Key takeaways:
- Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony criminal charges related to a hush money scheme with payments made to women who claimed they had extramarital affairs with him.
- The charges are unprecedented as it is the first time a former president has been charged with a crime while out of office.
- Trump’s legal team is expected to challenge the charges in court, and the case will likely take months to resolve.
Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony criminal charges of falsifying business records in Manhattan criminal court Tuesday afternoon. The charges are linked to a $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels, and prosecutors allege that Trump sought to undermine the integrity of the 2016 election through a hush money scheme with payments made to women who claimed they had extramarital affairs with Trump.
Trump surrendered and was placed under arrest Tuesday before he was arraigned in a historic and unprecedented court appearance, in which the former president heard the charges against him for the first time. After the arraignment, Trump appeared before supporters to decry the charges as a witch hunt, declaring he did nothing wrong.
The case is now poised to linger over Trump’s 2024 candidacy as he fights the charges both in court and in public. Prosecutors laid out a pattern of buying damaging stories, and Trump faces 34 felony charges related to falsified business records.
The arraignment was routine, but the charges against Trump are unprecedented. It is the first time a former president has been charged with a crime while out of office. Trump’s legal team is expected to challenge the charges in court, and the case will likely take months to resolve. In the meantime, the charges will continue to hang over Trump’s potential 2024 candidacy.
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