Former U.S. President Donald Trump faced a judge in a New York City courtroom on Tuesday where he was formally arraigned on business fraud charges over hush money payments allegedly made to a woman who say they had sexual affairs with him.
He pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, which were outlined in an indictment made public shortly after Trump’s appearance in court.
The indictment, approved by a Manhattan grand jury last week, accuses Trump of orchestrating “a scheme with others to influence the 2016 presidential election by identifying and purchasing negative information about him to suppress its publication and benefit” Trump’s electoral prospects.
It was an unprecedented moment in the history of the country. No former or sitting U.S. president has ever been charged with a crime.