NY.- The former president was charged with 34 felonies and pleaded not guilty before State Supreme Court Judge Juan M. Merchan.
Manhattan prosecutors on Tuesday charged Donald J. Trump with covering up a possible sex scandal during the 2016 presidential campaign, unsealing 34 felony counts that open a dangerous chapter in the long public life of the billionaire businessman who rose to the presidency and now he faces the prospect of a shameful criminal trial.
Trump was indicted last week, becoming the first former US president to face criminal charges, and turned himself in to authorities in Manhattan Tuesday afternoon.
Trump now appears before a judge for his arraignment, where he has pleaded not guilty, a surreal scene for a man who once held the Oval Office and is preparing a third run for the White House.
In a remarkable spectacle unfolding before a divided nation, Trump’s 11-vehicle motorcade arrived just before 1:30 a.m. at the district attorney’s office, part of Manhattan’s imposing criminal court building. While in custody, he was fingerprinted like any felony defendant, but special accommodations were made for the former president: He spent little time in custody and was not expected to be handcuffed or mugged.
When a visibly angry Trump entered the courtroom, he was accompanied by his legal counsel, Boris Epshteyn, and the attorneys handling this case, Todd W. Blanche, Susan R. Necheles, and Joseph Tacopina. Trump refused to speak, despite aides indicating that he might.
Amid fears of protests and Trump-inspired threats, the day’s events will be highly choreographed by the Secret Service, the New York City Police Department, courthouse security and the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, who has been investigating Trump for nearly five years. As the helicopters circled, the streets outside the courthouse were packed with the press corps and hundreds of protesters, with supporters and critics of the former president gathering in a nearby park, where they shouted at each other from metal barricades put up to keep peace.
The charges against Trump stem from a $130,000 cash payment that his mediator, Michael D. Cohen, made to Stormy Daniels, a porn star, in the final days of the 2016 campaign. The payment, which Cohen said which he did on Trump’s orders, ensured that she would not go public with her story of a sexual relationship with Trump.
Trump then reimbursed Cohen, prosecutors say, in a way that concealed the true nature of the deal: His company’s internal records characterized the reimbursement to Cohen as legal expenses owed as part of a retainer agreement.
The case, brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, could mark just the beginning of Trump’s journey through the criminal justice system. He faces three other criminal investigations related to allegations of undermining an election and mishandling of confidential government records, issues central to American democracy and security.
But perhaps not surprising, given the boorish, circus-like political era that ushered in Trump’s election (marked by the elevation of D-list celebrities, rude social media posts, and a casual relationship with the truth). ) that his first accusation stems from lies about dating a porn star.
For Mr. Bragg, a Democrat, a conviction is not a sure thing. The charges of falsifying business records appear to hinge on a new application of the law.
And Trump has denied all wrongdoing, as well as any sexual encounter with Ms. Daniels, and has lashed out at Mr. Bragg with threatening and sometimes racist language, calling the district attorney, who is African-American, a ” animal” and calling on his followers to “PROTEST” his arrest. His rhetoric has been reminiscent of posts by him in the lead up to the attack on the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021.
