Trump described the investigation as a political witch hunt. (file)
New York:
New York City police threw up metal barriers around Trump Tower and blocked streets near the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse for possible protests ahead of Donald Trump’s possible surrender to prosecutors on Tuesday.
The former president is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday afternoon following his indictment in a grand jury investigation into payments to a porn star. He is the first former US President to face criminal charges.
Trump describes the investigation as a political witch hunt, and top supporters, including Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, say they will go to New York on Tuesday to protest. A court official said the downtown courthouse, home to the criminal and supreme courts, will close some courts ahead of Trump’s expected appearance.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) stated that there was no credible threat to the city.
Some social media users have called for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and the jury that charged Trump to be hanged, according to the site Intelligence Group, which monitors online extremism.
After Trump falsely claimed to have won the previous election, his supporters stormed the US Capitol building on January 6, 2021, triggering a deadly riot.
However, many Trump supporters online expressed warnings about public demonstrations that, even if Trump called for them, could be arrested.
“(The) department stands ready to respond when needed and will ensure that everyone is able to exercise their rights peacefully,” the NYPD said in a statement.
A Trump adviser said Trump is expected to fly from Florida to New York on Monday and spend the night at Trump Tower, before arriving at the courthouse on Tuesday morning.
While the spectacle of a former president facing criminal charges was sure to garner massive media attention, it is not yet clear whether his presence will attract large numbers of protesters. While Trump is a native New Yorker, he did not receive much of the vote in his hometown – 23% of the city voted for him in 2020 and 18% in 2016.
The New York Young Republican Club says it plans a protest in a park across the street from the courthouse, a demonstration that Green, one of Trump’s staunchest supporters in Congress, says she will participate.
“It is a constitutional right to protest,” Green said on Twitter, adding that she would “protest this unprecedented abuse of our justice system and election interference.” She said she rejects anyone who incites or commits violence. Before voting to indict Trump, the grand jury heard evidence about a $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in the waning days of the 2016 presidential campaign.
Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, has said she was paid to keep quiet about a sexual encounter she had with Trump in 2006. Trump denies sexual encounter.
A court official told Reuters that the courtrooms on the upper floors of the courthouse would close at 1 p.m., shortly before Trump was expected to open at 2:15 p.m. (1815 GMT).
The official also said that many court cases would be adjourned to a building across the street from the courthouse.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)