Donald Trump, accompanied by members of his legal team, Susan Necheles and Joe Tacopina, appears in court for his arraignment. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/Pool
* Trump voluntarily surrendered to New York authorities in the Stormy Daniels probe in a historic moment
* Asked how he pleaded to the 34 counts, Trump said: 'Not guilty'
* Former president raised his fist in defiance as he left Trump Tower but refused to speak to reporters as he entered and left the courtroom
Donald Trump pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to 34 counts of falsifying business records as he faced a New York judge - and became the first President of the United States to be arraigned and charged with a crime.
'Not guilty,' Trump said when asked how he pleaded. Trump, 76, sat alongside his defense team in the Manhattan courtroom with his hands folded on his lap and a stony-faced look for the unprecedented hearing in the Stormy Daniels hush money case.
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WNU Editor: The indictment is here .... Read the full indictment against Trump (AP).
I have gone through the indictment, and it is hard to believe that it rises to a level where a person can face two lifetimes behind bars if convicted on all counts. What makes it worse is that this indictment provides little if any information and/or details.
In a nutshell. The former President is being charged for falsifying business records where the lead witness is a convicted liar. And even though the statue of limitations for this "crime" has already passed, it is being presented because it conceals up to at least three other categories of crimes, crimes that DA Alvin Bragg is refusing to name?!?!?!?
The world is watching, and from what I have seen so far, this is not a good day for American justice.
The principal of no one being above the law is very important. Equally important is the principal that government officials cannot go beyond the law.
In this case, it is hard to walk away not believing that some individuals in New York's legal system have made the decision to go beyond the law to convict a political opponent that they dislike.