Former US president Donald Trump pled not guilty to 34 felony charges of falsifying business records in Manhattan district court on April 4. The charges stem from a $130,000 payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels, intended to buy her silence about an alleged affair with Trump in the lead-up to the 2016 US presidential election.
Before his arraignment, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination was formally booked and fingerprinted by the office of the Manhattan district attorney. It marked the first time in American history that an ex-president has faced criminal charges.
In its statement of facts, the district attorney’s office said it intended to prove that Trump falsified the records to break election laws, making the crime more serious.
“Manhattan is home to the country’s most significant business market,” Manhattan district attorney Alvin L. Bragg said in a prepared statement. “We cannot allow New York businesses to manipulate their records to cover up criminal conduct.”
All 34 charges are Class E felonies, the lowest category of felony offense in New York City. As each count carries a maximum four-year prison sentence, Trump faces a total 136 years in prison. Falsifying business records is typically considered a misdemeanor unless the fraud is used to commit a second crime, in which case it becomes a felony.
Trump responds on Truth Social
Trump has repeatedly dismissed the charges as politically motivated. He issued a statement on social media less than three minutes before entering the courthouse.
“Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse. Seems so SURREAL...they are going to ARREST ME,” Trump shared in a post to Truth Social. “Can’t believe this is happening in America.”
Competing protests raged in a park outside the courthouse, with scores of reporters poised to capture the historic moment. Outspoken Trump ally Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican congresswoman from Georgia, organized a rally in support of the former president earlier in the day.
Trump was expected to return to his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida that night. At least three other active criminal investigations currently focus on him, including a special counsel in Washington, D.C., looking into his alleged mishandling of classified documents after leaving office.
A timeline leading up to Donald Trump’s arrest
August 21, 2018: Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal lawyer, admits that he arranged hush-money payments for Stormy Daniels—the porn actress who allegedly had an affair with Trump—just days before the 2016 election.
September 16, 2019: The Manhattan district begins to investigate if those payments broke state laws and subpoenas eight years of Trump’s tax returns. Three days later, Trump countersues to protect his financial information.
December 11, 2020: The New York Times reports that state prosecutors in Manhattan had interviewed employees of Trump’s bank and insurance broker, signaling further investigations into possible financial crimes.
February 22, 2021: The Supreme Court rules that Trump must hand over his tax returns to Manhattan district attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr.
January 1, 2022: A new Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, takes over the case after Vance leaves office.
January 30, 2023: The New York Times reports that the Manhattan district attorney has impaneled a grand jury over the hush-money payments at some point in January.
March 1, 2023: Trump incorrectly predicts the date of his arrest on Truth Social, his personal social media platform.
March 30, 2023: Trump is officially indicted by a grand jury.
April 4, 2023: Trump is arrested in Manhattan and pleads not guilty to 34 felony counts.
Joe Biden wants to stay far away from this case
The White House had little to say about Trump’s historic arraignment.
“It’s an ongoing case, so we’re just not going to comment,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at a press conference on April 4. “The president is going to focus on the American people.”
Instead, Jean-Pierre chose to lead with the news of Finland’s official entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
This is the ongoing strategy for president Joe Biden, who has refused to comment on Trump’s legal woes. Biden is looking to avoid any improper politicizing of the case, in anticipation of a likely general election matchup with Trump.
However, with Trump already selling T-shirts displaying an illustrated mugshot and a caption reading “Not Guilty” on his campaign website, it will be difficult for this criminal case to remain in the courtroom.
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