On Tuesday, former President Donald Trump surrendered to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and pleaded not guilty to charges brought by the Manhattan grand jury.
A Manhattan grand jury decided to indict the former President of the United States last Thursday. This indictment comes after a years-long investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
Trump pled not guilty at his arraignment, which was located at Manhattan Criminal Courthouse, 100 Centre St., in New York City, before presiding Judge Juan Merchan.
According to the indictment, the former President was charged with 34 counts of first-degree falsifying company documents. After the indictment was announced, Trump made arrangements with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. Trump was not shackled, as some are before an arraignment, and detectives within the office handled the former President’s arrest.
The United States Secret Service, the New York Police Department, the FBI, New York State court officials, and the District Attorney’s Office met Friday afternoon to finalize Trump’s arrest logistics and security specifics.
The former President’s unusual arrest and indictment comes as Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has been investigating Trump for hush-money payments made in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election. They include payments of $130,000 to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and $150,000 to former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Both women were paid to keep quiet about alleged encounters with Trump. Trump has frequently denied the encounters and payments.
Both the Federal Election Commission and the Southern District of New York U.S. Attorney’s Office have investigated the payments. In 2019, the Southern District of New York declined to prosecute Trump for Daniels’ payment. In 2021, the Federal Election Commission also abandoned its inquiry into the subject.
Trump has criticized the DA’s probe and charge as the greatest degree of political persecution and election interference in history. In a statement last week, Trump said the Radical Left Democrats had been working against him even before he was sworn in as President. The radical left Democrats are the enemy of hard-working citizens in this country, who want nothing more than to destroy the Make America Great Again movement.
Trump reminded people to remember all the false information like the: Russia, Russia, Russia; the Mueller hoax; Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine; Impeachment Hoax 1 and 2; the unlawful and unconstitutional Mar-a-Lago raid; and now this.
According to Trump, in their obsession with attempting to ‘Get Trump,’ the Democrats have lied, cheated, and stolen. Still, now they’ve done the unthinkable—indicting a perfectly innocent individual in the act of blatant Election Interference.
He called Bragg a “disgrace,” claiming he was hand-picked and supported by liberal billionaire George Soros. Rather than addressing the huge crime wave sweeping New York City, he’s performing President Joe Biden’s dirty work, neglecting the murders, burglaries, and assaults that should be his priority, he stated.
Trump added that he believes this Witch-Hunt will completely backfire on Joe Biden. After news of the leaked indictment, Trump raised millions of dollars in record time and gained thousands of new volunteers.
The Trump probe was launched in 2019 by then-Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance. The investigation focused on the potential bank, insurance, and tax fraud. The dispute first focused on Trump’s Manhattan assets, notably his famous Fifth Avenue building, Trump Tower, and the valuation of his 213-acre Westchester home, Seven Springs.
Due to the probe, the Trump Organization and its finance head, Allen Weisselberg, were charged with tax evasion last year.