Former President Donald Trump is set to be arraigned on Tuesday in New York Supreme Court over his alleged role in a $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Ahead of the arraignment, his lawyer Joe Tacopina has warned that the country is on the brink of destruction.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Tacopina said it was "extraordinary" that people had denied there was a case against Trump. He confirmed that the former president would plead not guilty and denied any possibility of a gag order being placed on him.
Trump is expected to be fingerprinted at the court before flying back to Florida where he will speak at his Mar-a-Lago resort later that evening.
The arraignment comes less than a week after Trump was indicted by Manhattan District Attorney's Office. The investigation into his alleged role in paying hush money to Daniels began in 2018 and has been ongoing since then.
Tacopina's comments come as the former president appoints Todd Blanche as lead counsel, who previously represented Paul Manafort - Trump's campaign chairman during his 2016 presidential campaign.
Despite this appointment, Tacopina claimed there was no immediate comment from outside regular business hours and no lead counsel on the case.
As tensions continue surrounding this high-profile trial, all eyes are now focused on what will happen during Tuesday’s proceedings.