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Former US president Donald Trump has surrendered at a New York courthouse following his indictment on criminal charges after a probe into hush money paid to a porn star.
Trump, 76, was formally charged on Tuesday in a watershed moment for the country as his supporters and detractors noisily rallied outside.
Wearing a dark blue suit and red tie, he exhibited little emotion on his face as he waved to a crowd assembled outside the courthouse after he was driven in a motorcade from his New York residence at Trump Tower. Trump held his fist in the air in a gesture to reporters as he departed his New York residence.
From his motorcade, Trump posted on social media: “Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse. Seems so SURREAL – WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Can’t believe this is happening in America.”
BREAKING: Pres. Trump enters courtroom for arraignment hearing. https://t.co/XODSVhRvCFpic.twitter.com/km2MchOExi
— ABC News (@ABC) April 4, 2023
Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg has charged Trump with crimes related to a $130,000 payment made to Stormy Daniels in the final days of his 2016 run for the presidency.
Daniels claims these alleged payments, made by Trump’s then lawyer Michael Cohen, were meant to stop her from talking about her affair with Trump prior to the presidential election.
The hush money in itself is not a crime, but Trump recorded his reimbursement to Cohen as legal fees. If prosecutors prove this was a falsification of records, it could count as a misdemeanour in New York.
It could also mean Trump violated campaign finance laws because it happened just before the 2016 election, and so it could indicate that he didn’t want his voters to know about her – that would be a class E felony.
US media has reported that there are more than 30 counts related to business fraud, although the details of the charges have not been made public yet.
Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, claims the affair did not happen and has alleged that the indictment is “political persecution” from the Democrats to impact the election.
He also alleged that the Democrats have “done the unthinkable” and indicted a “completely innocent person”.
In a statement, his lawyer said: “He did not commit any crime. We will vigorously fight this political prosecution in court.”
Trump’s indictment involved him travelling to the district attorney’s office in downtown New York to surrender.
Trump will have his fingerprints taken and is to appear for the charges to be read before him in court. It’s unclear whether a mugshot will be taken. He is likely to be released and allowed to head home.
It marks the first instance in American history of a former president facing criminal charges, and comes after years of investigations into the 76-year-old’s business, political and personal dealings.
Any trial of the former US president would still be more than a year away, legal experts say, and could coincide with the final months of the 2024 presidential campaign as Trump seeks a return to the White House.
The Manhattan case is the least serious of the potential criminal cases targetting Trump. A federal special prosecutor, Jack Smith, is investigating both Trump’s handling of classified documents and his role in the January 6 Capitol riot. And a grand jury in Georgia could soon hand up charges related to Trump’s efforts to change election results there.
