Q: What are the charges against Donald Trump?
A: Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to his alleged role in hush money payments made during the end of his 2016 presidential campaign.
Q: When did Donald Trump plead not guilty?
A: Donald Trump pleaded not guilty on Tuesday in a proceeding before Judge Juan Merchan in criminal court in Manhattan.
Q: What is the indictment against Donald Trump about?
A: The indictment alleges that Donald Trump made covert and illegal payments in order to impact the 2016 election. It further states that he repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal criminal conduct that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election.
Q: What is the maximum penalty Donald Trump faces if convicted?
A: If convicted, Donald Trump faces a maximum of four years in prison.
Q: Who were the individuals who received hush money payments according to the indictment?
A: The individuals who received hush money payments according to the indictment are adult film star Stormy Daniels, Playboy model Karen McDougal, and a former Trump Tower doorman who claimed to have a story about a child Trump had out of wedlock.
Q: Who made the hush money payments to Stormy Daniels, Karen McDougal, and the doorman?
A: Stormy Daniels was paid $130,000 by former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, while McDougal and the doorman were paid $150,000 and $30,000 respectively by AMI, the publishers of the National Enquirer.
Q: What did the Enquirer conclude about the doorman story?
A: The Enquirer concluded that the doorman story was not true, and they wanted to release the doorman from the agreement, but held off on doing so until after the election at the request of Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, according to prosecutors.
Q: What did Donald Trump say about the charges against him?
A: Donald Trump called the case “fake” and said, “The only crime I’ve committed is to fearlessly defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it.” He also said, “It should be dropped immediately.”
Q: What did the prosecutor say about Donald Trump’s social media posts?
A: The prosecutor expressed concern about Donald Trump’s inflammatory social media posts about the prosecutor, other prosecutors, and the judge, saying they could have an impact on potential effects on jurors and witnesses.
Q: What did Donald Trump’s attorney say about the charges against him?
A: Donald Trump’s attorney called the charges “really disappointing” and said they will fight them hard. He also said that Donald Trump is “upset and frustrated and disappointed and mad that this happened.”
Q: What has Donald Trump said about the prosecutor?
A: Donald Trump accused the prosecutor, who is a Democrat, of leaking details of the indictment to the media and called for him to “do the honorable thing and, as District Attorney, INDICT HIMSELF” in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.
Q: What has been the reaction to Donald Trump’s legal troubles?
A: Many of Donald Trump’s supporters and detractors argue that the fate of American democracy is hanging in the balance as the former president increasingly conflates any legal woes as an effort to illegitimately deny him a return to power.
Q: What was the security like during Donald Trump’s arraignment?
A: Security was high in the courthouse and nearby areas due to the unprecedented arraignment of a former president, with officials bracing for protests amid the media circus outside the courthouse.
