Former U.S. President Donald Trump will not be handcuffed when he surrenders, says lawyer

Donald Trump is due to appear to face an indictment following a grand jury investigation of a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels during Trump's 2016 campaign

March 31, 2023 09:26 pm | Updated April 01, 2023 10:44 am IST - New York

File photo of U.S. President Donald Trump.

File photo of U.S. President Donald Trump. | Photo Credit: Reuters

Former President Donald Trump will not be handcuffed when he surrenders next week in New York to face criminal charges, under the terms of a deal agreed between his defence attorneys and Manhattan prosecutors, defence lawyer Joe Tacopina said on March 31.

Mr. Tacopina said in an interview that he expected the arrest otherwise to proceed as a matter of routine on Tuesday when Mr. Trump is due to appear to face an indictment following a grand jury investigation of a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels during Trump's 2016 campaign.

"I don't know how all this is going to go down. There's no textbook to see how you arraign a former president of the United States in criminal court," Mr. Tacopina said.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office could not immediately be reached for reaction to Mr. Tacopina's comments.

Mr. Tacopina said Mr. Trump and his defence team were surprised by news of the indictment: "Initially we were all shocked. Didn't believe they were actually going to go through with this because there's no crime here."

Meanwhile, a judge has authorised the Manhattan district attorney to disclose to the public that the grand jury has returned an indictment in the case of former President Donald Trump, according to a court document.

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