What Happened
Former President Donald Trump was charged in an indictment with 34 felony counts of falsification of business records in the first degree, turning himself into Manhattan authorities on April 4, according to the Associated Press.
The criminal charges, which are a historic first for a sitting or former president, center around a series of hush-money payments paid ahead of the 2016 presidential election to cover up alleged affairs Trump participated in.
He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The Context
The charges focus on a $130,000 hush-money payment made by Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen to adult film star Stormy Daniels in order to cover up an alleged affair that took place in 2007. According to NBC News, the charges claim that 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.”
The prosecution claims that Trump reimbursed Cohen for these payments through checks which were registered as “legal fees,” when in reality they were payments for the hush-money cover up.
The indictment also highlighted two other individuals who received hush-money payments from Mr. Trump: Playboy model Karen McDougle and a former Trump Tower doorman who claimed to have information on a secret child fathered by Trump.
The Latest
Trump denies any criminal wrongdoing and said, “There was nothing done illegally!” in a post on his social media network, Truth Social. He also told supporters in a speech at his Mar-a-lago estate that the real “criminal” is Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, as reported by the New York Post.
There are currently no laws that would prevent someone convicted of a felony from running or serving as president, and Trump remains a front runner for the Republican Party candidate in the 2024 bid for president.
The next court date is set for Dec. 4. The prosecution said they hope to bring the case to trial in January 2024, while the defense has asked for a later date of spring 2024, according to the Associated Press.
