In Manhattan criminal court on Tuesday afternoon, former President Donald Trump entered a not-guilty plea to 34 felonies about falsifying business records.
In court documents, prosecutors claimed that the former president tried to compromise the credibility of the 2016 election.
According to the prosecution, Trump was part of an illegal scheme to hide damaging information, including a $130,000 payment made illegally on the defendant’s order to cover up information that would have hurt his campaign.
According to the prosecution, Trump’s intent to “promote his candidacy” was one of the reasons he allegedly falsified business records.
The grand jury’s last-week indictment against Trump was unsealed on Tuesday, giving the general public and Trump’s legal team the first information about the precise charges he will face. A hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign sparked the investigation.
The former president’s tone in the courtroom was measured. He entered the courtroom slowly, glancing at the reporters as he went, and when the judge started speaking, he turned to face him.
Trump arrived at the Manhattan district attorney’s office on Tuesday afternoon, where he was arrested and taken into police custody before the arraignment.
A bizarre and vital moment in US history, occurred during Tuesday’s arraignment in a Manhattan courtroom. The fourth of December has been set as the date for Trump’s next in-person hearing in New York.
In response to a request from several media outlets, including CNN, a judge said Monday night that news organisations were not permitted to broadcast the proceedings. However, five still photographers were allowed to capture images of Trump and the courtroom before the hearing.
Trump may or may not speak in New York; this is still being determined. Several people with knowledge of Trump’s thinking have told CNN that the former president has considered speaking to the media while still in Manhattan. Chris Kise, one of Trump’s attorneys, has stated that he anticipates the former president to address the media before and after his arraignment in the courtroom’s hallway. However, he has been advised that he runs a significant risk of damaging his case by making unintentional remarks.
After his court appearance, Trump is scheduled to take a flight back to Florida, where he will host an event at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday night to give his defence.
While Trump’s remarks will indicate how he plans to combat the allegations against him in the political sphere, the former president is also gearing up for the battle in court: On Monday, he added a new lawyer, Todd Blanche, to serve as lead counsel on his defence team.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg brought the first criminal charges against Trump, but they aren’t the only potential legal issues the former president may face. Special counsel Jack Smith is continuing to look into Trump’s involvement in the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and the handling of secret documents at Mar-a-Lago. The investigation into Georgia’s 2020 election tampering attempts by a special grand jury in Fulton County is complete.
Trump flew in on his jet from Palm Beach to New York on Monday afternoon. He spent the night in Trump Tower, 4 miles from the courthouse in the heart of Manhattan.
The US Secret Service and New York’s law enforcement have been preparing for the possibility that Trump will appear in court for weeks.
