Washington – Former US president Donald Trump told his advisers that he wants to be brought to court in handcuffs should he be indicted for the hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign, “The Guardian” reported on Wednesday, citing sources in the know.
Trump has reportedly told his advisers that he is ready to turn his potential court appearance into a “spectacle” with his hands cuffed behind his back in symbolic defiance of a prosecution against him, the report said.
In Trump’s view, such a move would allow him to provide a booster for his 2024 presidential campaign and not look weak in case he chooses to make his first court appearance via video, according to the report.
Trump rejected his lawyers’ advice to calmly turn himself into authorities and appear in court via video link for security reasons, the sources noted, and said he didn't care if he was shot, as it would most likely secure his election victory in 2024.
Over the weekend, Trump shared on his social media platform, Truth Social, that he was to be arrested on March 21. "PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!" Trump said in the post. On March 18, a New York City Police Department representative told Sputnik that police officers in New York were on standby in light of the former president’s call for action posted on social media.
Trump’s possible arrest is connected with alleged illegal payments to Stormy Daniels in 2016 in a bid to prevent her from disclosing their alleged 2006 sexual affair. Trump has dismissed his connection to Daniels as well as any other felony on his part. He also refused to testify before the jury.
Sputnik