Former US President Donald Trump has been placed under arrest in New York ahead of his appearance in court in the hush money case.
As per the latest inputs, Trump was being processed in police custody at the Manhattan District Attorney's office. Following the procedures at the DA's Office, Trump will be produced in the court. The formalities at DA's Office usually include taking the indicted person's finger-prints and mugshot. However, reports have said that Trump's mugshot will not be taken and he will not be put into handcuffs.
The CNN reported, "Trump is expected to be fingerprinted as part of the arrest, though it's still unclear whether his mugshot will be taken. He will next be brought to a courtroom, where he will be arraigned — an appearance that is expected to be quick and routine but represents a surreal and historic moment in US history."
Following his indictment, Trump became the first US president serving or retired to face criminal charges and to face an arrest in this manner.
Trump will not be handcuffed as he is not a flight risk as he is under the protection of the US Secret Service which would not violate the law by helping him flee legal proceedings.
Yahoo News earlier reported that Trump will be charged with 34 felony counts when he would be produced in the court, but he will not be put in handcuffs, placed in a jail cell or subjected to a mug shot. Notably, the indictment remains under seal for now and we don't know what alleged offences Trump is charged with. The indictment will be unsealed in the court in Trump's presence. However, reports have said charges revolve around falsification of business records.
In the court, Trump is expected to plead not guilty, following which the judge would release Trump, but there could be certain travel restrictions upon him as are at times imposed on accused persons. Following his release, Trump is expected to fly to his Florida home. Later in the day, Trump is scheduled to deliver remarks from his Florida home.
Though technically possible, most reports say that Trump would not be put in a jail at the moment.
Among the offences, Trump is expected to be charged with business records' falsification. It is reportedly alleged that he falsified the business records over the payment of hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels, who says she and Trump had affair.
Yahoo notes, citing exclusive documents, "The charge of falsification of business records can be prosecuted in New York state as a misdemeanor. But Bragg’s office bumped up all the charges to Class E felonies — the lowest level of felonies in the New York state penal code — on the grounds that the conduct was intended to conceal another underlying crime, according to the source. Under the New York State penal code, a conviction for the Class E felony of falsifying business records can result in a prison term of up to four years. But as a practical matter, that seems extremely unlikely."
