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News outlets set up outside the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, ahead of Donald Trump’s expected arraignment on Thursday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI |
License PhotoAug. 2 (UPI) — Former President Donald Trump is expected to make his first appearance in a courtroom in Washington, D.C., on Thursday after he was indicted on four counts related to his alleged scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 election and instigate the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
The arraignment is scheduled for 4 p.m. Thursday at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, according to the court website. That site is located a block west from the U.S. Capitol, where Trump’s supporters rioted in an attempt to prevent the election certification of President Joe Biden.
Further details are expected to be posted later Wednesday evening. The case has not yet appeared on the court’s docket.
An arraignment typically occurs the same day or the day after a person has been charged with a crime. The defendant is brought before a judge, hears about the charges against them and pleads guilty or not guilty to their charges. The judge then determines if bail is necessary and the amount.
Trump will appear before Magistrate Judge Moxila A. Upadhyaya, CBS News reported. The judge seen in an arraignment is generally not the same judge as the trial.
The case, itself, has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan, who was appointed to the bench in 2014 by then-President Barack Obama.
Chutkan has presided over a number of Jan. 6-related trials. According to tracking by the Washington Post, she has been the toughest sentencing judge for Jan. 6 defendants in the federal court.
Trump has been arraigned twice already and appeared in person both times. He could have the option of appearing for his sentencing virtually but is likely to appear in person.
He surrendered himself to a federal courtroom in Miami in June to face 37 counts related to the mishandling of classified documents in which he pleaded not guilty.
In April, he appeared in person in the New York County Criminal Court in Manhattan, a state courthouse, and pleaded not guilty to 34 counts related to falsifying records in the alleged Stormy Daniels hush-money scheme.
If Trump were to appear in person Thursday, he likely would arrive at the courthouse under heavy security and surrender himself to the court sometime in the early afternoon.
Trump would likely have the opportunity to consult with his attorney before being taken into the courtroom. Oftentimes, alleged criminals are handcuffed behind their backs when they are brought into the courtroom.
Because Trump has not been accused of violent crimes and because of his stature as the former president, he likely will not be handcuffed.
Also, because of his recognizability, he likely will not be required to take a mugshot, which is typical in most arraignments, and likely would be released without bail being set on the promise of returning to court.
In the unlikely event that the judge does set bail, Trump — who is worth $2.5 billion, according to Forbes — would likely just pay it.
The former president was not handcuffed or required to take a mugshot in either of his previous arraignments.
It is up to the discretion of the judge whether cameras will be allowed into the courtroom Thursday.
U.S. Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger said Wednesday that the law enforcement agency plans to increase security in the area in anticipation of the arraignment but will not reinstall a chain-link fence put up in the aftermath of the Capitol riot, Axios reported.
“We’re prepared for tomorrow,” Manger said, adding that law enforcement agencies have been working together for weeks to plan even before the indictment was announced.
