JUST-IN: Trump Leaves Manhattan Courtroom After Denying 34 Charges Against Him
Tuesday afternoon saw the ex-president leave the Manhattan courtroom after entering a not guilty plea to 34 counts of charges, including a felony charge of falsifying business documents.
Tuesday, after turning himself in to authorities, he made his first court appearance to answer to an unprecedented indictment.
A grand jury that was called by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg returned the indictments. The circumstances surrounding a payment made on Trump’s behalf to an adult film actress in 2016 in exchange for her silence regarding an alleged affair, which Trump has denied, are the subject of an investigation by Bragg’s office.
At around 3.30 p.m., Trump’s Secret Service motorcade departed the judicial grounds.
Trump is the first former president in American history to face criminal charges, and the case may have a significant impact on his continuing campaign for the presidency as it develops over the coming months. He has maintained his innocence and called the Manhattan district attorney’s investigation a “witch hunt” with ulterior political motives.
The former president is anticipated to arrive back in Florida, where he plans to address fans on Tuesday night at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
