19:16 p.m.: Trump leaves New York's Trump Tower to appear in criminal court
Donald Trump has left his New York skyscraper, the "Trump Tower", to appear in a criminal court in Manhattan and be served with his indictment in a case of fraud related to money paid in 2016 to a porn star.
The former tenant of the White House (2017-2021) and who aims to return in 2024 left around 17:5 GMT the tower bearing his name on the mythical and opulent 14th Avenue of Manhattan, to go to the courthouse installed in the south of the island for his formal impeachment by a judge at 15:18 (15:<> GMT).
19:10 p.m.: In New York courthouse, pro and anti-Trump kept at bay
Handfuls of activists for and against Trump, sometimes colorful, and separated from the first invective, have taken position in front of the New York court where the former US president is to be formally charged.
In the small square facing the grey building, tempers quickly flared when a small group of activists tried to unfurl a very large black banner reading "Trump lies all the time" in capital letters.
A Trumpist activist, wearing a cap with her champion on her head, stepped on the banner and tried to tear it down, creating a moment of confusion that was quickly dispelled by police and New York City Hall agents.
Supporters of former US President Donald Trump clashed with anti-Trump protesters in New York, US.https://t.co/k9GD85dgGB
🎥: Lokman Vural Elibol pic.twitter.com/UrbVMpIEjJ
— Anadolu Images (@anadoluimages) April 4, 2023
In a few minutes, barriers are installed in the middle of the park and, on each side, everyone shouts boos and more or less amiable slogans at the opposite camp. An illustration of the border that separates Democrats and Republicans in a deeply divided country.
19:05 p.m.: Who is Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan prosecutor in charge of the case?
01:33
Trump in court: who is Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan prosecutor in charge of the case? © AFP
18:45 p.m.: Donald Trump should not be handcuffed
According to his lawyer Joe Tacopina, Donald Trump will not be handcuffed. He should then be released, possibly conditionally, pending his trial at a later date.
The New York businessman, who made his fortune in real estate and television, gathered with his faithful and tens of millions of voters for a press conference from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida at 20:15 p.m. (00:15 GMT Wednesday).
The charges – about thirty, according to CNN – have not yet been made public. They should be by the Manhattan prosecutor who is prosecuting him, Alvin Bragg, a Democrat: they would be related to accounting fraud during the legal payment in October 2016 and the subsequent reimbursement of $ 130,000 to the actress of pornographic films Stormy Daniels.
18:30 p.m.: Donald Trump expected in court for historic court appearance
Donald Trump will live in New York an unprecedented judicial event for a former American president: he appears before a criminal court to be served his indictment in a case of fraud related to money paid in 2016 to a star of the industry.
The former tenant of the White House (2017-2021), who intends to return in 2024, is summoned before a judge of the court of Manhattan for a historic hearing of a few minutes during which he should plead "not guilty".
09:13
After a Monday under extraordinary media tension, the New York justice has banned television cameras and any mode of transmission inside the courtroom.
A single camera positioned in a corridor of the courthouse will be able to capture the first images of the former president of the United States, who should then say a few words.
Donald Trump is supposed to submit to the ritual imposed on any defendant: declining his name, age, profession, taking fingerprints and being photographed – the famous "mugshot", source of so much public humiliation for stars in the United States.
But his status as a senior American dignitary protected by the Secret Service, an agency dedicated to the protection of public figures, may require some adjustments.
With Reuters and AFP
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