Former PresidentDonald Trumphas pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, following an investigation into an alleged hush money payment he made to adult film starStormy Danielswhile he was a presidential candidate in 2016.The indictment against Trump was unsealed and the charges against the former president were read to him in court Tuesday afternoon before he himself made the plea to a judge.Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office previously said that Trump would not be placed in handcuffs or have hismug shottaken when hesurrendered to authorities, as that is only reserved for flight risks or threats to the district attorney or court personnel — which was not determined to be the case. He was reportedly fingerprinted upon arrival at the courthouse.JUSTIN LANE/EPA-EFE/ShutterstockThe investigation that led to unprecedented charges against a former president traces back to analleged affairTrump had with Daniels, rumors of whichsurfaced in 2018, when theWall Street Journalreported that Trumparranged a $130,000 paymentto the ex-porn star a month before the 2016 election so she’d keep quiet about the alleged sexual encounter they’d had years earlier.A Manhattan grand jury voted to indict the 76-year-old former president last Thursday after investigating the payment that prosecutors allege was falsely documented as “legal expenses” in the financial records of the Trump Organization.While Trump and his longtime lawyerMichael Coheninitially denied the claims of an affair, Cohen later admitted that there was a payment made to the porn star.Donald Trump.Seth Wenig-Pool/GettyCalling it “a private transaction,“Cohen toldThe New York Timesthat he paid Daniels $130,000 out of his own pocket in 2016. He said Trump had not reimbursed him.Trump has since admitted he authorized the $130,000 payment, but has continued to deny the underlying claims that the two had an affair or that the payment was in any way connected to his campaign.Kena Betancur/GettyThe Manhattan District Attorney’s Office began presenting evidence to a grand jury in the case in January, with formerNational Enquirerpublisher David Pecker among the witnesses who were seen entering the grand jury building over the course of the investigation.The company that publishes theEnquireradmitted in late 2018that it helped broker “catch and kill” deals with Daniels and other women, in which it paid the women hush money for their stories, effectively silencing them ahead of the 2016 election.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.In a 2018 statement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New York said the publisher “admitted that it made the $150,000 payment in concert with a candidate’s presidential campaign, and in order to ensure that the woman did not publicize damaging allegations about the candidate” and that “its principal purpose in making the payment was to suppress the woman’s story so as to prevent it from influencing the election.“Daniels and Cohen alsoboth met with prosecutorsearlier this month, the AP reported. And on March 20, Cohen’s former legal adviser Robert Costello met with the grand jury, perCNN.Trump, who isactively campaigning for another termin the White House, is the first sitting or former president in U.S. history to face criminal charges.
Former PresidentDonald Trumphas pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, following an investigation into an alleged hush money payment he made to adult film starStormy Danielswhile he was a presidential candidate in 2016.
The indictment against Trump was unsealed and the charges against the former president were read to him in court Tuesday afternoon before he himself made the plea to a judge.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office previously said that Trump would not be placed in handcuffs or have hismug shottaken when hesurrendered to authorities, as that is only reserved for flight risks or threats to the district attorney or court personnel — which was not determined to be the case. He was reportedly fingerprinted upon arrival at the courthouse.
JUSTIN LANE/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
The investigation that led to unprecedented charges against a former president traces back to analleged affairTrump had with Daniels, rumors of whichsurfaced in 2018, when theWall Street Journalreported that Trumparranged a $130,000 paymentto the ex-porn star a month before the 2016 election so she’d keep quiet about the alleged sexual encounter they’d had years earlier.
A Manhattan grand jury voted to indict the 76-year-old former president last Thursday after investigating the payment that prosecutors allege was falsely documented as “legal expenses” in the financial records of the Trump Organization.
While Trump and his longtime lawyerMichael Coheninitially denied the claims of an affair, Cohen later admitted that there was a payment made to the porn star.
Donald Trump.Seth Wenig-Pool/Getty
Calling it “a private transaction,“Cohen toldThe New York Timesthat he paid Daniels $130,000 out of his own pocket in 2016. He said Trump had not reimbursed him.
Trump has since admitted he authorized the $130,000 payment, but has continued to deny the underlying claims that the two had an affair or that the payment was in any way connected to his campaign.
Kena Betancur/Getty
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office began presenting evidence to a grand jury in the case in January, with formerNational Enquirerpublisher David Pecker among the witnesses who were seen entering the grand jury building over the course of the investigation.
The company that publishes theEnquireradmitted in late 2018that it helped broker “catch and kill” deals with Daniels and other women, in which it paid the women hush money for their stories, effectively silencing them ahead of the 2016 election.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
In a 2018 statement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New York said the publisher “admitted that it made the $150,000 payment in concert with a candidate’s presidential campaign, and in order to ensure that the woman did not publicize damaging allegations about the candidate” and that “its principal purpose in making the payment was to suppress the woman’s story so as to prevent it from influencing the election.”
Daniels and Cohen alsoboth met with prosecutorsearlier this month, the AP reported. And on March 20, Cohen’s former legal adviser Robert Costello met with the grand jury, perCNN.
Trump, who isactively campaigning for another termin the White House, is the first sitting or former president in U.S. history to face criminal charges.
source: people.com
