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Ex US President Donald Trump walks toward the courtroom inside New York Criminal Court in New York, U.S (EPA Photo)
Former US President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty after being charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records involving three hush-money cases.
He was released from custody without any pre-trial restrictions. The judge, Juan Merchan, added during the hearing that a trial could potentially start in January 2024.
Trump was indicted last week by the Manhattan grand jury following an investigation into a $130,000 payment made by his former attorney Michael D. Cohen to porn actor Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 election.
The money was allegedly paid to prevent Daniels from publicly saying she had an affair with Trump.
The former President became the first in United States history to face criminal charges.
Here are four takeaways from the court proceedings:
Trump arrived at the Manhattan Criminal Court. There was no perp walk, no handcuffs and no mug shot.
After he was fingerprinted and processed, Trump sat between his lawyers to hear the charges laid against him. He pleaded not guilty to all 34 felony counts.
The court appearance took less than an hour and Trump departed without stopping to speak to the press.
The investigation was previously thought to centre around the money paid to the porn star Stormy Daniels, but the Manhattan District Attorney’s office unveiled a much broader scope, accusing Trump of falsifying records to conceal information from the voting public.
It accused Trump of collaborating with the head of American Media Inc (AMI) to buy and suppress coverage that might blemish his public image.
Outside the Manhattan Criminal Court, hundreds of protesters gathered. The demonstration came amid concerns about political violence following the 2021 Capitol attack.
The Capitol attack saw Trump supporters launch a deadly assault on the US Congress on January 6, 2021, over the results of the 2020 presidential elections.
Trump was accused of riling up his supporters prior to the attack. Ahead of his hearing on Tuesday, he once again called on his backers to rise up on his behalf.
Claiming he will be arrested, he declared; “Protest, take our nation back!”
The former president is also facing separate federal investigations into his alleged involvement in 2020 election interference by his supporters and the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
He also faces problems with his handling of classified documents after leaving office.
Trump also faces possible state-level election interference charges in Georgia.
In an Al Jazeera report, last month, Trump also warned of “potential death and destruction” if he was indicted, and law enforcement agencies are on high alert around the country.
Trump announced a campaign for president in 2024 and he has claimed the investigation is a politically motivated effort to interfere in his becoming President again.
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