Update 04/05/2023 1:07am:
In a bizarre rant following his arrest and arraignment, former President Donald Trump defended himself to reporters crowded in Mar-a-Lago.
"I never thought anything like this could happen in America," Trump told the crowd. "Never thought it could happen. The only crime that I've committed is to fearlessly defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it."
Trump noted that the Democratic Party is using this indictment as their latest attempt at kneecapping him, pointing out "fraudulent investigations" on Russia and Ukraine, and "impeachment hoax one" and "impeachment hoax two." He also said his opponents have "really stepped up their efforts by indicting the 45th president of the United States."
Original 04/05/2023 12:28am:
Former President Donald Trump was arrested and arraigned in Manhattan on 34 felony charges stemming from the hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. Trump, the first former president to be criminally charged, pleaded not guilty.
"These are felony crimes in New York state, no matter who you are," said Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. "We cannot and will not normalize serious criminal conduct.”
Per Politico:
All 34 counts he faces are for “falsifying business records,” a crime that carries a sentence of up to four years in prison when charged as a felony. Judges often sentence first-time offenders to probation, particularly in non-violent cases. But Bragg said the case was an important one, meant to punish Trump’s effort to conceal alleged crimes.
Source: News.yahoo.com
