For the first time in the history of the United States, a former president has been brought to court to face criminal charges. Donald Trump, who is aiming for a second term in the White House, is counting on the trial's drama to galvanize his supporters.
On Tuesday, Trump made an appearance in court where he was formally indicted for a criminal case connected to hush payments from 2016. Before entering the Manhattan District attorney's office, Trump acknowledged his supporters by waving at them. Upon arriving, he was taken into custody.
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| Trump in court |
Following his processing by prosecutors, Trump was escorted to the courtroom to appear before Judge Juan Merchan. During the arraignment, he entered a plea of not guilty to all 34 felony counts, including the charge of falsifying business records.
This historic event marks the first time in U.S. history that a former president has been indicted on criminal charges. Despite being impeached twice during his presidency, Trump had not previously faced any criminal charges.
While not officially named in the indictment, it is widely believed that "Lawyer A" is Michael Cohen, former lawyer and fixer for the ex-president, and "Woman 2" is adult film actress Stormy Daniels. According to the indictment, Mr. Trump allegedly falsified records and ledger entries over an 11-month period in 2017, in order to misrepresent the payments made to "Lawyer A" as "legal fees" rather than reimbursements. The indictment further alleges that the total amount paid to Cohen exceeded the amount paid to Daniels and included compensation for income tax payments.
While the charge of falsifying business records is typically considered a misdemeanor, in this case, the district attorney's office has elevated the charges to a more serious felony level. They argue that Mr. Trump intended to conceal a federal campaign finance crime that Cohen pleaded guilty to in August 2018.
The statement of facts included in the indictment sheds lighter on what is described as Mr. Trump's "unlawful scheme" to prevent damaging information from being revealed during the 2016 presidential election. The statement highlights two other instances in which payments were made on Mr. Trump's behalf by the National Enquirer tabloid newspaper. The first was to a doorman who claimed to have knowledge of an illegitimate child fathered by Mr. Trump, and the second was to "Woman A," who is believed to be Playboy model Karen McDougal based on available evidence.
According to the statement, "other participants in the scheme admitted that the payoffs were unlawful." It's worth noting that while neither of these instances led to criminal charges against Mr. Trump, the indictment focuses solely on the hush-money payment made to Stormy Daniels.
Source: DW BREAKING NEWS & BBC NEWS
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