Trump faces 34 criminal charges; attacks judge; says ‘US is going to hell’
Former US President Donald Trump appeared Tuesday at a courthouse in Manhattan over alleged cover-up during the campaign that took him to the White House. Prosecutors outlined 34 criminal charges against him, a first for someone who’s held that office. He pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.
Prosecutors have been investigating a payment made to an adult film star in the days before the 2016 presidential election. They’re also interested in a payment to another woman who says she too had an affair with him. They say Trump “repeatedly and fraudulently” falsified business records.
The man leading the investigation has faced a stream of criticism from Trump and his supporters.
But District Attorney Alvin Bragg says he will not “normalize” serious criminal conduct. Bragg said, “We today uphold our solemn responsibility to ensure that everyone stands equal before the law. No amount of money and no amount of power changes that enduring American principle.”
Trump later returned to his Florida home to make his case in front of supporters. He said, “I never thought anything like this could happen in America. Never thought it could happen.”
The Republican party leader who had earlier announced his bid to run for the 2024 US Presidential elections faces multiple election-related investigations.
The case will be back in court this December.
Trump while speaking at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday night, his first remarks after pleading not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection with concealing hush money payments said the world is likely to face an all-out nuclear World War III under the Biden administration accusing the current US government of destroying the country.
He further said, “If you took the five worst presidents in the history of the United States and added them up they would not have done near the destruction to our country as Joe Biden and the Biden administration have done,” Trump said.
And reacting, former Trump attorney Michael Cohen said following Trump’s first comments after being arraigned that Trump is allowing his “worst nature” to affect him in his attacks on others involved in the case.
Cohen said in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper that Trump’s attacks during his speech at Mar-a-Lago calling Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg an “animal” and Special Counsel Jack Smith a “lunatic” are designed to rile up his supporters and show “strength.”
He also said Trump’s attack on Bragg as being “backed” by Democratic donor George Soros is an “anti-Semitic trope” that he continues to use.
“He allows his worst nature to come forward, and that’s not going to help him in this case.”
