Police 'Prepared' for Trump Arraignment

Security boosted ahead of 4pm ET hearing in Washington
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 3, 2023 11:06 AM CDT
Police 'Prepared' for Trump Arraignment
Workers place barricades around the area of the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse on Thursday in Washington.   (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Some online commenters have called for an "armed revolution" since Tuesday's indictment of former President Trump on four felony charges. But Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger doesn't expect much drama Thursday when Trump is arraigned at the federal courthouse in Washington, DC, where more than 1,000 Jan. 6 defendants have also appeared, per the Washington Post. "We're prepared for tomorrow," Manger said Wednesday amid a press conference convened to address false reports of an active shooter at the Capitol. He didn't reveal what preparations had been made but said agency heads had been discussing a possible indictment for "about a week."

According to the Post, "many right-wing organizers have decided that coming to DC is too risky," given the prison sentences applied to those convicted in the Jan. 6 insurrection. The US Marshals Service and Secret Service will be on hand, CNN reports, noting "a group of over 20 heavily armed men were seen arriving inside the court at 8am ET with tactical gear and rifles." A bomb-sniffing dog was also observed. Parking restrictions are in place around the courthouse, and some roads have been closed. "Tow trucks were removing parked cars, and trucks with plow blades were poised to form a barrier," the Post reports.

The DC Police Department said it anticipated "rolling road closures and short-term traffic implications," per the Post. CNN reports Trump will be accompanied by lawyers Todd Blanche and John Lauro and campaign advisers Susie Wiles, Chris LaCivita, Jason Miller, Steven Cheung, and Justin Caporale as he travels from his club in Bedminster, New Jersey, to the US District Court for the District of Columbia, for an appearance at 4pm ET. Nearly 100 spectators and journalists were observed lining up for a spot inside the courtroom beginning overnight Wednesday, per the Post. (Trump spoke out on the eve of the hearing.)

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