Donald Trump, the 45th President of the United States, is set to appear at a New York City courthouse on Tuesday to face a grand jury indictment. The arraignment hearing is part of a years-long investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office into his alleged hush-money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal.
As the former president arrived at the courthouse on Tuesday, a chaotic scene unfolded outside. In a widely shared photo, a woman wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat was seen trampling a banner that read “TRUMP LIES ALL THE TIME” while a crowd of anti-Trump protesters wearing shirts that called for his arrest looked on.
The commotion came as Trump’s lawyers prepare to file a motion to dismiss all charges stemming from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation. Additionally, Trump argued that the case should be moved to nearby Staten Island, which has a larger population of Republican voters than Manhattan.
“VERY UNFAIR VENUE, WITH SOME AREAS THAT VOTED 1% REPUBLICAN. THIS CASE SHOULD BE MOVED TO NEARBY STATEN ISLAND – WOULD BE A VERY FAIR AND SECURE LOCATION FOR THE TRIAL,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“ADDITIONALLY, THE HIGHLY PARTISAN JUDGE & HIS FAMILY ARE WELL KNOWN TRUMP HATERS. HE WAS AN UNFAIR DISASTER ON A PREVIOUS TRUMP RELATED CASE, WOULDN’T RECUSE, GAVE HORRIBLE JURY INSTRUCTIONS, & IMPOSSIBLE TO DEAL WITH DURING THE WITCH HUNT TRIAL,” he continued. “HIS DAUGHTER WORKED FOR “KAMALA” & NOW THE BIDEN-HARRIS CAMPAIGN. KANGAROO COURT!!!”
The payments to both McDougal and Daniels were revealed and reported by Fox News in 2018. There had been investigations by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York and by the Federal Election Commission, but federal prosecutors opted against charging Trump in the case.
In anticipation of the arraignment hearing, a number of organizations and individuals are expected to show up in support of the former president. James O’Keefe, the conservative activist and founder of Project Veritas, went undercover outside the courthouse and recorded conversations with members of the press to uncover their opinions of the case.
James O’Keefe goes undercover outside Trump arraignment— What members of Press told him about Trump’s “arrest” on hidden camera will SHOCK you
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) April 5, 2023
