In an unprecedented moment for the United States, Donald Trump, the ex-president of the United States and the Republican Party’s front-runner for the 2024 presidential election was arrested on Tuesday when he arrived at the Manhattan criminal court to surrender. However, Court released him on bail.
After the court proceedings, Trump pleaded not guilty in person before State Supreme Court Justice Juan M Merchan to 34 criminal counts of falsifying business records resulting from an investigation into hush money paid to a porn star.
The unsealed indictment order against Trump charged him and others with violating election laws by attempting to suppress the publishing of negative information about him advance of the 2016 US election.
This included Trump illegally paying pornstar Stormy Daniels $130,000 to conceal negative information that would harm his election campaign.
Prosecutors said in court that he committed the crime of falsifying business documents in part to “promote his candidacy”.
When asked how he pleaded against the accusations levelled against him, Trump responded, “Not guilty.”
After his arraignment, the former president was released from custody with no pre-trial limitations.
“We’re going to fight against it. We’re going to fight it hard,” Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, told reporters after the arraignment.
“The former US president was frustrated, upset, and furious about the charges, but that despite this, Trump was motivated. And it isn’t going to deter him. And it’s not going to slow him down. And it’s precisely what he expected,” Blanche added.
The next judicial appearance has been scheduled for December 4. The court imposed no gag order on any of the parties.
The charges against Trump are the result of a probe into a hush money payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
This is the first criminal lawsuit in American history against a former president. The charge comes as Trump prepares to run for re-election to the presidency again in 2024. In association with the case, Trump’s arraignment (the first time a defendant appears in court after being charged) is scheduled for Tuesday (local time).
The case revolves around a $130,000 hush money payment made to Stormy Daniels by Michael Cohen, Trump’s now-former lawyer, in October 2016, a month before the presidential election that propelled Trump to power. This was done to silence Stormy Daniels regarding her sexual encounter allegations.
