Mike Incognito 04/05/2023
For the first time in American history, a former president turned himself into the police and was taken into custody.
Tuesday's arraignment of Donald Trump tested the resilience of judicial norms and legal procedures that apply to all Americans - this time, the 45th president of the United States - by putting them to the test.
34 Felonies
The Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg accused Trump of 34 felonies in a sealed indictment on Tuesday for allegedly fabricating New York business records using a "catch and kill" tactic to hide negative information and illegal activities before the 2016 presidential election.
Trump entered a not-guilty plea to all of the charges while in front of Judge Juan Merchan.
The case's central issue revolves around the $130,000 in hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels by Trump's then-fixer Michael Cohen. The $30,000 payment to a former Trump Tower doorman "who claimed to have a story about a child Trump had out of wedlock" was also detailed by the prosecution.
Additionally, they made mention of a different $150,000 payment made to former Playboy model Karen McDougal in order to quiet her regarding an alleged affair before the 2016 election. The final two payments, according to the prosecution, were made possible by American Media Inc., the company that owns and runs the tabloid National Enquirer.
Hubris payments are not forbidden under state law. Bragg, though, said that Trump fabricated financial records by passing off Cohen's monthly reimbursement payments as reimbursements for legal services.
Falsifying company records is a misdemeanor in New York state law on its own. Bragg claimed the records were fabricated to hide other offenses, leading to charges against Trump for more severe felonies.
"Why did Donald Trump repeatedly make these false statements?" Bragg said. "The evidence will show that he did so to cover up crimes relating to the 2016 election."
Bragg said that Trump broke both New York election law and federal campaign finance law, despite the indictment not specifying which additional offenses he committed.
Trump defiant in Mar-a-Lago speech
After leaving the court in New York City, Trump traveled back to his club in Palm Beach, Florida, where he gave a speech outlining his numerous complaints about everything from his detention on Tuesday and the FBI's investigation of Mar-a-Lago last year for sensitive documents to President Joe Biden's son and losing the 2020 race.
"This fake case was brought only to interfere with the upcoming 2024 election and it should be dropped immediately," he said.