Trump Indictment: Ex-POTUS Pleads Not Guilty To 34 Counts, Returning To Florida After Arraignment

Ted Johnson and Dominic Patten
·8 min read
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UPDATED with latest: Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on Tuesday elaborated on the indictment brought against former President Donald Trump, characterizing it as a scheme to keep damaging information about an alleged affair with Stormy Daniels from the voting public.

Trump today pleaded not guilty to a 34-count indictment of falsifying business records. The charges allege that he was trying to cover up the payments he ultimately made to Daniels via his then-attorney, Michael Cohen.

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“At its core, this case today is one with allegations like so many of our white collar cases, allegations that someone lied again and again to protect their interests and evade the laws to which we are all held accountable,” Bragg said.

He said that New York state election law “makes it a crime to conspire to promote a candidacy by unlawful means.” He also alleged that Trump planned to make false statements to tax authorities and violated a cap on federal election contribution limits.

He said that since he became D.A. last year, “we’ve had more evidence made available to the office and opportunity to meet with additional witnesses.”

He defended the decision to move forward with the case now, saying that they regularly do cases involving false business statements.

“The bedrock, the basis for business integrity and a well-functioning business marketplace is true and accurate record keeping,” he said. He added that the case was about 34 “false statements and business records that were concealing criminal conduct.”

Outside the courthouse, Trump attorney Todd Blanche told reporters that the indictment itself was “boilerplate.”

He said that Trump is “frustrated. He’s upset. But I will tell you what, he is motivated.”

Another attorney, Jim Trusty, told CNN, “Trying to … make felonies out of misdemeanors to avoid a statute of limitations problem, that’s kind of blatantly the underpinning for all of this.”

Judge Juan Merchan did not issue a gag order on Trump, but said that he did not want to see any more incendiary posts and statements directed at Bragg, according to Fox News’ Jake Gibson, who was in the courtroom.

PREVIOUSLY: Donald Trump has left the Manhattan courthouse after being arrested and arraigned and pleading not guilty to 34 counts in an indictment related to falsification of business records.

Trump did not make any statement after the hearing, which ran about an hour, but plans to make a speech from Mar-a-Lago in Florida later tonight.

The hearing itself was closed to cameras and recording devices, with some reporters leaving an overflow room to deliver updates to their news outlets. NBC News’ Adam Reiss said that the prosecutors had expressed concerns over Trump’s social media posts, including those aimed at District Attorney Alvin Bragg and predicting “death and destruction” if he was indicted. But there have been no reports that the judge, Juan Merchan, has issued any kind of a gag order.

Trump’s next appearance in the case is scheduled for December, and prosecutors recommended a trial in January, right in the midst of Republican primary season, according to NBC News.

PREVIOUSLY: Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts in the indictment.

The indictment is premised on falsification of business records, a source told Deadline.

The indictment has been unsealed but not yet released.

One of the first reports from inside the courtroom came from Adam Reiss of NBC News, who stepped out from an overflow room to talk to Lester Holt from NBC News and to MSNBC. Reiss reported that prosecutors said that Trump “tried to conceal a conspiracy and undermine the 2016 election, to identify and suppress negative information.” They claim that Trump “directed to” then-attorney Michael Cohen to suppress negative information about an alleged affair with porn actress Stormy Daniels.

The circus like atmosphere outside the courthouse did get a bit heated as an anti-Trump crowd clashed with a Trump supporter. Among also those spotted in the crowd: Michael Rapaport.

PREVIOUSLY: Donald Trump entered the courtroom for his arraignment during a hearing in which he will hear the charges against him.

Looking somber, Trump was being joined in the 15th floor Manhattan courtroom by two of his aides, Jason Miller and Boris Epshteyn, and his attorneys. A reporter shouted a question from down the hallway, asking if he would come speak to journalists, but he did not respond.

There is no audio or camera coverage allowed of the proceedings, and members of the press cannot use their electronic devices. Still photographers will be allowed for a few moments.

“I have to wonder if what he read in the indictment is more than what he anticipated,” Alyssa Farah Griffin, former communications adviser to Trump, said in CNN. Van Jones added, “This is not Judge Judy. This is real.”

Outside the courthouse, spectators and media milled around, anticipating that Trump may make a statement after the hearing. His motorcade went to a side street sealed off from the public.

PREVIOUSLY: Donald Trump arrived at Manhattan Criminal Court for his arrest and arraignment, as he tried to project an image of defiance in the first-ever spectacle of a former president facing an indictment.

Trump waved before he walked into the building, surrounded by his security detail. Just before that, he wrote on Truth Social, “Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse. Seems so SURREAL — WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Can’t believe this is happening in America. MAGA!”

The exact nature of the charges — believed to be related to so-called hush money payments paid to porn star Stormy Daniels — are expected to be publicly disclosed soon before or at the time his hearing starts, scheduled for 2:15 p.m. ET. Trump will be processed and fingerprinted beforehand, although there were reports that there would be no mug shot.

Broadcast networks broke into regular programming to cover the scene, while cable networks tracked his motorcade and its four-mile trip from Trump Tower to lower Manhattan.

“This moment at 1:24 Eastern time, Donald Trump is under arrest,” CNN anchor Anderson Cooper said, as the chyron switched to “Donald Trump under arrest and awaiting arraignment.”

On MSNBC, Chris Jansing said that it was worth pausing to consider “the moment that we’ve never been in before, and that is that when he walked into that courthouse, and he was escorted, officially, Donald Trump, former president of the United States, front-runner for the Republican nomination for president of the United States, is now under arrest. We have never seen this before. It is a sobering moment.”

On Fox News, John Roberts said, “What we are witnessing is something happening for the first time.”

Some commentators noted that Trump engaged in chants of “Lock Her Up” against his 2016 opponent, Hillary Clinton.

The scene outside turned into a bit of a circus earlier in the morning, as Rep. George Santos (R-NY) arrived at the scene. Jordan Klepper of The Daily Show peppered him with questions, “Can you tell us about your volleyball career? Are you brining legitimacy to this process, finally?”

The number of members of the media far outnumbered demonstrators, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who spoke at a nearby park. One man blew a whistle as she delivered brief remarks, making it difficult for bystanders to hear, but she spent much of her time slamming Democrats. Counter-protesters also heckled her, and she stayed for just a few minutes.

For much of the morning, Fox News, CNN and other networks had their cameras trained on Trump Tower, hoping to capture the moment when Trump left for lower Manhattan. But up until then, there was little news to actually report, as the indictment has yet to be made public. Fox News focused in part on District Attorney Alvin Bragg, amplifying criticism that he was soft on crime.

Reporters, some who have been assigned for weeks to monitor the courthouse, reported an uptick in security in advance of Trump’s arrival. In the hours before, Trump posted a series of all-caps rants on Truth Social, including one in which he railed against the “highly partisan judge” in the case, as well as his family. He also chided Fox News for featuring his former attorney general, William Barr, whom he called a “complete coward.” Just before he left, Trump’s campaign sent out a fundraising email, calling the indictment a “witch hunt.”

Security barricades were set up in front of the courthouse, with a horde of TV crews lining the sidewalk.

Outside the courthouse, sunny skies and temperatures near the 70s may have had a calming effect on the few dozen protesters. A cluster of Trump supporters, many in red hats and other signature attire and flags (all rare sights in deep-blue Manhattan) took up a position in Collect Pond Park. Opposite them stood a collection of anti-Trump activists, some of whom brought a large, black-and-white banner with the message, “Trump Lies All The Time.”

When the banner was unfurled, a small skirmish broke out, and there was other minor pushing and shoving during the course of the morning, but a heavy police presence prevented any serious clashes. Adding another odd overlay, the goings-on inside the small, square park were closely monitored by hundreds of media members from a globe-spanning collection of outlets.

Dade Hayes contributed to this report.

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