By Karen Freifeld
NEW YORK/PALM BEACH, Florida, April 3 (Reuters) – A plane carrying former U.S. President Donald Trump flew from a Florida airport bound for New York City on Monday as he prepared to face charges stemming from an investigation into hush money paid to a porn star before the 2016 election.
With New York taking security precautions and the mayor telling any potential rabble-rousers to behave, Trump was due to surrender at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office on Tuesday and will likely be fingerprinted prior to appearing before a judge for an arraignment where he will plead not guilty.
Trump, a Republican seeking to regain the presidency in 2024, is the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges.
Beefing up his legal team, Trump hired Todd Blanche, a prominent white-collar criminal defense lawyer and a former federal prosecutor, to lead his defense, two sources familiar with the matter said.
Blanche previously represented Paul Manafort, Trump’s 2016 campaign chairman, when Manafort was hit with New York state fraud charges after being sentenced to prison for federal crimes. The state charges were eventually dismissed and Trump pardoned Manafort before he left office. Blanche also previously represented Igor Fruman, who was an associate of former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani.
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