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Donald Trump Arraigned in Manhattan Court For 34 Criminal Counts

On Tuesday, 4th April 2023, Donald Trump made history as the first former American president to be charged with criminal activity. Trump left his home for the courthouse shortly after 1300 hrs US local time (1800hrs BST) wearing a dark navy suit and red tie.

His motorcade took mere minutes to complete the 6.4km drive (4 miles) from the Trump Tower, his home, to the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse. While in Transit, he posted on his Truth Social platform, “Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse. Seems so SURREAL 鈥� WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Can’t believe this is happening in America.”

On arrival, trump looked shocked and angry about his arraignment but stopped to wave to the supporters, reporters, and onlookers who were outside the courthouse. Once inside, he was subjected to a fingerprint scan like any other criminal defendant. However, he was afforded special treatment as he wasn鈥檛 handcuffed or subjected to mug shots as per The Guardian.

Trump entered the room with two Secret Service agents and two New York court officers and proceeded to his legal team in the court. According to the BBC, reporters were not allowed to use phones, cameras, or laptops once the proceedings began.

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Once the proceedings began and the charges were read, Trump stood and pleaded, 鈥淣ot guilty鈥�. This would be one of two statements he would utter throughout the entire proceedings in the courthouse. The other is 鈥淚 know鈥� which he said when instructed he would be removed if he is disruptive.

What Are the Charges Against Trump?

On appearing before Judge Juan Merchan, Former president Donald Trump was formally charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records. Falsifying records charges are usually regarded as lesser misdemeanors.

However, in Trump鈥檚 case, these accusations are listed as felony offenses which imply more serious crimes. As per the BBC, all 34 charges are related to a $130,000 hush-money payment. The payment was made by Trump鈥檚 lawyer Michael Cohen to adult film star Stormy Daniels just before the 2016 election.

What was the payment for? Well according to court records, the payment was designed to prevent Daniels from talking about her alleged affair with Mr. Trump in 2007. The court documents refer to Cohen as Lawyer A and Daniels as Woman 2, the BBC reports.

The first line of the Statement of Facts accompanying the indictment reads, 鈥楾he defendant DONALD J. TRUMP repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal criminal conduct that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election.鈥�

When Did These Alleged Crimes Occur?

These alleged hush-money payments and cover-ups happened while Mr. Trump was still in office. In 2017, after he became president, Trump met with his former lawyer Michael Cohen in the white house. As the BBC reports, Trump began sending cheques to Cohen shortly after and over the course of the next ten months.

The cheques originated from a trust handling the then-President鈥檚 assets and later some came from his own bank account.  The cheques were allegedly labeled as 鈥渓egal fees鈥� but according to Cohen, they were reimbursements for the hush-money payment he made on Trump鈥檚 behalf.

As disclosed by the BBC, the prosecution case reads: 鈥楾he defendant DONALD J. TRUMP repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal criminal conduct that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election.鈥�

What Are The Probable Consequences If Found Guilty?

Trump鈥檚 lawyers have labeled the allegations against their client as 鈥榮ad鈥� and 鈥榖oilerplate’. In a statement outside the courthouse, one of Trump鈥檚 attorneys said, “We’re going to fight it, we’re going to fight it hard.”

Judge Merchan gave the lawyers until August 8th to file any motions regarding the case such as dismissal. Trump鈥檚 next court date is set for December 4th. This is about two months before the Republican preliminaries begin.

According to BBC, the charges against Trump are all classified as Class E felonies. This is in fact the lowest category of felony offenses. Class E felonies carry a maximum sentence of four years.

However, legal experts claim that while there the chances of a prison sentence are minimal. It is more likely that Donald J. Trump will be fined for his crimes. One thing is sure though, the case could overturn his 2024 White House bid despite leading the Republican field.