Former President Trump was set to be present at federal court in Washington DC Thursday at his arraignment on criminal charges surrounding the 2020 Election and related January 6, 2021 deadly insurrection on the U.S. Capitol.
Trump’s latest arraignment is scheduled for 4pm ET at the E. Barrett Prettyman federal courthouse on Constitution Avenue in DC.
A federal grand jury voted Tuesday to indict Trump on four criminal counts, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding and conspiracy against rights.
His first court appearance Thursday was set to be before Magistrate Judge Moxila A. Upadhyaya, who handles initial matters in federal cases.
Trump was expected to fly from his estate in Bedminster, New Jersey to DC for the proceedings. He won’t be placed under arrest, as the Magistrate’s order was merely a summons for him to appear at the court.
The former President will not be placed in handcuffs, according to the U.S. Marshals Service, nor will he have his mugshot taken.
However, a U.S. Marshals spokesperson said Trump will have his fingerprints taken digitally and be required to give his Social Security number, date of birth and address.
DC Metropolitan Police were already working on security preps by Tuesday evening, soon after Trump’s indictment was unsealed, and residents have been bracing for road closures and increased congestion in and around the United States’ capital city.
Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said, “While the Secret Service does not comment on specific protective means or methods, we have the utmost confidence in the dedication and commitment to security shared by all of our law enforcement and government partners.”
On Wednesday morning, media organizations began setting up camp outside court. On Thursday members of the media began moving through security inside the courthouse, where some 100 reporters would be allowed into a media room to cover Trump’s arraignment. Additional overflow room for members of the public will hold some 150 people. That space was set to become available around 10am ET.
Thursday will mark the former President’s third criminal arraignment this year—an unprecedented occurrence in U.S. history.
Trump was allowed to leave the state for both his previous arraignments, during which he was released on his own recognizance and did not have his passport seized.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing in each case against him, and has claimed that he is being targeted because of politics—an assertion the Department of Justice has vehemently denied.
