Donald Trump pleads not guilty to 34 felony counts in New York court over 2016 hush money case
- ‘We cannot allow New York businesses to manipulate their records to cover up criminal conduct,’ said Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg
- Trump returned to his Mar-a-Lago estate after arraignment, giving an acrimonious speech and calling Bragg a ‘criminal’
During the arraignment, Trump, 76, was read his rights, heard the charges read aloud and had his fingerprints taken, emerging as an accused criminal, but was spared having to stand for a mugshot.
In a speech on Tuesday evening from his home at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump characterised himself as the victim in a system arrayed against him.
“The only crime I’ve ever committed is to fearlessly defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it,” Trump said before a crowd of family members, supporters and media. “Even hardcore Democrats say there is no crime and that it should never have been brought.”
“There’s nothing. The indictment itself is boilerplate,” said Todd Blanche, a member of Trump’s legal team, speaking to reporters afterwards.