Former US President Donald Trump made history on Tuesday by becoming the country’s first former head of state to be arrested on criminal charges. The former reality television star travelled to New York City to enter a not guilty plea to 34 counts of falsifying business records.
What occurred?
Trump, 76, surrendered for arrest at a courthouse in Lower Manhattan last week after a grand jury voted to indict him for allegedly falsifying business records. Judge Juan Merchan led him into the courtroom for arraignment after he was fingerprinted. When asked how he pleaded, he firmly replied “not guilty,” surrounded by his lawyers and showing little emotion.
Trump was then released and walked out of the courthouse, ignoring reporters’ questions. Protesters confined to a park across the street escorted him in and out of a building through an unnoticed door. He reportedly flew back to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, where he was scheduled to address supporters on Tuesday night.
What comes next?
Trump’s next court appearance is set for December 4, during which Merchan may rule on legal motions in the case. Trump’s lawyers, for example, will almost certainly file a motion to dismiss the case. It is unclear whether the former president will be required to appear at the next hearing.
Trump will run for president again in the 2024 election. The Republican primary season begins only two months after his next court appearance. While the law does not preclude him from running for president, the criminal charges could jeopardise his campaign. However, polls show that the indictment will temporarily boost his popularity among Republican voters. Elon Musk, the founder of Twitter, predicted last month that if Democrats indicted Trump, he would win “by a landslide.”
What exactly is the case about?
The indictment stems from a $130,000 hush money payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016, when Trump was on his way to becoming the Republican nominee for President. The payment was not illegal in and of itself. The US Department of Justice and the Federal Election Commission declined to investigate the matter as a campaign finance violation, based on the assumption that the payment was made solely to help Trump’s election prospects.
However, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who ran for office on a promise to prosecute Trump, has pursued the case on the grounds that Trump failed to properly report the hush money expense on his business records. Trump has been accused by the DA of falsely reporting the cost as payment for legal services. “The evidence will show that he did so in order to cover up crimes related to the 2016 election,” Bragg claimed on Tuesday. Those are presumably the same alleged offences that federal authorities deemed unworthy of prosecution.
The indictment also alleged a $30,000 payment to a Trump Tower doorman who claimed Trump fathered a child out of wedlock, as well as a $150,000 payment to a Playboy model who claimed she had an affair with Trump. The former president has denied all wrongdoing and referred to the investigation as a political “witch hunt.”
