If Donald Trump is indicted by a Manhattan grand jury for his role in a hush money payment to a porn star, he will be read the standard Miranda warning: He will be told that he has the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney. He would be fingerprinted, photographed and could be handcuffed. These are routine steps for felony arrests in New York. The unprecedented arrest of a former commander in chief whose supporters staged a violent attack on the Capitol will be anything but routine, the New York Times reports. Officials from the district attorney’s office and the state agency that runs the courts have had preliminary discussions to plan for a possible indictment and arraignment. So have officials from the Police Department, which patrols the streets outside the Lower Manhattan courthouse, and the court officers, who handle security inside the Criminal Courts Building, where Trump would be arraigned.
On Sunday, more than a dozen senior Police Department officials and two of the mayor’s top public safety aides held a virtual meeting to discuss security, staffing and contingency plans in the event of any protests.
That meeting followed a call from Trump on his site Truth Socia: “PROTEST,” he exhorted his supporters. “TAKE OUR NATION BACK!” Security is a looming issue in the office of the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, a Democrat who is the first Black person to lead the office. Trump has lashed out at the district attorney, calling him a racist and saying his investigation is politically motivated. Bragg assured prosecutors and other staff that he had been coordinating with the Police Department and court officials to ensure their safety. Bragg’s security detail, staffed by New York Police Department detectives, may expand. There were signs that Trump's followers were planning to protest on his behalf. Trump supporters circulated the main telephone number of Bragg’s office on social media and encouraged people to call and demand that charges not be filed against Trump. After an arraignment, Trump would likely be released on his own recognizance because an indictment likely would contain only nonviolent felony charges; under New York law, prosecutors cannot request bail in most such cases. Trump will almost certainly be accompanied at every step of the process by armed agents of the U.S. Secret Service, who are required by law to protect him at all times.
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