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(CNN) Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in a Manhattan criminal court Tuesday afternoon.
Trump surrendered and appeared in a historic and unprecedented courtroom after being arrested on Tuesday, the first time the former president heard charges against him. The case is now poised to drag on over Trump’s 2024 candidacy as he battles accusations both publicly and in public.
Prosecutors allege Trump attempted to undermine the integrity of the 2016 election through a hush-money scheme that paid women who allege had affairs with Trump. bottom.
Prosecutors said Trump was part of an illegal plan to cover up negative information, which included a $130,000 order for the defendant to cover up negative information that would undermine his campaign. included illegal payments of
According to the indictment, Trump “repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to cover up a criminal act of concealing harmful information from voters during the 2016 presidential election.”
An indictment returned last week by a grand jury against Trump was unsealed on Tuesday, providing the public and Trump’s legal team with the first details about the specific charges he faces.
The indictment was quickly criticized by Trump’s Republican supporters, and even some legal experts questioned the case. It must be argued that Trump committed a felony, not a misdemeanor, by showing that was used to cover up another crime not specified in the indictment.
“One of the complex legal issues here is that in order to raise it from a misdemeanor to a felony, it must be shown that those records were falsified to commit a different crime, a second crime. It means it won’t,” Honig said. “I think you heard the defense attorney complaining about it.”
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said at a press conference after the arraignment that the indictment did not specify the law Trump broke because “the law doesn’t ask for much.”
Bragg highlighted a law Trump allegedly broke during the meeting. He also cited violations of federal election laws that limit contributions.
Bragg said the evidence would be “proven in an open court in downtown Manhattan.”
Next court date is Dec.
Trump responded by pleading not guilty when instructed to do so by a judge during his arraignment.
The former president’s voice was measured in court.
The date for the next in-person hearing in the Trump case in New York is currently set for December 4th.
In addition to the indictment, a 13-page “statement of fact” details in plain language how Trump allegedly committed crimes to help get elected to the White House in 2016. It is
“From August 2015 to December 2017, defendant worked with others to organize a plot to influence the 2016 presidential election, identify and purchase negative information about him, and restrained publicity and benefited the defendant’s election prospects,” the statement of fact said. Prosecutors described a “catch-and-kill plan” to suppress negative press about Trump “to promote Trump’s presidential candidacy.”
Each criminal charge facing Trump relates to a specific entry in the Trump Organization’s business records, according to the indictment.
Manhattan prosecutors have accused Mr. Trump of repeatedly causing false statements in business records.
The judge denied requests from several media organizations, including CNN, saying news outlets weren’t allowed to broadcast the minutes Monday night. stills photographers were allowed to take photos of Trump and the courtroom.
Trump responds with Mar-a-Lago
There was some debate about Trump speaking to the media while in court on Tuesday, but he did not. I will be speaking at an event in Mar-a-Lago in the evening.
Watch this interactive content on CNN.com
Mr Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing and has accused the indictments of political persecution.
During the arraignment, when prosecutors handed the judge a packet of Trump’s social media posts and told the court that Trump was threatening them with “irresponsible” social media posts, Trump’s Part of the comment came to the fore. A picture of a playing card with a baseball bat.
Trump’s attorneys responded that Trump has First Amendment rights and said they were frustrated by alleged illegal leaks about the indictment from the district attorney’s office. He also claimed that Trump’s social media posts were not threatening.
Judge Juan Merchan recognized Trump’s right to free speech but cautioned both sides not to incite violence or unrest through words or actions. Merchan said Social needs to take a closer look at his media posts as they become more visible.
Neither side requested a gag order.
Bragg’s indictment is the first criminal indictment against Trump, but it’s not the only potential legal issue in front of the former president: handling classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. Also, a Fulton County special grand jury has completed an investigation into efforts to overturn his 2020 election in Georgia.
Clarification: This article has been updated to clarify where prosecutors made claims against Trump regarding the 2016 election. It was in court documents.
CNN’s Tierney Sneed and Celina Tebor contributed to this report.
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