Trump Arraignment: Ex-Pres. Pleads Not Guilty
Facts
- On Tuesday, former US Pres. Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records after being indicted on Thursday, becoming the first-ever former president to face criminal charges.1
- The indictment was unsealed after the former president's plea, alleging that Trump concealed the publicizing of negative information about him in the run-up to the 2016 election — in violation of election laws.2
- The charges against him — which each carry up to four years in prison — pertain to accusations that he paid two adult film stars to conceal their alleged affair with the former president. His former lawyer has admitted to coordinating payments to the women, but Trump denies the affairs.2
- Neither the charges nor a potential conviction will have a legal bearing on Trump’s current presidential campaign because the Constitution doesn't require candidates to have a clean record.3
- New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan reportedly scheduled the next hearing for Dec. 4.4
- Trump headed back to his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida after the arraignment, where he's expected to address his supporters later on Tuesday night.5
Sources: 1New York Times, 2Reuters, 3Wall Street Journal, 4CNBC, and 5CNN.
Narratives
- Democratic narrative, as provided by Huffington Post. Beyond the clear evidence against him, including his former lawyer serving prison time for facilitating this exact hush money payment, Donald Trump is terrified of this case as he has absolutely no control over the process. His fate is now in the hands of a New York jury, and no bombastic tweet or press conference can expel that reality.
- Pro-Trump narrative, as provided by Federalist. Each and every criminal case against Trump is as farcical and politically motivated as the next. This spectacle is based on low-level misdemeanor charges that Alvin Bragg — who openly campaigned on going after Trump — unashamedly decided to elevate to felonies. The political nature of this case is the same in the Georgia and DOJ investigations. Americans are witnessing their ruling elites rewrite the rules with no fear of retribution.