New York: Former US President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts in a Manhattan court during his trial on history-making criminal charges related to secretly paying a porn star ahead of the 2016 presidential election. The 76-year-old former Republican president, who will rule the country for four years until January 2021, was arrested on Tuesday as he surrendered in Manhattan criminal court.
Trump, who became the first former US president to be indicted, arrested and indicted on criminal charges, pleaded guilty in person to 34 criminal counts of falsifying business records before State Supreme Court Justice Juan M. Marchan. pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Here’s a quick update on Trump’s impeachment, indictment and trial
Trump defiant in Mar-a-Lago speech
Surrounded by American flags, former President Donald Trump delivered a campaign-style speech to cheer supporters at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday night. Trump was defiant, among other things, to his two impeachment trials during his presidency. He called the New York indictment the latest in an “onslaught of fraud investigations.”
Trump said, “This bogus case was brought only to interfere in the upcoming 2024 election and should be dropped immediately.”
Trump’s return to Florida
Former President Donald Trump said in a social media post from his plane on his way home from New York that Tuesday’s court hearing was “surprising to many people, because they had no surprises, and therefore no case.” Every legal pundit has said that there is no case here. Nothing was done illegally!
Trump’s plane has landed in Florida, and his motorcade is headed to his Mar-a-Lago resort, where hundreds of supporters, many in red MAGA hats, await him in a grand ballroom. Trump was expected to speak there in a campaign-like setting.
One person wore a jacket patterned with star-shaped American flags, and another person chanted “No offense!” Wore a red tie with the message. Members of a motorcycle club wore black leather vests with the words ‘Born to Ride for 45 Donald Trump’ written on the back. Trump was the 45th President of America.
Motorcycle club member Alex Gonzalez said he supports Trump in his 2024 presidential bid. “If he did something wrong, like anybody else, he should be held accountable for it, but at the same time it’s a victim of a spell. It’s not a real case,” Gonzalez said.
Manhattan Dr. Bragg discusses the allegations
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg says his office’s landmark case against former President Donald Trump seeks to “make sure everyone has equal standing before the law.” Bragg said, “No amount and no amount of power changes the American principle.”
Bragg spoke to a room full of reporters after Trump’s indictment Tuesday at the Manhattan Courthouse on 34 felony charges tied to concealing money paid to multiple people during the 2016 presidential campaign. The former president pleaded not guilty.
Bragg, who takes office in 2022 and initially slowed down the office’s move toward impeaching Trump, said he is now moving forward because of additional evidence not available to his predecessor. He did not elaborate on the evidence or how it came to the attention of prosecutors. Bragg said, “I’ll bring up the case when they’re ready.”
Judge warns Trump to avoid provocative statements
A New York judge warned former President Donald Trump to refrain from making rhetoric that could incite or lead to civil unrest during Trump’s impeachment on Tuesday in Manhattan. Trump told Judge Juan Marchen that he pleaded not guilty and the judge advised him of his rights. Merchan also warned Trump that he could be removed from the courtroom if he was disruptive, but Trump spoke only a few times to answer questions. His next court is in December. Trump’s lawyers asked to be exempted from attending the hearing in person because of the extraordinary security precautions.
The judge said he was not ordering a ban at this point, but asked both sides to refrain from comments that could lead to civil unrest. Trump mostly stayed or folded his hands and looked ahead during the proceedings that lasted less than an hour.
Trump leaves Manhattan Court
Former President Donald Trump leaves a Manhattan courthouse following his indictment on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Trump did not answer a reporter’s shouted question about the allegations as he hurriedly left the courtroom where the hearing took place.
Trump spent nearly two hours inside the building for the booking and indictment where he learned the details of the criminal charges against him during his third presidential campaign.
Trump pleads not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records
Former President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, according to two law enforcement officials familiar with the matter. Two officials who confirmed the plea spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because prosecutors had not yet released the indictment publicly.
The allegations stem from hush payments during the 2016 campaign.
Photos of the courtroom show Trump seated at a table reserved for the defendants and their attorneys. He was surrounded by his legal team, two seated on either side of the former president. Trump leaned forward slightly, his shoulders rounded, but did not turn his face away, allowing photographers into the courtroom just before the hearing.
White House calm on Trump’s allegations
While the nation’s attention was trained on the Manhattan courthouse where Donald Trump was being argued, the White House did its best to suggest it wasn’t paying much attention. Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that “our focus right now is on the American people,” and was non-committal when asked whether President Joe Biden was following the news. “He’ll catch that part of the news when he has a moment to catch up on the news of the day?” He said. ?But that’s not the focus for them today.
When asked about the potential for unrest over the former president’s prosecution, Jean-Pierre was similarly circumspect, especially since Trump has called for protests. “We’re ready,” she said. Fox News’ Peter Doki tried unsuccessfully to get Jean-Pierre to open up more.
“Why don’t you have more to say about the Trump indictment,” he asked. “For better or for worse, the only person anybody in the country is talking about, at this point in time that we’re here, is Trump. And they look here to find out what the White House thinks about it.”
“I think the American people should feel reassured that when a case like this is going on, we’re not just commenting,” Jean-Pierre said. But the journalists did not give up. Jean-Pierre joked, “I like how you guys are asking me this in different ways.” “You guys are smart.”
Trump reached court for appearance
Former President Donald Trump enters the Manhattan courtroom where he is to be heard on criminal charges stemming from secret payments made during his 2016 campaign. Trump arrived in the 15th-floor courtroom about 70 minutes after entering to surrender to the court and be booked ahead of the hearing.
Trump did not acknowledge a television camera sending live images from the hallway outside the courtroom. Judge Juan Marchen has ruled that TV cameras will not be allowed in the courtroom. Trump’s lawyers have said he will plead not guilty.
Manhattan DA enters courtroom
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg walks into the courtroom where former President Donald Trump is set to go on trial on criminal charges stemming from covert payments during his 2016 campaign.
Trump has not yet appeared on the 15th floor where the hearing is to be held. Wearing a navy-blue suit and a bright red tie, Trump entered the courthouse at about 12:20 p.m. to surrender to the charges and take arraignment before the hearing.
Trump reached Manhattan court
Former President Donald Trump arrives at the Manhattan Courthouse where he is going to plead not guilty to criminal charges. He entered the courthouse surrounded by Secret Service agents. Trump’s motorcade departs from Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan, tracked by several helicopters.
Trump leaves New York home
Former President Donald Trump pumped his fists before leaving Trump Tower shortly after 1 p.m. Tuesday and bound for the Manhattan Courthouse, about 4 miles (6 kilometers) away. Trump’s lawyers have arranged for his surrender. He will be booked at the courthouse, not a police precinct, as are most New York defendants.
Court officials will make a record of his name, age, date of birth, height and weight before taking his fingerprints through a computerized system. They can take his picture.
Florida lawmaker vows to continue supporting Trump
A former Florida state lawmaker said he and others flew from Orlando to New York for Tuesday’s hearing to send a message to former President Donald Trump: We will not stop supporting you. Anthony Sabatini, chairman of Florida’s Lake County Republican Party, joined other Trump supporters in a park near the Manhattan courthouse where Trump’s impeachment was to take place.
“It’s a bad day for America, one of the worst days in American history, he said. The mood among Trump supporters, however, was positive,” Sabatini said. He credited New York police officers with separating people based on their motivation to support Trump or his impeachment.
Green speaks briefly amid shouts
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene briefly booed supporters of Donald Trump outside the Manhattan courthouse Tuesday morning ahead of the former president’s impeachment. After exiting an SUV, a large crowd surrounded the Georgia Republican, once shunned by the GOP as a political pariah for his extremist rhetoric.