Former President Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection with concealing hush money payments.
Trump entered the plea before Judge Juan Merchan during the brief proceeding in Lower Manhattan, becoming the first former president to be arraigned on criminal charges.
Merchan did not impose a gag order on the former president and set the next court date for Dec. 4.
Trump is expected to return to Florida shortly after his arraignment where he is slated to make remarks at Mar-a-Lago at 8:15 p.m.
The judge overseeing former President Donald Trump’s criminal case in New York City has set the next in-person hearing for Dec. 4, roughly two months before the official start of the 2024 Republican presidential primary calendar.
The Iowa Republican caucuses will be held on Feb. 5, 2024, marking the start of the GOP primary season, underscoring how Trump’s legal troubles could shadow him into the time when voters are actually picking a candidate to nominate for president.
The New Hampshire primary, the first one on the GOP calendar, is scheduled for Feb. 13, 2024.
No gag order imposed
Former President Trump and his legal team won’t be barred from publicly discussing the case in which he was charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
After much speculation about whether a gag order would be imposed on parties in the case, none was requested during the Tuesday arraignment — and Judge Juan Merchan said he wouldn’t have granted one if it had.
Prosecution plans to call Stormy Daniels as witness
Prosecutors in the case against Trump indicated on Tuesday they plan to call adult film star Stormy Daniels as a witness. The next in-person hearing is Dec. 4 in which the judge will decide on motions to dismiss the charges filed by Trump’s legal team.
Attorneys say Trump ‘frustrated’ by charges against him
Trump’s attorneys said after Tuesday’s arraignment that the former president is “frustrated” and “upset” by the charges against him, but that he is “motivated” to fight them.
Todd Blanche, Joe Tacopina and Susan Necheles spoke with reproters outside the Manhattan courthouse after Trump was arraigned and departed en route to the airport.
“When you say what his reaction was — what do you think his reaction was?” Blanche asked.
The three also downplayed reports of friction among the legal team. One of Trump’s lawyers representing him in Justice Department cases suggested in recent days that Tacopina might have a conflict of interest.
“There is no disunity here. That’s gossip and it’s nonsense,” Necheles said. (THE HILL)
