Trump pleaded not guilty
In a historic hearing, former US President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty following being charged with 34 counts of falsifying work records to conceal alleged crimes.
Trump became the first person to face criminal charges following serving as president in the United States.
The 76-year-old former president, who is seeking a return to the White House, denies any wrongdoing.
What happened in thesession?
Trump appeared in a Manhattan court, and pleaded “not guilty” following being formally arrested in New York.
The former president sat silently during most of the court proceedings in New York, speaking only when necessary.
As they presented their evidence in the case, prosecutors told the judge that Trump wrote threatening social media posts.
Trump’s lawyers responded that their client was frustrated by the case, which he believed was a “huge injustice”.
Judge Merchan said that Trump’s trial may begin next January, which means that Trump, who wants to run for the Republican presidency once more in 2024, may return to court when the primaries begin to choose the party’s candidate.
As expected, the majority of the charges once morest Trump relate to allegations that he paid a porn star for her silence days before the presidential election that Trump won in 2016.
Trump appeared rigid and did not speak as he left the courtroom following being charged.
What did Trump say following returning to Florida?
Later, Trump returned to Florida, where he is currently residing. He made statements criticizing the judicial procedures once morest him.
Trump said the only crime he committed was that he wanted to defend the country fearlessly once morest those who wanted to destroy it.
The former president launched harsh criticism once morest the administration of current President Joe Biden.
Trump also repeated many of the statements he made during his election campaign, and said he was the victim of a plot by the Democratic Party to thwart his re-election bid.
He began his speech by denying the charges once morest him, and saying that his opponents “seek to destroy” the nation.
He also falsely claimed that every analyst and legal expert said there was no case once morest him.
Trump repeated his personal attacks on the wife of the Manhattan District Attorney and the daughter of the judge overseeing his case.
He complained that there is a “judge who hates Trump… from a family that hates Trump,” describing the court as biased once morest him.
He also mentioned other investigations looking into his accusation, and denounced prosecutors investigating cases once morest him in New York, Georgia, and Washington, DC.
Do accusations affect me Trump’s chances To run for president?
The case centers around paying “silence payments” to two women before the 2016 presidential election, to prevent them from speaking out regarding an alleged affair with Trump.
Manhattan Attorney General Alvin Bragg said Trump arranged to pay $130,000 to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to buy her silence.
Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, says he made the payment at Trump’s direction to keep Daniels quiet regarding her relationship with the then-presidential candidate.
Karen McDougall, a former Playboy model, was reportedly paid $150,000 by the company that owns the National Enquirer as part of a scheme to get the rights to her novel regarding the alleged affair, but not be allowed to publish it anywhere else. Then the newspaper blacks out the story.
According to prosecutors, the National Enquirer admitted to paying a source to make sure that person “would not go public with harmful allegations” regarding Trump before the 2016 election.
Trump did not comment as he left the courthouse
Although “pay-for-silence” agreements are not criminalized under US law, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg investigated whether business records were falsified to conceal the money paid to the two women.
The possibilities of conviction are still not clear so far, but the charges once morest Trump, who has already launched his campaign to return to the White House, make the United States face a political crisis.
Trump’s lawyer described the charges once morest him as unfortunate and frustrating. He considered that the principle of the rule of law was “dead” in the United States.
Although Trump’s criminal conviction will not prevent him from running for president and seeking to return to the White House, the protracted legal battle might be a major distraction for Trump, who is considered the favorite to win the Republican nomination, and it might also increase unrest within the party.
What happened in front of the courthouse?
Hundreds of Trump supporters gathered in a park across from the courthouse. They were joined by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a right-wing Republican from Georgia who derided the Democratic Party as “communist” and a “failure”.
“Every American should be concerned,” Green said of Trump’s indictment. Green, 48, has long promoted the false claim that Trump was the winner of the 2020 presidential election.
Her appearance was met with outrage from anti-Trump protesters who booed and jeered at her, at times jamming her entire speech.
“Go back to Georgia!” one of the Trump opponents shouted.
The former president faces further investigations related to his attempt to annul the results of the 2020 election and his dealings with confidential documents following leaving the White House.
