social posts and his legal team going on a media blitz over the past few weeks – Mr Trump is said to have been caught off guard by news of the indictment.

Since then, he has blasted the charges, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and the judge expected to oversee his case in furious Truth Social posts fuming about what he claims is “political prosecution” and a “witch hunt”.

The unprecedented indictment makes Mr Trump the first current or former president to ever face criminal charges in the history of the US.