Trump Lawyer on What to Expect From Tuesday: 'We're Ready for This Fight'

• Former President Donald Trump was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury last week.
• The charges remain unclear, but stem from a hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels, who alleged that she had an affair with Trump in 2006.
• Trump has denied the affair and any wrongdoing, accusing prosecutors of engaging in a politically-motivated witch-hunt.
• His lawyer Joe Tacopina said the former president is "gearing up for a battle" ahead of his arraignment on Tuesday.

Donald Trump is "ready for this fight," his lawyer said on Sunday, after the former president was indicted last week.

On Thursday, a Manhattan grand jury indicted the former president following an investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office into an alleged hush money payment of $130,000 paid by his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, to adult film star Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet ahead of the 2016 presidential election about an affair she claims she had with Trump in 2006.

The former president has denied having an affair with Daniels and has maintained his innocence in the case, accusing prosecutors of engaging in a politically-motivated witch-hunt. Prosecutors, however, believe the payment violated campaign finance laws.

Trump is expected to turn himself in and make his first court appearance for his arraignment in New York City on Tuesday. The exact nature of the charges remain unclear as the indictment—the first against a former U.S. president—remains sealed, as is standard in New York before an arraignment.

In an appearance on ABC's This Week, Trump's attorney Joe Tacopina said the former president, who is making a third bid for the White House, did not commit any crime.

"He is gearing up for a battle," Tacopina told host George Stephanopoulos. "This is something that, obviously, we believe is a political persecution and I think people on both sides of the aisle believe that. It's a complete abuse of power."

Tacopina described Trump as a "tough guy" and is "going to be ready for this fight," adding that "we're ready for this fight and I look forward to moving this thing along as quickly as possible to exonerate him."

During his appearance on This Week, Trump's lawyer also said he could not say much about what to expect when Trump is arraigned.

"I don't know," he said. "I've done a million arraignments in that courthouse with celebrities and whatnot, but this is a whole different thing."

"We have Secret Service involved. I understand they're closing the courthouse for the afternoon. I just don't know what to expect to see," Tacopina said, adding that he is hoping Trump can "get in and out of there as quickly as possible."

"For me, as a litigator, as a lawyer, I want this to be done as smoothly and quickly as possible and begin this fight to to really put justice back on course," he said.

Tacopina also appeared on CNN's State of the Union on Sunday, where host Dana Bash asked him about Trump's attacks on Judge Juan Merchan, who is expected to oversee the case.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump alleged that the judge was "hand picked" by Bragg, who has also been attacked by Trump, and "HATES ME." Merchan presided over last year's tax fraud trial of The Trump Organization and Allen Weisselberg, its former chief financial officer.

Asked if Trump's lawyers would request a different judge, Tacopina deflected before eventually saying he does not believe the judge is biased.

"I have no reason to believe this judge is biased," he said. "I've not been before him on this matter, so we have to let this process play out."

Newsweek has reached out to Tacopina for further comment via email.