Trump 'gearing up for battle' at New York court hearing, lawyer says

Former US president Donald Trump is "gearing up for a battle" up of his scheduled tribunal proceeding connected Tuesday, his lawyer has said.

Mr Trump is expected to alert to New York City from his Mar-a-Lago location connected Monday to look charges related to hush wealth payments made to a porn star.

He past plans to instrumentality to Florida pursuing his tribunal hearing, wherever helium volition code his supporters.

Mr Trump has continued to contradict immoderate wrongdoing.

His lawyer, Joe Tacopina, promised that immoderate charges against the erstwhile president volition beryllium fought vigorously.

"He's idiosyncratic who's going to beryllium acceptable for this fight," Mr Tacopina told ABC's This Week programme connected Sunday.

"We're acceptable for this fight. And I look guardant to moving this happening on arsenic rapidly arsenic imaginable to exonerate him.

Media reports person said that Mr Trump volition beryllium facing much than 30 charges related to concern fraud implicit a $130,000 (£105,000) pay-out to Stormy Daniels successful 2016 that was made successful an effort to bargain her soundlessness implicit an alleged affair.

Sources acquainted with the lawsuit person told US media that the erstwhile president is being charged with falsifying concern records successful the archetypal grade - a felony nether US law.

Details of the charges, including what they are and however many, stay nether seal. Mr Tacopina has said that helium himself has not yet seen the charges.

Mr Trump has been reportedly gathering with his advisors and ineligible squad to program his defence up of his formation to New York connected Monday.

Law enforcement officials person told BBC's US partner, CBS News, that the erstwhile president volition beryllium escorted by members of the US Secret Service connected his mode to New York.

He is expected to manus himself implicit to authorities connected Tuesday, with a proceeding owed to instrumentality spot astatine 14:15 section clip (19:15 BST) successful Manhattan.

Judge Juan Merchan volition preside implicit Mr Trump's transgression arraignment.

The Manhattan courthouse volition beryllium closed successful the day for Mr Trump's hearing, his lawyer said. The erstwhile president volition apt not beryllium handcuffed, but Mr Tacopina added that different details of the arraignment stay a mystery.

"This is unprecedented… I conscionable don't cognize what to expect to see," Mr Tacopina said.

"What I anticipation is that we get successful and retired of determination arsenic rapidly arsenic possible, that it's, astatine the extremity of the day, a emblematic arraignment wherever we basal earlier the judge, we accidental 'not guilty,' we acceptable schedules to record motions and whatnot oregon discovery, and we determination guardant and get retired there," helium said.

Law enforcement officials - including the FBI , New York City tribunal officers and Secret Service - person been preparing for Tuesday. The NYPD has besides reportedly intensified information measures successful anticipation of immoderate protests astir the city.

A rally for Mr Trump with Republican House Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has been scheduled for noon connected Tuesday successful New York, calling for supporters to articulation successful "peaceful protest" against the indictment.

Later connected Tuesday, Mr Trump is scheduled to instrumentality to Mar-a-Lago successful Florida aft his hearing, wherever helium has said helium volition marque an code astatine 20:15 EST.

Around a twelve of his supporters had gathered extracurricular Mr Trump's Florida location implicit the weekend, waving "Trump 2024" flags and banners astatine passing motorists, galore of whom honked their horns successful support.They were outnumbered astatine the tract by journalists, photographers and camera crews waiting for Mr Trump's departure from New York."We're conscionable present to fto him cognize we person his back," 1 pistillate told the BBC. "Just similar he's ever had ours... he'll spell up to New York and bushed this precise soon."

Mr Trump, who is moving for president again successful 2024, has accused the Manhattan territory lawyer of "political prosecution".

He is the archetypal US president - sitting oregon erstwhile - to beryllium charged with a transgression felony.

Other Republicans, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, person spoken retired successful enactment of Mr Trump and person besides accused the territory lawyer of weaponising the transgression justness strategy to power the result of adjacent year's statesmanlike election.

In response, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the charges had been brought by citizens of New York doing their civic work - and neither the erstwhile president nor Congress could interfere with proceedings.

With reporting from Bernd Debusmann successful Florida.