Former President Donald Trump was charged on Tuesday with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in a landmark case stemming from allegations that he orchestrated hush-money payments to two women before the 2016 U.S. election to prevent the publication of their sexual encounters with him.
Prosecutors in Manhattan accused Trump of attempting to conceal a violation of election laws during his successful 2016 campaign, making him the first sitting or former president to face criminal charges.
“Not guilty,” Trump, 76, replied in court when asked how he pleaded. Trump, dressed subduedly in a dark blue suit and red tie, sat at the defense table, hands folded, flanked by his lawyers.
While falsifying business records is a misdemeanor in New York, punishable by up to one year in prison, it is elevated to a felony punishable by up to four years when done to advance or conceal another crime, such as election law violations.
Stormy Daniels, an adult film actress, and Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model, are the two women involved in the case.
SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS
During the arraignment, prosecutors said Trump made a series of social media posts, including one threatening “death and destruction” if charged. The judge requested that the parties “refrain from making statements that are likely to incite violence or civil unrest.”
On a cool and sunny early spring day in New York, Trump supporters and detractors were separated by police barricades set up to keep order, though there were some clashes.
Trump said nothing as he walked into the courtroom or as he exited an hour later.
He returned to Florida on Tuesday night, where he addressed family, friends, and supporters at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, delivering a litany of grievances against investigators, prosecutors, and rival politicians.
He called the New York prosecution “election meddling.”
“I never imagined something like this could happen in America,” Trump said. “The only crime I’ve committed is fearlessly defending our country against those who seek to destroy it.”
A county prosecutor in Georgia is investigating whether Trump illegally attempted to overturn his 2020 election defeat in the state. He is also the subject of two U.S. Justice Department investigations, one of which is being led by a special counsel, into attempts to overturn the 2020 election results and his handling of classified documents after leaving office.
“They can’t beat us at the polls, so they try to beat us through the law,” Trump explained.
A county prosecutor in Georgia is investigating whether Trump illegally attempted to overturn his 2020 election defeat in the state. He is also the subject of two U.S. Justice Department investigations, one of which is being led by a special counsel, into attempts to overturn the 2020 election results and his handling of classified documents after leaving office.
“They can’t beat us at the polls, so they try to beat us through the law,” Trump explained.
Another former prosecutor, Jeremy Saland, warned that prosecutors are aware that they “have a very long road ahead with these charges” because they will have to prove to a jury that Trump intended to violate election law even though he is not criminally charged with doing so.
JUDGE SETS DEC. 4 HEARING
The next hearing has been scheduled for December 4 by Justice Juan Merchan. According to legal experts, a trial may not even begin for a year, and an indictment or even a conviction will not prevent Trump from running for president.
“We’re going to fight it hard,” Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, told reporters after the arraignment. While Trump was frustrated, upset, and angry about the charges, he said, “… he’s driven. And it isn’t going to deter him. And it’s not going to stymie him. And it’s exactly what he was hoping for.”
Bragg, a Democrat who pursued the case and has been accused by Trump and other Republicans of political targeting, defended the charges.
“Today, we uphold our solemn obligation to ensure that everyone is treated equally before the law. No amount of money or power can change that enduring American principle “Bragg stated at a press conference.
The grand jury that indicted Trump was convened by Bragg and heard evidence about a $130,000 payment made to Daniels in the final days of the 2016 presidential campaign. Daniels claims she was paid to remain silent about a sexual encounter she had with Trump in 2006 at a Lake Tahoe hotel.
Prosecutors said David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer, offered to look for negative stories during Trump’s campaign. Its parent company, American Media Inc, paid McDougal $150,000 to purchase the rights to her story but then kept it a secret. It also paid $30,000 to a former Trump Tower doorman to purchase the rights to an untrue story about a child Trump allegedly fathered out of wedlock.
Trump’s former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, has stated that he coordinated payments to Daniels and McDougal with Trump. Trump has denied having sexual relationships with either woman but has admitted to repaying Cohen for his payment to Daniels.
Prosecutors said Trump’s reimbursement checks to a lawyer for the suppression payments falsely stated that the money was for a “retainer agreement.” Trump was charged with falsifying his real estate company’s books with the intent to defraud.
According to the indictment, the false records included invoices from Cohen, entries in a ledger for Trump kept by the Trump Organization, and check stubs.
One of the charges is that some media outlets used a technique known as “catch and kill” to bury damaging information.
Trump was not charged with violating election laws, according to Bragg’s office.
“Falsifying business records with the intent to defraud and conceal another crime is a felony in New York. That is precisely what this case is about 34 false statements made to conceal other crimes “Bragg stated.
