Donald Trump Charged With 34 Felony Counts; Pleads Not Guilty – Watch Video Report
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Earlier today, Donald Trump pled not guilty to all 34 felony counts at the Manhattan court following his arrest on Tuesday, which Trump himself had predicted.
The charges brought against the former United States (US) president were mostly centered around hush money that was allegedly paid in connection with a sex worker when Trump was initially running for election and the falsifying of other business records. After he was charged, Trump became the first former president of the United States to be indicted.
The 76-year-old, who had plans to once again run in the upcoming presidential elections, rarely spoke in the courtroom except to make small remarks when answering the judge and to state that he was “not guilty.”
According to reports, the case against Trump revolves around two separate payments (before the 2016 election) of hush money to two women in order to keep them quiet in relation to their sexual connections with the former president. Although they were not presented in the legal documents, it was stated by Alvin Bragg, Manhattan District Attorney, that $130,000 was paid to porn star Stormy Daniels and $150,000 to a Playboy magazine model, Karen McDougal.
Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, said that the payment to Daniels was done by him, on behalf of Trump, as hush money to not speak about their past sexual relationship.
Bragg has been investigating whether or not any documents were falsified in relation to the payment, as money paid to ensure silence is not by itself illegal. A rather serious-looking Trump left the Manhattan courtroom in silence on his way back to Florida where it is stated that he would deliver public remarks after the arraignment.
It is not yet certain if the case will result in a definite conviction, however, the political state of USA is shaken. Though being convicted would distract Trump’s party in the event of a drawn-out trial, it will not prevent him from joining the election as a candidate or returning to the Oval Office.
On his way to court earlier, Trump took to his Truth Social platform to say, “Seems so SURREAL – WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Can’t believe this is happening in America.”
Due to the multiple charges laid against him, supporters of the businessman-turned-politician rallied together in solidarity of their outrage. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a right-wing Republican from the state of Georgia, said that every American “should be concerned about Trump’s indictment, but her appearance was met with hostility and jeers from counter-protesters. Greene is mentioned to have promoted the false claim, on multiple occasions, that Trump had won the 2020 elections.
Trump is now being represented by Attorney Todd Blanche who gave up his partner position at a top-class NYC (New York City) law firm so that he could represent the former president as a defense lawyer. Trump is also the focal point of three additional investigations having to do with overturning the 2020 election results and how he dealt with classified info after his tenure in the White House ended.
Watch the video below:
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