Donald Trump sat solemnly in a New York City courtroom Tuesday as prosecutors charged him with 34 felony counts of falsifying accounting records that stemmed from an investigation into hush money for two women. The first former US president to be charged with committing felonies has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Trump has denied wrongdoing, criticized the investigation, called the indictment against him “political persecution” and predicted the case would hurt Democrats in the 2024 election. Trump’s lawyers have They said that the former president “did not commit any crime” and stated that they will “vehemently fight this politically motivated accusation in court.”
This is a glimpse of what happened on Tuesday:
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WHAT HAPPENED AFTER HE SURRENDERED TO THE AUTHORITIES?
Trump was booked.
Before computers existed, information about each suspect was written in a huge book guarded by judicial officers. Now, everything is computerized, but the process is basically the same.
Court officials record the defendant’s full name, age, date of birth, weight, and height. They check to see if there are any outstanding arrest warrants. Trump was scheduled to be fingerprinted, but a mugshot of him is not believed to have been taken.
In New York, this process generally takes about two hours, but can take up to four. However, no one else was being prosecuted when Trump arrived, so he went faster. Subsequently, the former president appeared before a judge.
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WHAT HAPPENED AT THE HEARING?
Prosecutors raised concerns about what they said were irresponsible social media posts that they said were directed at people involved in the case, including grand jury witnesses and District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Specifically, they referred to Trump’s posts in which he warned of “potential death and destruction” if he were indicted.
The judge said he was not going to impose a gag order at this time, but asked both parties to refrain from making comments or participating in statements that could lead to civil unrest.
Trump spoke briefly. He told the judge that he pleaded “not guilty” to 34 felony counts of falsifying accounting records and was informed of his rights. Trump stood still for most of the time, hands clasped and eyes forward during the procedure that lasted just over an hour.
Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, said during the hearing that the former president “is completely frustrated, upset and believes that a great injustice is taking place in this court today.”
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WAS ARRESTED?
Technically yes.
When someone is fingerprinted and processed, that person is considered to be under arrest and in the custody of authorities. But in the case of Trump, things were not as seen in the movies or TV series like “Law & Order.”
He was not handcuffed or sat in a cell. That’s partly because a section of the courthouse was cleared for his arraignment and because Trump is a former president with Secret Service protection. Not all defendants are handcuffed before they appear before a judge for their formal arraignment, although some are.
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DID TRUMP LEAVE THE COURT?
Yes. Trump said nothing as he left court, ignoring reporters.
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WHAT NEXT NOW?
Trump’s next appearance is scheduled for December. His lawyers requested that he be given permission not to attend the hearing in person due to the extraordinary security measures.
