Trump Released After Brief Arrest In Stormy Daniels Hush Money Case, Pleads 'Not Guilty' To 34 Charges
Former US President Donald Trump was summoned over criminal charges against him, concerning hush money paid to ex-pornstar Stormy Daniels allegedly to influence the 2016 election outcome.
Former US President Donald Trump on Tuesday was released after arraignment in the hush money case in a New York court in Lower Manhattan. Earlier in the day, Trump was placed under arrest ahead of the arraignment and taken to the district attorney's office for formalities before the court proceedings.
Speaking outside the courtroom, Trump's lawyers said: "The indictment does not mention any federal or state crimes. It's disappointing. We are going to fight it."
The hearing lasted for nearly one hour. Trump, immediately after the hearing, headed to his motorcade that took him to the airport. He went back to the La Guardia airport and took his Boeing 757 private jet.
After his release, Trump flew back to his home, Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump pleaded "not guilty" to 34 felony counts, including falsifying business records and campaign finance rules violations.
The charges stemmed from an indictment by a grand jury in New York in connection with Trump's alleged role in hush money paid during his 2016 presidential campaign to adult film star Stormy Daniels to silence her allegations of an affair. The allegations have been denied by Trump.
Donald Trump is the first ex-President of the US to have been indicted in a criminal case.
WHAT IS THE STORMY DANIELS HUSH MONEY CASE?
The former US President, Donald Trump, has been charged with attempting to conceal payments made to Stephanie Clifford, also known as 'Stormy Daniels,' a former pornographic film performer. Clifford alleged that she had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006 and accepted a payment of $130,000 (Rs 1 crore approximately) to keep quiet about the alleged incident. The payment was made by Trump's ex-lawyer, Michael Cohen, just before the 2016 presidential election. While Cohen faced imprisonment for several charges, Trump denied any sexual involvement with Clifford.
Clifford later publicly claimed that she met Trump at a charity golf tournament in 2006, after which they had a sexual encounter in his hotel room. Cohen allegedly paid the hush money to Clifford to prevent her from speaking out about the affair. However, Clifford has claimed that she was coerced legally and physically to remain silent about the incident.
Trump's recording of the payment to Clifford in his accounts landed him in the legal soup. Trump has been accused of falsifying business records by stating that the payment was for legal fees, which could be considered a violation of campaign laws. Critics of Trump argued that the payment, made just before the election, was an attempt to influence the outcome.
In 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to violating tax laws and campaign finance rules, partly due to his payment to Clifford. He later testified that Trump directed him to make the payment just before the election and that the president reimbursed him for it. While Trump acknowledged the reimbursement, he denied any wrongdoing regarding campaign laws.
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