Former President Donald Trump will not be handcuffed or have his mugshot taken after he is arrested for his criminal arraignment Tuesday, Yahoo News reported, citing an anonymous source briefed on the plans for Trump’s appearance in court.
The office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who is pursuing the first criminal charges against a former president, decided there was no reason for Trump to be handcuffed or have a mugshot taken, according to Yahoo News.
Trump will also not be placed in a jail cell, the source said. Avoiding the handcuffs, mugshot, and jail cell is reportedly common for white-collar defendants before a judge has set pretrial conditions.
Yahoo News noted that handcuffs are used if defendants are a flight risk or pose a threat to court personnel – neither of which likely apply to Trump, who is set to be accompanied by Secret Service agents.
Trump was criminally indicted last week on charges that reportedly stem from an investigation into an alleged 2016 hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels. He is set to be arraigned on the charges Tuesday in Manhattan.
Much is unclear about the charges, as the indictment remains under seal. Yahoo News’ source said there are a total of 34 charges, all of which are felonies relating to falsification of business records.
A Trump spokesperson said his legal team had not yet been briefed on the indictment’s details. A Bragg spokesperson “declined to comment on a sealed indictment” to Yahoo News.
After Yahoo News’ story was published, Trump took to his Truth Social website to criticize Bragg and accuse him of leaking information about the indictment.
“Wow! District Attorney Bragg just illegally LEAKED the various points, and complete information, on the pathetic Indictment against me,” Trump wrote. “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.”
This was a breaking news story. The details were periodically updated as more information became available.
