Former US President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty in a Manhattan court to 34 counts, a source who heard the charges against him in connection with the "hush money" investigation told CNN.
Trump was indicted after a grand jury investigated "hidden money" paid to cover up allegations of his extramarital sex during the 2016 presidential campaign.
The investigation uncovered six-figure sums, including $280,000 paid to porn actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Both claim they had sex with the married Trump years before he entered politics. Trump denies having sexual relations with the two women.
Trump is the first former president of the United States to be indicted.
A grand jury has issued an indictment.
Trump's legal team said that the former US president intends to contest the charges.
On his way to the Manhattan district attorney's office, where he was later arrested, Trump made a post on Truth Social calling what was happening to him a surprise.
Even before Trump's arrival in court, his supporters gathered near the building and caused real chaos—raising noise and whistling—and preventing one of Trump's main allies, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, from speaking.
The reaction of the White House to all this was interesting. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that US President Joe Biden was aware of the criminal charges against his predecessor and will obviously accept the news, but it is not his focus.
The question of how this trial will affect Trump's running in the 2024 presidential elections remains open.
As The Associated Press notes, this case plunges the United States into uncharted legal waters, as Trump became the first former president of the country to be indicted. And the respective political implications could be huge ahead of next year's presidential election. Trump is set to run for a third term and has already said the case against him could harm that effort, even though his campaign is already actively raising money, citing recent events.
Trump's campaign headquarters said it raised more than $4 million in the first 24 hours after the news of his indictment broke.
