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Former President Donald Trump arrives at court in New York [Mary Altaffer/AP Photo]Former United States President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to a slate of the 34 felony charges, unsealed on Tuesday at the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York.
The charges are the result of a grand-jury investigation into a hush-money payment the ex-president is accused of making to adult film star Stormy Daniels, shortly before the 2016 election.
Trump stands accused of falsifying business records in relation to that payment and several others, including to former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Both she and Daniels allege they had an affair with the ex-president.
“The defendant Donald Trump repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal criminal conduct that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 election,” prosecutors wrote in the indictment.
They explained that the payments were part of a “catch and kill” scheme to suppress negative information during his 2016 presidential campaign.
Wearing his signature dark suit and red tie, Trump arrived at the court in an eight-car motorcade escorted by Secret Service agents, waving to the crowds gathered outside the building.
Once inside, he was fingerprinted and processed, though he avoided being handcuffed or having a mugshot taken. It was a remarkable reckoning for the ex-president, after years of investigations into his personal, business and political dealings and an extraordinary moment in US history — making him the first US president ever to face criminal charges.
Trump was defiant in court and online, where he posted on his Truth Social platform that the proceedings were “SURREAL”, in all caps.
“Can’t believe this is happening in America,” he wrote, signing off with the acronym for his slogan, “Make America Great Again.”
Former President Trump leaves Trump Tower in New York for the Manhattan Criminal Court, where he would be booked and arraigned on charges stemming from a hush-money payment to an adult film actress during his 2016 campaign. [Corey Sipkin/AP Photo]
As he left Trump Tower, the former president posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, “Seems so SURREAL — Wow, they are going to ARREST ME.” [Carlos Barria/Reuters]
Donald Trump backer Fred Williams, 79, gets a fist bump from another supporter after the former president exited Trump Tower in New York. [Brittainy Newman/AP Photo]
Secret Service helped escort Donald Trump’s motorcade from his residence at Trump Tower to the Manhattan Criminal Court. [Bing Guan/Reuters]
Donald Trump’s motorcade drives to Manhattan Criminal Court before a planned court appearance after his indictment by a Manhattan grand jury. [Bing Guan/Reuters]
Donald Trump arrives at Manhattan Criminal Court, where he waved to nearby supporters. [Eduardo Munoz/Reuters]
Former President Donald Trump is seen in a courtroom after being fingerprinted and processed. He pleaded not guilty to all 34 counts in the indictment. [Seth Wenig/AP Photo]
Former President Donald Trump sits at the defence table with his legal team in a Manhattan court. [Seth Wenig/AP Photo]
Hundreds of demonstrators gather outside the New York criminal court. [Yuki Iwamura/AP Photo]
A person holds a sign that reads, “Trump Exposed”, at a protest held in Collect Pond Park across the street from the Manhattan district attorney’s office in New York. [Stefan Jeremiah/AP Photo]
Supporters of former President Donald Trump parade their signs in front of assembled media and onlookers outside Manhattan Criminal Court. [John Minchillo/AP Photo]
Anti-Trump protesters demonstrate outside Manhattan Criminal Court on the day of former US President Donald Trump’s court appearance. [Amanda Perobelli/AP Photo]
Source: Al Jazeera English | Read More