This Tuesday, April 4, Donald Trump became the first former president of the United States to face criminal charges, related to the payment for the silence of a former porn actress, with whom he had a relationship, among others.
Trump, 76, voluntarily appeared before the Criminal Court in Manhattan, New York, where, in police custody, a judge informed him of 34 charges against him, the same of which the businessman and politician also pleaded "not guilty".
After more than an hour of proceedings, led by Judge Juan Manuel Merchán, of Colombian origin, Trump left the place and was released on bail.
What is Donald Trump accused of?
In 2016, the porn star Stormy Daniels offered to tell some media outlets that she had an extramarital relationship with Donald Trump. However, the then-presidential candidate's legal team found out, and his lawyer, Michael Cohen, paid Daniels $130,000 to hide the information.
And while the payment itself isn't illegal, Trump allegedly recorded it as an expense from his business, and in New York falsifying such information, if it is, is just what prosecutors have decided to charge him with.
To this, it is added that the above violates the electoral law; one, because the money was delivered just before the 2016 elections; and two, because hiding the payments from Daniels was motivated by not wanting voters to know that he had an affair outside of marriage, let alone with a porn actress.
Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, who has investigated the payment, reported that the charge is for "falsification of business records in the first degree."
"The people of the State of New York allege that Donald J. Trump repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal crimes that concealed harmful information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election," the prosecutor stressed, while adding that Manhattan is home to the largest business market in the country, and New York businesses should not be allowed to manipulate their records to cover up criminal conduct.
For his part, Donald Trump's lawyer, Joe Tacopina, assured that "the rule of law died in this country."
"While no one is above the law, no one is below it either. And if the name of this man were not Donald J. Trump, there would not be the scenario in which we would all be here today, “the lawyer stressed.
Trump, who denied all the charges, has previously said that the case carries a totally political connotation and that he is part of a "witch hunt" to prevent him from running in the upcoming 2024 elections.
Regarding the judge who led this initial hearing and who is a member of the New York Supreme Court and considered a veteran of the state judicial system, the former president wrote on his social network, Truth Social, "He hates me."
It should be noted that Judge Merchan also presided over the trial of Trump's real estate company in 2022 and which ended with the conviction of the Trump Organization's financial director, Allen Weisselberg, for tax fraud.
With information from CNN
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