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Trump Pleads Not Guilty to 34-Count Manhattan Indictment in Hush Money Case

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What to Know

  • Former President Donald Trump faced a Manhattan judge Tuesday for arraignment on charges contained in a just-unsealed grand jury indictment; he returns to Florida after the hearing and is scheduled to deliver a public address from Mar-a-Lago Tuesday night
  • Hundreds of protesters on both sides flanked streets around Trump Tower in midtown and the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse, where a motorcade took the 45th president Tuesday afternoon
  • The 76-year-old Trump pleaded not guilty to the charges contained in the hush money indictment and has consistently denied wrongdoing; he faces separate criminal investigations in Atlanta and Washington over his efforts to undo the results of the 2020 election

A stone-faced Donald Trump pleaded not guilty Tuesday in connection with a 34-count Manhattan grand jury indictment that cements him in history as the first U.S. president, sitting or former, to be criminally charged.

The 76-year-old Trump denied dozens of counts of falsifying business records and conspiracy for his alleged role in hush money payments to two women toward the end of his 2016 presidential campaign. The indictment was unsealed in a brief proceeding before Judge Juan Merchan, who presided over the trial of the Trump Organization’s former CFO.

Earlier, Trump waved to throngs of people, some decrying his indictment, others lauding it, as he headed into Manhattan Criminal Court, where hundreds gathered to bear as close witness as possible to the historic proceedings.

The former president was informed of his arrest, then processed, fingerprinted and arraigned on the 15th floor, Part 59 in the Manhattan Criminal Court building. No mugshot was taken, sources said. He looked soberly at the throngs of reporters lining the hallway as he headed in for his arraignment, which happened in the same courtroom where Harvey Weinstein was tried and convicted of rape and sexual assault in February 2020.

Trump and his defense team have repeatedly and vociferously denied any wrongdoing.

As his motorcade headed to the courthouse, a 4-mile drive from Trump Tower earlier in the day, the former president posted a message on his Truth Social account that read, “Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse. Seems so SURREAL — WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Can’t believe this is happening in America. MAGA!”

Hundreds of people — from media to gawkers to supporters and protesters — flanked the streets outside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse, where U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was quickly whisked away by her security team as chaos intensified, and Trump Tower in midtown, where NYPD barricades have been in place since last week.

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Trump Arraignment Day: Scenes From Manhattan Courthouse

The Manhattan grand jury returned an indictment Thursday in the case of payments Trump allegedly authorized one-time fixer and attorney Michael Cohen to give porn Star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign to keep claims of an extramarital affair quiet. The indictment had remained sealed until Tuesday’s court hearing.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has not indicated whether he plans to seek jail time in the event of a conviction. The district attorney is expected to address the media later Tuesday.

It’s not entirely clear how quickly the process will move forward, considering there is no precedent. It’s unlikely the former president could be exposed to some of the processes any other New York defendant would. He has kept his Secret Service detail with him, and they have to protect him for as long as he opts to keep them by his side.

The developments may have significant implications for the 2024 presidential election. The 76-year-old Trump has insisted he would continue to seek the Republican nomination even if the grand jury voted to indict.

Legally, an indictment does not block him from running. Prosecutors haven’t said if they planned to seek prison time in the event of a conviction, though that also wouldn’t preclude Trump from running for president or winning next year.

For a man whose presidency was defined by one obliterated norm after another, the indictment sets up yet another never-before-seen spectacle. Here’s a look at the key charges in the indictment and how Trump responds.

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A grand jury has voted to indict former President Donald Trump, according to three sources familiar with the matter. Here’s what the case is all about.

Trump Denial: Breaking Down the Indictment Charges

Trump’s team has denied wrongdoing throughout the investigation and vociferously did so again Tuesday. Tacopina said the former president didn’t commit any crime and vowed to “vigorously fight this political prosecution in court.”

Tacopina has accused prosecutors of “distorting laws” to try to take down the former president. He has described Trump as a victim of extortion who had to pay the money because the allegations were going to be embarrassing to him “regardless of the campaign.”

In a lengthy statement of his own issued the day of the grand jury vote, Trump echoed the claims his attorneys made earlier Thursday, calling the case “Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history.”

“The Democrats have lied, cheated and stolen in their obsession with trying to ‘Get Trump,’ but now they’ve done the unthinkable – indicting a completely innocent person in an act of blatant Election Interference,” Trump’s statement reads. “The Democrats have cheated countless times over the decades, including spying on my campaign, but weaponizing our justice system to punish a political opponent, who just so happens to be a President of the United States and by far the leading Republican candidate for President, has never happened before. Ever.”

He also once again called the investigation a “Witch-hunt,” and went on to go after Bragg, whom he called “a disgrace…doing Joe Biden’s dirty work, ignoring the murders and burglaries and assaults he should be focused on.”

President Joe Biden, who has yet to formally announce that he’s seeking reelection next year, and other leading Democrats have largely had little to say about it. Asked about the matter Tuesday, the White House said the president was focused on the American people, not matters related to Trump.

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Learn more about the case background here.

The former president made the claims on his Truth Social platform. So far, the Manhattan DA’s office has declined to comment on the posts. News 4’s Adam Harding reports.

Trump’s Legal Woes: Beyond the Manhattan Indictment

The indictment marks an extraordinary development after years of investigations into his business, political and personal dealings.

Even as Trump pursues his latest White House campaign, there is no question an indictment gives fodder to his longstanding critics.

Besides the hush money inquiry in New York, Trump faces criminal investigations in Atlanta and Washington over his efforts to undo the results of the 2020 election.

A Justice Department special counsel has also been presenting evidence before a grand jury investigating Trump’s possession of hundreds of classified documents at his Florida estate.

It is not clear when those investigations will end or whether they might result in criminal charges, but they will continue regardless of what happens in New York, underscoring the ongoing gravity – and broad geographic scope – of the legal challenges facing the former president.

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Eric Tucker, Michael R. Sisak, Jill Colvin and Michelle L. Price of the Associated Press contributed to this report

Source: NBC New York

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