Former President Donald Trump will “very loudly and proudly” plead “not guilty” to the charges against him in New York, according to his lawyer Joe Tacopina.
Tacopina discussed the matter during a Sunday appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
When asked by host Dana Bash if Trump would be taking a mug shot, Tacopina replied, ” this is not normal operating procedure. It’s all up in the air. All the Tuesday stuff is still very much up in the air other than the fact that we will very loudly and proudly say not guilty.”
Trump has said he will travel to New York on Monday and surrender on Tuesday.
“I will be leaving Mar-a-Lago on Monday at 12 noon, heading to Trump Tower in New York,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social over the weekend. “On Tuesday morning I will be going to, believe it or not, the Courthouse. America was not supposed to be this way!”
The indictment stems from Trump allegedly falsifying business records concerning a $130,000 payment to Daniels in 2016 over an alleged sexual encounter that the two had in 2006. Trump has denied sexual contact with the pornstar and that the payments violated the law.
CNN has reported there are 34 counts in the indictment, including a felony — though the records remain sealed.
Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen, pleaded guilty to charges over the payment in 2018 and was sentenced to three years in prison. In July 2019, federal prosecutors determined that no additional people would be charged alongside Cohen.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg took the unusual step of reviving the case to bring charges against the former president — which many Republican politicians and commentators have deemed a “political persecution.”
According to a report from Newsweek, Trump is not expected to perp walked or handcuffed during the surrender.
“It is also expected that Trump will not be held in custody and will be released on his own recognizance after he is formally charged on Tuesday,” the report said.
Trump is expected to deliver a speech at 8:15 p.m. on Tuesday evening at Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida.
The former president remains the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican primary.
