After a grand jury charged him for allegedly paying Stormy Daniels $130,000 (£105,000) during the 2016 presidential campaign. Donald Trump will appear in New York court on Tuesday.
A coalition of news organisations is trying to get cameras into court on Tuesday. When Donald Trump makes an unprecedented showing.
The group, which consists of NBC News, The Associated Press, and The New York Times, has also requested that Judge Juan Merchan immediately unseal the indictment against the former president of the United States.
On Friday, a grand jury in New York voted to indict Trump for potential crimes relating to a $130,000 (£105,000) payment made to Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign.
It was allegedly made to keep Ms. Daniels’ ten-year-old sexual contact with Mr. Trump a secret.
Trump’s legal team says he will plead not guilty to the secret indictment.
Trump may face 30 document fraud counts, including a felony, the most serious crime in the US.
Media organisations seeking disclosure of the indictment claim a “overwhelming public interest” in doing so.
A law firm representing the group stated, “Due to the overwhelming public interest in the indictment’s contents and the fact that keeping the indictment under confidentiality pending arraignment serves no valid purpose, we respectfully request that it be unsealed without delay.
Any delay only encourages the spread of rumors regarding the indictment’s contents.
In a separate petition, the group urged Judge Merchan to authorize audio and visual access to the arraignment hearing. Which is scheduled for Tuesday on the 15th floor of the Manhattan courthouse.
The group argued that “the gravity of this proceeding – the unprecedented and historic indictment of a former US president. And consequently, the need for the broadest possible public access, cannot be overstated.”
The former president will not be handcuffed after talks with the district attorney.
Judge Merchan, a seasoned jurist who sits on Manhattan’s
criminal court – and someone whom Trump has previously criticized.
Judge Merchan convicted the Trump Organization of tax theft and fined it last year.
Allen Weisselberg, a seasoned executive, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five months in prison.
On Friday, Trump blasted Judge Merchan on Truth Social.
“The Justice ‘assigned’ to my Witch Hunt Case, a ‘Case’ that has NEVER BEEN CHARGED BEFORE, HATES ME,” he wrote in a post.
“He coerced Allen, which a judge is not permitted to do, and he treated my companies, which did not ‘plead,’ VIOLENTLY.”
Judge Merchan is also presiding over a criminal case involving former Trump campaign and White House adviser Steve Bannon, who has pleaded not guilty to charges of money laundering, conspiracy, and fraud about a nonprofit that raised funds for the construction of a wall along the US-Mexico border.
When questioned by the news agency Reuters about Trump’s remarks, Judge Merchan did not respond.
