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Former US president Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of felony for falsifying business records Tuesday in a historic moment for the United States, as prosecutors accused him of paying two women to reduce the accounts that sexually met with him.
The indictment, unsealed after appearing in Trump’s court along with a statement of facts, alleges that Trump and others violated election laws through a scheme to prevent the publication of negative information about him before the 2016 US election.
The two women are adult film actress Stormy Daniels and her ex Playboy model Karen McDougal.
Former US president Donald Trump was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday, where he pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
Dressed in a dark blue suit and red tie, Trump, the first or former US president to face criminal charges, sat with his arms folded at the defense table as he entered his plea flanked by lawyers.
“It’s not wrong,” Trump said when asked how he got it.
The judge set the next court hearing for December 4 and did not issue a gag order on either side.
In his first comments since being charged with 34 felonies on Tuesday afternoon, Donald Trump told supporters at Mar-a-Lago in Florida that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is the criminal, not him.
He flew to Florida where he briefed family, friends and supporters at the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Fla., that evening — delivering his complaints to investigators, prosecutors and rival politicians.
He attacked the prosecutor and the judge presiding over the case despite being warned hours ago about his incendiary rhetoric.
He described the New York prosecution as election meddling, and attacked New York prosecutor Alvin Bragg for bringing criminal charges against him.
“I never thought anything like this would happen in America,” Trump told the crowd.
“The only crime I have committed is to defend our nation fearlessly against those who seek to destroy it.”
Trump also accused Bragg of getting him out “before he knew anything about me,” and called the judge in the case, Juan Merchan, “a judge who hates Trump.”
READ | The full indictment of Donald Trump:
Some of the evidence against Trump was caught in an audio recording in September 2016 when he and his attorney discussed how to suppress stories about their relationship, prosecutors said. Court documents say Trump can be heard saying, “So what is he going to pay for this?”
Trump’s reimbursement checks to lawyers for suppression payments falsely stated that the money was for a “retainer agreement,” prosecutors say. The indictment accuses Trump of falsifying the books of a real estate company with intent to defraud.
Trump did not say anything when he entered the courtroom or when he left about an hour later. He had previously called the allegations politically motivated.
Prosecutors said during the arraignment that Trump made several threatening social media posts, including one that threatened “death and destruction” if prosecuted. The judge asked the parties to “refrain from making statements that could lead to violence or civil unrest.”
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The DA defended the charges
Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, said his office’s historic case against Trump sought to “make sure everyone is equal before the law.”
“No amount of money and no amount of power change can withstand American principles,” Bragg told a room packed with reporters after Trump’s arraignment.
Bragg, who took office in 2022 and was initially slow to take office to prosecute Trump, said additional evidence not available to his predecessor led to the move now. He did not elaborate on the evidence or how it came to the attention of prosecutors.
“I bring the case when I’m ready,” Bragg said.
“We’re going to fight. We’re going to fight hard,” Todd Blanche, a lawyer for Trump, told reporters after the arraignment, saying that Trump was frustrated, angry and angry about the allegations.
“But I’ll tell you what – he’s motivated. And he’s not going to stop. And he’s not going to slow him down. And that’s exactly what he wants,” said Blanche.
Combined, the charges carry a maximum sentence of 136 years in prison under New York law, but the actual prison sentence if convicted in court would likely be less than that.
When falsifying business records in New York in itself is a misdemeanor punishable by no more than one year in prison, it is elevated to a crime punishable by up to four years in prison when it is done to advance or hide another crime.
The Manhattan Grand Jury, convened by Bragg, who accused Trump of hearing evidence about a $130,000 payment he made to Daniels, in the waning days of the 2016 presidential campaign. Daniels said she was paid to remain silent about a sexual relationship with Trump at a Lake hotel. Tahoe in 2006.
Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker offered to look for negative stories during Trump’s presidential campaign, prosecutors said. American Media Inc, his parent company, paid McDougal US$150,000 to buy the rights to the story but then hid it. It also paid a former Trump Tower doorman $30,000 to buy the rights to an untrue story about Trump’s alleged father out of wedlock.
Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen said he coordinated with Trump on the payments to Daniels and McDougal. Trump has denied having sex with either woman, but has admitted to repaying Cohen for payments to Daniels.
Trump’s reimbursement checks to lawyers for suppression payments falsely stated that the money was for a “retainer agreement,” prosecutors say. The indictment accuses Trump of falsifying the books of a real estate company with intent to defraud.
One element of the allegations is the method known as “catch and kill” used by some media outlets to bury damaging information about third parties – in this case allegedly benefiting Trump. Bragg’s office did not indict Trump for violating election laws.
“Under New York state law, it is a crime to falsify business records with the intent to deceive and the intent to conceal another crime. That’s exactly what this case is – 34 false statements made to cover up other crimes,” said Bragg.
The case comes against the backdrop of not only his third campaign for the White House, but also against other investigations in Washington and Atlanta that may yield more charges.
Cases are not being prosecuted federally
Cases involving election expenses are usually considered at the federal level, but the Department of Justice in the Biden administration has focused on investigations related to the January 6, 2021 riots in the Capitol.
In addition, the Federal Election Commission has been deadlocked on a partisan basis whether to hear complaints that Trump violated campaign finance rules with payments.
Trump supporters and detractors who appeared outside the court were separated by barricades erected by police to try to maintain order, although there were some confrontations.
“Let’s keep it civil, people,” said the police officer.
Hundreds of Trump supporters gathered to cheer and blow whistles outnumbering the detractors. Trump critics held signs including one of Trump wearing a striped prison uniform behind bars and another that read, “Lock Him Up.”
The White House remains mum on the drama in New York.
Any potential trial in the Manhattan case is still at least more than a year away, legal experts say, meaning it could happen during or after the presidential campaign. Indictments or even convictions prevent Trump from becoming president.
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