Donald Trump will not be handcuffed or have his mugshot taken, it was reported on Monday night, as sources within the Manhattan district attorney’s office laid out the charges to a reporter – infuriating Trump himself.
Michael Isikoff, a reporter at Yahoo News, said he had been told there would be 34 felonies. He also described the charges.
Trump, who is in Trump Tower ahead of Tuesday’s arraignment, reacted with fury to Isikoff’s report, and said Bragg should be prosecuted.
‘Wow! District Attorney Bragg just illegally LEAKED the various points, and complete information, on the pathetic Indictment against me,’ he wrote on Truth Social.
‘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!’
Former President Donald Trump is seen on Monday afternoon arriving at Trump Tower. He flew to New York on Monday aboard his 757 accompanied by several aides, but not by former first lady Melania Trump
A number of aides accompanied the former president to New York on Monday, but Melania and Barron Trump were missing from the crowd
Trump then continued attacking Bragg, and demanding he resign.
‘D.A. BRAGG JUST ILLEGALLY LEAKED THE 33 points of Indictment,’ the 76-year-old said.
‘There are no changes or surprises from those he leaked days ago directly out of the Grand Jury.
‘No Crime by Trump.
‘What a MESS. Bragg should resign, NOW!’
Isikoff, in his report, said there would be 34 charges.
He said all would be felonies, for falsification of business records.
Isikoff cited ‘a source who has been briefed on the procedures for the arraignment of the former president.’
It is unusual for falsification of business records to be prosecuted as a felony: they are normally considered misdemeanors.
Bragg’s office has filed all the charges as 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 Isikoff’s source.
A conviction for the Class E felony of falsifying business records can result in a prison term of up to four years, but that is considered unlikely.
It remains unclear what the underlying crime that escalated Trump’s alleged misdemeanors to felonies is.
The indictment will be officially unsealed on Tuesday, the website reported.
It is believed to be connected to campaign finance violations, related to the hush-money payment of $130,000 given to porn star Stormy Daniels in the run up to the 2016 election.
New York is bracing for possible protests.
Police began building barricades along the edge of the sidewalks around Trump Tower and the Manhattan Criminal Court building downtown at the weekend.
On Monday in Florida, his motorcade pulled up to his jet and the former president boarded alone, before campaign staff and lawyers followed him up the rear steps.
Trump arrives at Palm Beach International Airport to board his plane for a flight to New York on Monday afternoon. He is expected to present himself to authorities on Tuesday
Trump landed in New York on Monday afternoon before his motorcade made the journey to his property in the heart of the Big Apple
Trump’s private plane sits on the tarmac at LaGuardia Airport with the Rikers Island jail in the background
Crowds gathered outside Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue on Monday
The 45th President is pictured walking into his Manhattan property on Monday afternoon as he prepares to surrender to authorities on Tuesday
After leaving office, his presidential motorcade was trimmed down to about four vehicles. But on Monday it was bulked by extra SUVs carrying staff.
His campaign managers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita, as well as senior adviser Jason Miller, and spokesman Steven Cheung, were traveling with him, along with his son Eric.
His lawyers have said he will enter a plea of not guilty and his legal team is preparing to add a constitutional expert amid fears that the judge in the case will impose a gag order.
On Monday his legal team also issued a plea to the judge to ban cameras from the courtroom and hired top defense attorney Todd Blanche to boost their defense.
‘I will be leaving Mar-a-Lago on Monday at 12 noon, heading to Trump Tower in New York,’ the former president posted on Sunday night.
‘On Tuesday morning I will be going to, believe it or not, the Courthouse. America was not supposed to be this way!’
Court officials say he is due to arraigned at 2:15pm on Tuesday.
He is then expected to return to his Mar-a-Lago home where he plans to make a speech in the evening.
