Unprecedented for US Presidents, Trump Arraigned, Pleads Not Guilty to 34 Charges
It is a historic day for America.
On Tuesday, April 4, Donald Trump became the first former or sitting U.S. President to be arrested and face criminal charges, according to a leak from the sealed indictment. He was charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records and conspiracy.
Trump pleaded not guilty all 34 felony counts tied to a “hush money” payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
The indictment was released to the public after Tuesday’s arraignment in Manhattan, New York.
Here are the facts of the situation in New York:
- Trump was indicted last Thursday by a Manhattan grand jury as part of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office’s years-long investigation into his alleged hush money payments by his former lawyer Michael Cohen to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal ahead of the 2016 election, Fox News reported.
- The Associated Press reported that Trump surrendered to New York authorities prior to his arraignment. He was not photographed or finger-printed, and the AP says he entered the courtroom just before 2:30 p.m. “stone-faced” but without saying a word.
- Fox News reported that multitudes of protestors gathered outside the Manhattan courthouse, including a woman wearing a “MAGA” hat who fell to the ground after trampling an anti-Trump flag strewn across the ground. Fox News says the woman took a large banner from an anti-Trumper with the words “Trump Lies All the Time” written on it, and then “she fell onto the ground and laid on the flag before she was confronted by protestors wearing shirts calling for Trump’s arrest.”
- Trump’s attorneys voiced all weekend that they expected to file a motion to dismiss all charges stemming from in the investigation headed by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Trump said earlier Tuesday that the case should be moved to nearby Staten Island, which has a larger demographic of Republican voters than Manhattan.
Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social Tuesday:
“VERY UNFAIR VENUE, WITH SOME AREAS THAT VOTED 1% REPUBLICAN. THIS CASE SHOULD BE MOVED TO NEARBY STATEN ISLAND—WOULD BE A VERY FAIR AND SECURE LOCATION FOR THE TRIAL. ADDITIONALLY, THE HIGHLY PARTISAN JUDGE & HIS FAMILY ARE WELL KNOWN TRUMP HATERS. HE WAS AN UNFAIR DISASTER ON A PREVIOUS TRUMP RELATED CASE, WOULDN’T RECUSE, GAVE HORRIBLE JURY INSTRUCTIONS, & IMPOSSIBLE TO DEAL WITH DURING THE WITCH HUNT TRIAL. HIS DAUGHTER WORKED FOR “KAMALA” & NOW THE BIDEN-HARRIS CAMPAIGN. KANGAROO COURT!!!”
- In a poll conducted by McLaughlin & Associates of 1,000 likely primary voters, published Monday, indicated that after the indictment, Trump led Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis by 33 points in a head-to-head primary battle. That’s up from 12 points in January.
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Shawn A. Akers is the online editor at Charisma Media.
