Former US President Donald Trump on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to the charges formally brought against him in a Manhattan court in New York, denying that he paid two women to remain silent about “sexual relations” during the 2016 presidential campaign.
The court declassified a list of 34 accusations against the former Republican president, who considered the trial a political target against him as he seeks to return to the White House through the 2024 elections.
NBC reported that the allegations included Trump paying two women to keep them silent about sexual relations in 2016.
The charges brought against Trump in New York fall within the “felony” circle, and they include falsifying commercial records, as was expected for some time.
What is meant by falsifying commercial records in the case of Trump, according to American judicial experts, is that the former president assigned his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, to pay money on his behalf, so that he would not appear in the picture, and then paid him the amount in the form of fees, which is contrary to the law.
Appearance procedures
When criminally accused persons appear for the first time in courts in the United States, several routine procedures are performed with them.
Under New York state law, fingerprints must be taken of anyone charged with a criminal offense, while a photo of the arrested person remains at the discretion of law enforcement.
These procedures include taking hand prints, as well as taking a picture and handcuffing, which are matters that raise a controversy in the case of the former Republican president.
The New York Times quoted US officials as saying that Trump will not take the usual arrest photo, for the simple reason that he is a widely known person, and there is no need to take a new photo of him.
A photo of the person facing a criminal charge is being taken, in anticipation of using that photo to search for him, if he escaped, and the authorities were unable to bring him to court.
In the case of Trump, this seems out of the question, because he is already moving under the protection of the Secret Service, which is an American institution, and therefore, he is constantly under the eyes of the authorities.
Meanwhile, the “Daily Mail” newspaper had said that Trump would not be subject to handcuffs when he appears in court, because the matter involves great symbolism.