Donald Trump claimed he was going to be arrested when he arrives at the federal courthouse in Washington for his arraignment Thursday on charges he conspired to obstruct the certification of the 2020 presidential election. But the US Marshals Service says otherwise.
Hours before his scheduled appearance at 4 p.m. in the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, “I AM NOW GOING TO WASHINGTON, D.C., TO BE ARRESTED FOR HAVING CHALLENGED A CORRUPT, RIGGED, & STOLEN ELECTION.”
Brady McCarron, a spokesperson for the US Marshals, said that it was “not correct” that the former president would be placed under arrest. Trump was issued a summons to appear in court after the grand jury handed up the indictment on Tuesday. No arrest warrant was issued, McCarron said.
Prosecutors have the option of requesting a summons if they expect a criminal defendant will voluntarily appear and there’s no risk they’ll flee or try to destroy evidence, former federal prosecutors said.
Sometimes the Justice Department will decide to pursue an arrest “to send a message to the public,” former federal prosecutor Joan Meyer said, but “generally they just notify and agree to a day for the initial appearance for a white collar matter like this where the defendant is represented.”
A spokesperson for Trump didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.
When Trump arrives at the courthouse, he will be fingerprinted and asked to provide his social security number, birth date, address and other personal information. The Marshals Service previously said that Trump wouldn’t have a mugshot taken because he’s an easily identifiable person and there are many photos of him already available.
It’s not the first time Trump has deployed the word “arrest” in an attempt to stoke backlash to the prosecutions. “They want to interfere with a fair and free election — to a point where Joe Biden is willing to arrest his opponent who is leading him in the polls by a very, very large number,” he told a conference of evangelical voters in Washington in June, to a chorus of jeers and howls. The White House has said all decisions on prosecutions are up to the Justice Department.
Trump will be arraigned before a judge and is expected to enter an initial plea to the indictment. He has denied any wrongdoing in public statements since the charges were announced by Special Counsel John “Jack” Smith’s office.
The case is US v. Trump, 23-cr-00257, US District Court, District of Columbia (Washington, DC).
