Donald Trump pleads not guilty in New York court for hush payment to porn star
Donald Trump is the first former US president to face criminal charges.
Former President Donald Trump has been arraigned in a New York investigation into payments to silence a porn star who alleged having an affair with him.
Trump on Tuesday afternoon was formally arrested following a Manhattan grand jury’s indictment.
Trump has been charged with 34 counts in an investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office into a $130,000 hush payment to porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Trump’s indictment and arrest are unprecedented, as no current or former president has ever been criminally charged in US history.
On Tuesday morning, Trump supporters and opponents clashed at a park outside Manhattan Criminal Courthouse.
His arraignment came more than two weeks after Trump claimed he would be arrested and called on his followers to protest.
Posting on his Truth Social platform on March 18, Trump wrote that ‘illegal leaks’ from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office indicate that ‘THE FAR & AWAY LEADING REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE & FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WILL BE ARRESTED ON TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK’.
In the days following, law enforcement officials met at the New York Police Department headquarters to discuss security around Trump’s court appearance.
Notably, Trump’s indictment comes as he makes a 2024 presidential bid.
There were recent indications that an indictment was forthcoming.
Daniels and her lawyer in mid-March revealed that they had met with prosecutors at the request of the district attorney’s office.
‘Stormy responded to questions and has agreed to make herself available as a witness, or for further inquiry if needed,’ tweeted Clark Brewster last week.
Daniels shared Brewster’s post and wrote: ‘Thank you to my amazing attorney (who also always spells my name correctly) for helping me in our continuing fight for truth and justice.’
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