Donald Trump pleads not guilty in New York before being released
Former President Donald Trump appeared in criminal court on Tuesday to be served with his indictment relating to a series of payments to cover up three troublesome cases before the 2016 election. The billionaire pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. He then left the court without any conditions and measures of judicial control. A criminal trial could begin in January 2024. Follow this unprecedented event in the history of the United States live.
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10:36 p.m .: “The law is the same for everyone”, insists the New York prosecutor
The New York prosecutor who oversaw the investigation that led to Donald Trump’s historic indictment has insisted that no one is above the law, saying ‘gross criminal conduct’ is not admissible regardless of be their author.
“The law is the same for everyone,” Alvin Bragg told reporters. And “whoever you are,” “we cannot normalize and we will not trivialize serious criminal conduct,” he said.
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10:13 p.m .: Trump lawyer promises to fight ex-president’s “sad” indictment
A lawyer for Donald Trump has promised to fight the “sad” indictment of the former American president who had just appeared before a judge in New York, an unprecedented event.
“The indictment itself is a standard text (…). It’s really disappointing,” Todd Blanche told reporters. According to him, Donald Trump is “frustrated”, “upset” but “determined”.
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10:06 p.m .: Trump trial in New York could start in January 2024
A criminal trial of former United States President Donald Trump in an accounting malfeasance case could begin in January 2024, a judge has said in Manhattan Criminal Court, New York, where Donald Trump appeared.
The former tenant of the White House, who wants to return there in November 2024, very clearly pleaded “not guilty” to 34 charges, according to an AFP journalist present in the courtroom. Judge Juan Merchan said a trial could possibly begin next January, with Donald Trump’s lawyers present at the historic hearing preferring spring 2024.
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9:56 p.m.: Trump’s indictment relates to payments to cover up three troublesome cases ahead of 2016 election
Donald Trump has been indicted by New York justice because he “orchestrated” a series of payments to cover up three embarrassing cases before the 2016 presidential election, detailed the Manhattan prosecutor.
Trump Tower doorman who claimed to have information about hidden child was given $30,000 to remain silent; a woman who presented herself as a former mistress received $150,000 to be discreet and a pornographic actress received $130,000 to conceal an alleged extramarital relationship, prosecutor Alvin Bragg detailed in a press release.
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9:53 p.m .: Donald Trump released by Manhattan Criminal Court without judicial review
Donald Trump has left Manhattan Criminal Court in New York without any conditions and judicial review measures after his landmark appearance in a case of alleged accounting malfeasance linked to money paid in 2016 to a porn star.
For this unprecedented hearing for a former American president, Donald Trump, his face closed in court, pleaded not guilty to the 34 charges brought against him by Manhattan prosecutor Alvin Bragg, after five years of investigation.
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8:45 p.m .: Donald Trump pleads not guilty in New York court
Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty after being formally charged with falsifying accounting records, at a historic criminal hearing before a judge in New York.
The former president, the first to suffer such a legal fate, could therefore have to face a trial, even if he will try everything to avoid this ordeal.
The Republican, who is seeking a new mandate, is targeted by 34 charges, in particular for embezzlement related to money paid in 2016 to a porn star.
He showed himself with a closed face, a stern look, in the courtroom.
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8:36 p.m.: Trump in New York courtroom for historic appearance
Face closed, Donald Trump entered a courtroom in a New York court to be formally criminally charged, a historic appearance that divides and shakes America.
He sat there surrounded by his lawyers, according to a photo showing him still silent.
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7:59 p.m.: Trump appearance ‘not a priority’ for Biden, White House says
The historic and ultra-high-profile court appearance of former US President Donald Trump is “not a priority” for his successor Joe Biden, assured his spokesperson.
“Obviously he will follow some of the news when he has a moment to catch up on the news of the day, but that’s not a priority for him,” said Karine Jean-Pierre.
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7:42 p.m .: Trump considers it “surreal” to have to appear in court
Donald Trump deemed it “surreal” to have to appear before a judge in New York, a historic first for a former American president.
“I’m heading to (…) court. It seems so SURREALISTIC – WOW they’re going to ARREST ME. Can’t believe this is happening in America,” he wrote on his platform. TruthSocial.
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7:31 p.m.: Trump arrives at Manhattan Criminal Court
Donald Trump has arrived at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York to appear in court in a fraud case related to money paid in 2016 to a pornographic actress, an unprecedented legal event for a former US president.
The former tenant of the White House (2017-2021), who intends to return there in 2024, entered the courthouse installed in the south of the island, in view of his formal arraignment by a judge, in 2:15 p.m. (6:15 p.m. GMT).
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7:16 p.m.: Trump leaves Trump Tower in New York to appear in criminal court
Donald Trump has left his New York City skyscraper, the ‘Trump Tower’, to appear in Manhattan criminal court to be served with charges in a fraud case linked to money paid in 2016 to a movie star. X cinema.
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7:10 p.m .: in front of the New York court, pro and anti-Trump kept at a distance
Handfuls of activists for and against Trump, sometimes colorful, and separated from the first invectives, took position before the New York court where the former American president must be formally charged.
In the small square facing this gray building, tempers quickly flared when a small group of activists tried to unfurl a very large black banner on which one could read in capital letters “Trump lies all the time” (” Trump lies all the time”).
A Trumpist activist, cap bearing the image of her champion on her head, stepped on the banner and tried to snatch it, creating a moment of confusion quickly dispelled by the police and officers of the New York City Hall.
In a few minutes, barriers are installed in the middle of the park and, on each side, everyone throws boos and more or less friendly slogans at the opposite camp. An illustration of the border that separates Democrats and Republicans in a deeply divided country.
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7:05 p.m .: Who is Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan prosecutor in charge of the case?
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6:45 p.m .: Donald Trump should not be handcuffed
According to his lawyer Joe Tacopina, Donald Trump will not be handcuffed. He should then be released, possibly subject to conditions, pending the organization of his trial at a later date.
The New York businessman, who made his fortune in real estate and television, met his followers and his tens of millions of voters for a press conference from his residence Mar-a- Lago, Fla., at 8:15 p.m. (00:15 GMT Wednesday).
The charges – around 30, according to CNN – have not yet been made public. They should be by the Manhattan prosecutor who is prosecuting him, Alvin Bragg, an elected Democrat: they would be linked to accounting fraud during the legal payment in October 2016 and the subsequent reimbursement of 130,000 dollars to the actress of Stormy Daniels porn movies.
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6:30 p.m .: Donald Trump expected in court for a historic appearance
Donald Trump will live in New York an unprecedented legal event for a former American president: he appears in criminal court to be served with his indictment in a case of fraud linked to money paid in 2016 to an industry star pornographic.
The former tenant of the White House (2017-2021), who intends to return there in 2024, is summoned before a Manhattan court judge for a historic hearing of a few minutes during which he should plead “not guilty”.
After a Monday placed under extraordinary media tension, the New York justice system banned television cameras and any mode of transmission inside the courtroom.
A single camera positioned in a corridor of the courthouse will be able to capture the first images of the former president of the United States, who should then say a few words.
Donald Trump is supposed to submit to the ritual imposed on any defendant: give his name, age, profession, take a fingerprint and be photographed – the famous “mugshot”, source of so much public humiliation for the stars in the USA.
But his status as a high American dignitary protected by the Secret Service, an agency dedicated to the protection of public figures, could require some adjustments.
With Reuters and AFP
