Former President Donald Trump will be arrested and charged with 34 felony counts for falsifying business records, according to those briefed on the matter.
Yahoo! News reported late Monday that the former president will be led into a courtroom to be formally arraigned on the charges but will not be put in handcuffs, placed in a jail cell, or take a mugshot, a break from the standard protocol that usually takes place.
Under the New York State penal code, a conviction for falsifying business records can be up to four years in prison but it is highly unlikely Trump will see any jail time.
The evidence against Trump is not clear at this time and won’t be until the indictment is unsealed on Tuesday. It is believed that the charges relate to the payment of $130,000 in hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign.
A Trump spokesperson declined to comment, saying they had not seen the details of the indictment. However, that did not stop the former president from responding on his social media site Truth Social.
“Wow! District Attorney Bragg just illegally LEAKED the various points, and complete information, on the pathetic Indictment against me,” Trump wrote. “I know the reporter and so, unfortunately, does he. This means that he MUST BE IMMEDIATELY INDICTED. Now, if he wants to really clean up his reputation, he will do the honorable thing and, as District Attorney, INDICT HIMSELF. He will go down in Judicial history, and his Trump-Hating wife will be, I am sure, very proud of him!”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the District Attorney’s office said they “declined to comment on a sealed indictment.”
Trump arrived in New York on Monday afternoon but Judge Juan Merchan said no video cameras will be allowed in the courtroom.
“That this indictment involves a matter of monumental significance cannot possibly be disputed,” he said. “Never in the history of the United States has a sitting or past President been indicted on criminal charges.”
