Trump arrives in NYC for court appearance to hear charges in hush money case
New York, Apr 3 (EFE).- Former US President Donald Trump on Monday arrived at Trump Tower in New York City the day before he must appear in court to hear the charges against him in the so-called hush money case that has captured national attention for weeks.
The magnate arrived at La Guardia Airport at 3:30 pm and after a few minutes of preparatory activities descended the airport stairway alone dressed in his habitual blue suit and sporting a red tie.
Immeditely after setting foot on the tarmac, he boarded an SUV that, escorted by about a caravan of dozen Secret Service and police vehicles, proceeded toward downtown Manhattan through the borough of Queens and then through the Harlem neighborhood.
An ambulance followed the convoy on its route.
Trump entered the Trump Tower skyscraper on foot, waving at several dozen people gathered outside on the street waiting to catch a glimpse of him as he arrived.
A few minutes before his arrival, the 30 or so supporters gathered in front of Trump Tower – displaying US flags and assorted Trump paraphernalia – began shouting “USA, USA, USA” each time a vehicle appeared nearby.
Although only about 30 Trump supporters were on hand to greet the ex-president, hundreds of journalists had been jamming the area since Monday morning, kept a short distance from the building by several metal barriers.
Meanwhile, the big US television networks broadcast the situation live, capturing the moment when Trump arrived in New York for his historic court appearance.
As all this was transpiring, in Minnesota President Joe Biden delivered a speech at a Cummins factory making fuel systems, engines and electricity generation equipment.
Biden has not yet officially announced whether he will run for reelection in 2024, although he has said he intends to do so, but Trump some months back announced his own presidential reelection run and appears to be enjoying relatively high poll numbers among Republican voters.
Trump is scheduled to be indicted on Tuesday for authorizing that $130,000 in hush money be paid to porn actress Stormy Daniels the day before the November 2016 presidential election to buy her silence about an alleged affair she and Trump had. Trump, meanwhile, has denied ever having had a sexual liaison with Daniels.
The money was paid to Daniels by Trump’s then-fixer, attorney Michael Cohen, and Trump later reimbursed him, allegedly from campaign funds.
The former president is facing multiple charges of falsifying business records, along with at least one felony offense, in the indictment handed down by a Manhattan grand jury last week in a case being headed by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Reports are that Trump will be indicted on some 30 charges, in all, on Tuesday in the first of the several lawsuits and criminal cases he is facing at present, not only for the hush money payment, but also for alleged rape and allegedly attempting to overturn the 2020 election to remain in power after Biden won both the Electoral College and popular votes.
The case is unprecedented in US history, with Trump being the first former president to face criminal charges.
EFE fjo-syr/mvs/laa/bp
