Donald Trump has been charged over paying a porn star.
The ex-boss will be treated like any other suspect – he’ll have his Miranda rights read, his fingerprints taken, and a mug shot taken. He might even be handcuffed.
But Trump would likely be spared the indignity of the perpetrators’ picnic as a suspect is led out of a police station or Manhattan district attorney’s office in handcuffs in front of cameras for the world to see.
Instead, he is more likely to enter in a suit and tie, flanked by aides and Secret Service agents. He could even cut a deal with prosecutors to get in through the back entrance, bypassing the growing media frenzy.
State and federal law enforcement are now ready for the hordes of Trump loyalists and liberal protesters now expected to descend on the DA’s office.
If Donald Trump is arrested, he will face a typical booking procedure – fingerprinting and a mugshot
Trump has been charged with $130,000 in payments sent to a porn star by his former attorney Michael Cohen. Stormy Daniels Towards the end of his 2016 campaign.
Prosecutors say the payment violated campaign finance laws and was made to silence Daniels about his relationship with the business giant.
Trump denied that he was having an affair. And on March 18thThe former president announced that he would be arrested on the 21st. He issued a rallying call to his supporters to protest the order.
He will be the first boss to be arrested since Ulysses S. Grant for overtaking his horse and buggy at the corner of 13th and M Streets in Washington, D.C. — in 1872 — but the police allowed him to pay a fine.
Here DailyMail.com looks at what happens next…
surrender
The indictment would require Trump, who lives at his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida, to surrender to a New York City police station or the Manhattan district attorney’s office.
He will have to travel back to his former home state, most likely on his campaign plane, known as Trump Force One.
Since financial crime is considered a ‘white collar crime’ and is considered non-violent, it is expected that Trump will be allowed to give in and skip.
In white-collar cases, the defendant’s attorneys and prosecutors usually agree on a date and time for the person to turn themselves in rather than arrest them at home.
Making a reservation usually takes four to six hours and involves taking and photographing fingerprints.
The former president can be released on a desk attendance ticket (DAT), which means he has to appear in court later to press charges.
Trump will have to travel from his home in Mar-a-Lago (above) to New York
Trump will likely make the trip on his campaign plane, known as Trump Force One
If Trump does not surrender himself
If Trump refuses to surrender voluntarily, prosecutors could seek his extradition from Florida.
Ironically, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican and former Trump ally, will have to formally approve the extradition.
Technically, this would be a purely administrative move, executed in his capacity as governor of the state.
Politically, it’s a completely different story. DeSantis has announced that he will run for president next year – making him a challenger to Trump for the Republican nomination.
Even though DeSantis has few legal options other than agreeing to extradition, he will likely anger the conservative MAGA base he’s trying to win over. If DeSantis does not agree to extradition, New York will likely sue, leading to a drawn-out legal battle.
Some lawyers working for Trump said the former president would surrender.
Trump attorney Joe Tacopina told New York Daily News.
After the indictment is issued, prosecutors are expected to contact his attorney to negotiate his extradition, which could take several days.
If Donald Trump refuses to surrender, Florida Gov. Ron DeAntis will have to sign an extradition order – the two men above in June 2019 for a Trump campaign rally
MANUAL LOCKS AND MUGSHOT
Trump will face a standard booking procedure like any other defendant. He will be told that he has the right to remain silent and the right to a lawyer.
He could be handcuffed and shot. Most of the defendants are handcuffed behind their backs, but some white-collar defendants—usually considered non-violent—have their hands tied in front of them.
Or his lawyer could cut a deal with the prosecution to allow the former president to escape the indignity of handcuffs and walk inside undisturbed. The details of his Secret Service—which are legally required to protect all former presidents—will be on his side.
In New York, mugshots are not usually released to the public, although they are sometimes leaked to the media.
arrest
Trump will then stand trial in Manhattan District Court.
He will probably be released on his own bond and allowed to go home.
Given Trump’s significant connections to the community and his ongoing presidential campaign in 2024, former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti told TIME, the judge likely wouldn’t consider him a flight risk and would probably immediately release him on bail.
Trump is scheduled to hold a campaign rally in Waco, Texas, on March 25 and is expected to maintain his regular campaign schedule.
preparations being made
Reportedly, the New York Police Department, officers of the New York State District Court, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, the Secret Service, and the FBI were preparing for the arrest.
It includes preparing for possible protests.
Security barriers have already been in place around the Manhattan courthouse and the attorney general’s office for more than a week.
In addition, more than a dozen senior police department officials and two top public safety aides to Mayor Eric Adams held a virtual meeting on March 19 to discuss security, personnel, and contingency plans in the event of any protests, The New York Times mentioned.
The White House is also monitoring the situation.
“We’re always monitoring the situation here, as best we can,” said National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby earlier this month.
He added, “Obviously we don’t want to see any activity turn violent – certainly nothing to the extent that we saw on January 6.” ‘But we’re watching this. We are watching it, of course, very closely.
Plus, Manhattan Attorney General Alvin Bragg could see his security details expand.
Bragg, a Democrat who was the first black person to lead the New York City office, has become a target of Trump’s wrath. The former president claims his investigations are politically motivated.
A New York Police Department car stops in front of Trump Tower in New York City
New York police officers move barricades near the courtroom ahead of the expected indictment of former President Donald Trump
trial
Any trial would still be more than a year away, which would make it during the 2024 presidential election that Trump is running for.
The average New York criminal case takes more than a year to go from indictment to trial, former Manhattan assistant district attorney Karen Friedman Agnefilo told Reuters.
In the meantime, the specter of the trial will allow Trump to use it as a political case, which he has made clear he will do.
Former President Bragg and President Joe Biden are expected to take aim, though Stormy Daniels is a local New York issue rather than a federal matter.
Trump will also be watching to see what Republicans, particularly his rivals, stand for in 2024.
The trial has other complications, such as the jury selection process.
Trump is obviously well known, and the majority of people have an opinion on him – one way or another.
Both the prosecution and the defense will use the cross-examination process to try to ensure fair and impartial juries.
The judge can also issue a gag order on jurors to prevent them from speaking to the media. Juries can also be removed.
other fees
Former President Trump also faces other investigations – two federal investigations and one state investigation in Georgia.
The Justice Department is investigating two separate matters: Trump’s possession of hundreds of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago and his efforts to stay in power after losing the 2020 election, including his role in the January 6th insurrection at the Capitol.
In addition, a special grand jury convened in Georgia to hear evidence of whether or not Trump and his allies tried to pressure officials to overturn Biden’s 2020 victory in the state. The attorney general will decide whether or not to file charges this spring.