Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 criminal charges brought against him.
New York:
The Manhattan court of New York summoned the former president of the United States, Donald Trump, for the next personal hearing to be held on December 4, reports CNN.
Trump, who pleaded not guilty to 34 criminal charges against him, left the courtroom without making a statement.
After leaving the courtroom, Trump exited the building and entered his motorcade parked outside. The indictment against Donald Trump alleges that the former president was involved in a conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the 2016 election.
The indictment against Donald Trump alleges that the editor-in-chief and executive director of the National Enquirer approached Michael Cohen shortly after access to the Hollywood tape was made public in October 2016. And later Cohen said that adult film star Stormy Daniels claimed that she had an affair with Donald Trump.
Cohen, the indictment alleges, negotiated with Daniels “to pay money” to “secure [Daniels’] to silence and prevent the release of damaging information in the final weeks before the presidential election.”
CNN reported, citing prosecutors, that Trump was part of a scheme to suppress negative information, including an illegal payment of $130,000 ordered by the defendant to suppress information damaging to his campaign.
He earlier surrendered to authorities in Lower Manhattan Court ahead of his trial.
When he arrived at the Lower Manhattan courthouse, Trump tweeted that the experience was “SURREAL,” adding: “WOW, they are going to arrest me. I can’t believe this is happening in America.”
According to CNN, Trump is expected to be fingerprinted as part of the arrest, though it is not yet clear if he will be shot. Next, he will be brought to the courtroom, where he will be presented to the court.
Donald Trump arrived at New York’s LaGuardia Airport on Monday ahead of his pending court appearance in Manhattan court, CNN reports. Alina Habba, who represents Trump in a number of civil matters, said after meeting with him in New York.
Trump, who is seeking the Republican nomination for next year’s presidential race, has denied any wrongdoing and called the investigation and indictment a partisan attack. Bragg is a Democrat.
A team of Secret Service agents, accompanied by New York Police Department officials, toured the courthouse and its entrances Friday, apparently mapping the former president’s passage through it.
The FBI is warning local and state police agencies around the country about concerns about a possible Trump indictment, and even New York City officials are planning to close key streets in lower Manhattan as a security measure, ABC News reported.
(Except for the headline, this story was not edited by NDTV staff and was published from a syndicated feed.)