Former US President Donald Trump has arrived in New York City to appear before a Manhattan court following an investigation related to hush money payments to a porn star, Stormy Daniels. Trump, 76, flew to New York City in his Boeing 757 aircraft from his Mar-a-Lago home on Monday and arrived at the La Guardia airport around 3 pm EST (12.30 am IST).

His motorcade then made its way to the Trump Tower on 5th Avenue in Manhattan where he will stay for the night. Streets around the high-end Trump Tower have been cordoned off, with heavy police presence in and around the area.

The former President waved at scores of his supporters as he came out from the SUV and was escorted immediately inside the building.

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American media quoted Trump’s attorneys as saying that the former president will plead not guilty. After his court appearance, Trump will immediately fly back to Florida where he will deliver remarks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach in the evening.

The arraignment proceeding is expected to be brief. The charges in the indictment will be read to him at the hearing, which is set to last about 10-15 minutes. Trump has denied all wrongdoings in connection with the payments made to Stormy Daniels, 44, ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

Trump, who was impeached twice by the US House but was never convicted in the US Senate, will become the first former president to face criminal charges.

What happened exactly?

Following is the chronology of the scandal that led to Trump's conviction, the first former president to face a criminal charge.

2006: Porn star Stormy Daniels reveals that she met Trump at a celebrity golf tournament at Lake Tahoe in Nevada.

2007: A year later, Trump asked Daniels to meet him at his bungalow at Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles to discuss an appearance on a show.

2011: Daniels gives an interview with 'In Touch magazine' where she details her alleged affair with Trump.

July 2016: Trump secures the Republican nomination for president, just over a year after announcing his candidacy.

October 2016: According to the Wall Street Journal, Trump’s lawyer at the time, Michael Cohen, arranges a USD 130,000 payment to Daniels to secure her silence about the alleged affair with Trump.

November 2016: Trump wins the presidency.

January 2018: The Wall Street Journal reports on Cohen’s deal with Daniels. Once again, Trump and Cohen give emphatic denials, though Cohen does not address the payment to Daniels.

February 2018: Cohen tells the New York Times he paid Daniels using his own money and was not directed by Trump’s company or campaign to make the payment. He says Trump never reimbursed him for the payment.

April 2018: Trump’s hush money payment to Daniels goes public in January.

July 2018: Rudy Giuliani, one of Trump’s personal lawyers at the time, tells Fox News the payment to Daniels was not a campaign finance violation because the money was “funnelled through a law firm” and that Cohen was repaid by Trump.

August 2018: Cohen pleads guilty to criminal charges in Manhattan federal court, including campaign finance violations over the hush money payments.

December 2018: Cohen is sentenced to three years in federal prison.

August 2019: Cyrus Vance, the Manhattan District Attorney at the time, issues a subpoena to the Trump Organisation for records of hush money payments.

May 2020: Cohen is released from prison early due to COVID-19 concerns and ordered to serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest.

December 2022: The Trump Organisation is found guilty of tax fraud after a trial in New York state court in Manhattan. The company was fined USD 1.6 million a month later.

January 2023: Evidence presented about Trump’s alleged role in the 2016 hush money payments to a grand jury.

March 2023: Manhattan prosecutors ask Trump to testify before the grand jury, which he refuses. Cohen testifies while Daniels meets with prosecutors.

April 2023: Trump arrives in New York to surrender before Manhattan court where he will be arraigned.

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With agencies inputs

(Edited by : Anshul)

First Published:Apr 4, 2023 4:16 PM IST