Donald Trump faces 34 criminal charges in historic indictment
Al JazeeraTrump, the first former US president to be criminally prosecuted, pleads not guilty in New York arraignment hearing. Former United States President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty in New York City to a string of charges linked to hush-money payments ahead of the 2016 presidential vote, including one made to an adult film star. The Republican leader faces 34 felony charges of falsifying New York business records “to conceal damaging information and unlawful activity from American voters before and after the 2016 election”, the Manhattan district attorney’s office said as the indictment was unsealed. Jennifer Victor, an associate professor of political science at George Mason University, told Al Jazeera that Trump’s claim that the case is politically motivated is one “his supporters tend to really believe whole-heartedly”. The New York investigation centred on the $130,000 payment that Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal lawyer and fixer, made to Daniels in the waning days of the former president’s 2016 campaign.