Former President Donald Trump was hit with a history-making 34 charges accusing him of falsifying business records related to hush money payments he allegedly made to a porn star. Now, the full indictment and statement of facts detailing those alleged crimes has been unsealed.
Read the full statement of facts below.
Trump was booked at Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday afternoon and pleaded not guilty to the dozens of charges handed up by a grand jury. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who has become a target of Trump and his supporters, led the investigation that resulted in the charges.
“From August 2015 to December 2017, the Defendant orchestrated a scheme with others to influence the 2016 presidential election by identifying and purchasing negative information about him to suppress its publication and benefit the Defendant’s electoral prospects,” the unsealed statement of facts alleges.
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The alleged crimes ― described as a “scheme” multiple times in the court documents ― revolve around covering up a hush-money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels. Prosecutors allege Trump attempted to bury the story of the payment so it would not negatively impact his run for president.
“The Defendant did not want this information to become public because he was concerned about the effect it could have on his candidacy,” the statement of facts says.
Outside the courthouse, the number of reporters covering the event outnumbered those who came to protest the arrest of the twice-impeached former president. The dozens of Trump supporters who did show up were met with counterprotestors, and both groups were separated by police barriers.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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