What are the charges Donald Trump faces? Former president pleads not guilty to 34 felony counts
Donald Trump has become the first current or former US president to be charged with a crime.
The 76-year-old has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records and conspiracy for his alleged role in hush money payments to two women towards the end of his 2016 presidential campaign.
A felony is usually defined as a crime punishable by a year or more in prison.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced Trump’s indictment on Tuesday at Manhattan Criminal Courthouse.
The indictment alleged that during the election, Trump and others employed a “catch and kill” scheme to identify, purchase, and bury negative information about him and boost his electoral prospects.
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The former president then went to great lengths to hide this conduct, prosecutors say, with dozens of false entries in business records to conceal criminal activity, including attempts to violate state and federal election laws.
Donald Trump arriving at Manhattan Criminal Courthouse
Three hush money payments
The charges accuse Trump of three different instances of making hush money payments to cover up alleged affairs.
From August 2015 to December 2017, Trump allegedly orchestrated his “catch and kill” scheme through a series of payments that he then concealed through months of false business entries.
In one instance, American Media Inc allegedly paid $30,000 (£24,000) to a former Trump Tower doorman, who claimed to have a story about a child Trump had out of wedlock.
In the second instance, AMI allegedly paid $150,000 (£120,000) to a woman who alleged she had a sexual relationship with Trump. When Trump directed a lawyer to reimburse AMI in cash, a special counsel indicated to him that the payment should be made via a shell company and not by cash, according to the charges. AMI ultimately declined to accept reimbursement.
In the third instance, 12 days before the presidential general election Trump’s special counsel allegedly wired $130,000 (£104,000) to a lawyer for an adult film actress.
After winning the election, Trump reimbursed the special counsel through a series of monthly cheques, first from the Donald J Trump Revocable Trust and later from his bank account, according to prosecutors.
In total, 11 cheques were allegedly issued for phoney purposes.
Donald Trump arriving at Manhattan Criminal Courthouse
Influencing the 2016 presidential election
From August 2015 to December 2017, Trump allegedly 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 electoral prospects.
Each count concerns one of the following – an entry in the Trump Revocable Trust’s Detail General Ledger, a cheque and cheque stub to Michael Cohen, and invoices from Cohen that are maintained in Trump Organisation records.
Although the larger catch-and-kill scheme and the Karen McDougal payment are described in the indictment, the actual charges appear to concern only those records intended to hide the payments to Michael Cohen for the Stormy Daniels settlement.
(L-R) Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal
‘Trail of money and lies’
After announcing the indictment, District Attorney Bragg said: “The People of the State of New York allege that Donald J Trump repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal crimes that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election.”
He added that Manhattan is home to the country’s “most significant business market”.
“We cannot allow New York businesses to manipulate their records to cover up criminal conduct. As the Statement of Facts describes, the trail of money and lies exposes a pattern that, the people allege, violates one of New York’s basic and fundamental business laws.
“As this office has done time and time again, we today uphold our solemn responsibility to ensure that everyone stands equal before the law,” he said.
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‘Trump repeatedly made false statements’
Taken together, the charges carry a maximum prison sentence of 136 years under New York law, though if Trump was convicted it would almost certainly be far less than that.
While falsifying business records in New York on its own is a misdemeanour punishable by no more than one year in prison, it is elevated to a felony punishable by up to four years in prison when done to advance or conceal another crime.
Children are among the fatalities in a mass shooting at a child’s birthday party in California.
Police said four people had died and 10 were wounded in the incident in Stockton, about 60 miles east of San Francisco.
Officers were called on Saturday to a banquet hall just before 6pm local time (2am UK time) and district attorney Ron Freitas said children were among the dead.
He said the attacker was still at large.
First responders walk through a parking lot near the scene of a mass shooting in Stockton, California. Pics: AP
“We can confirm at this time that approximately 14 individuals were struck by gunfire, and four victims have been confirmed deceased,” San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office said on X.
The post said early indications suggest it could be a “targeted incident” but that information remains limited.
Police have so far not disclosed the attacker’s identity and the motive is unclear.
Stockton’s vice mayor Jason Lee confirmed on Facebook that the shooting on Lucile Avenue happened at a child’s birthday party.
Pics: AP
Mayor Christina Fugazzi also said that “families should be together instead of at the hospital, standing next to their loved one, praying that they survive”.
California governor Gavin Newsom’s office added that he had been briefed on the “horrific shooting”.
Venezuela has accused Donald Trump of a “colonial threat” after he said the airspace “above and surrounding” the country should be considered closed “in its entirety”.
Mr Trump made the declaration amid growing tensions with President Maduro – and as the US continues attacking boats it claims are carrying drugs from Venezuela.
He wrote on Truth Social: “To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY.”
Air traffic above Venezuela on Saturday afternoon. Pic: FlightRadar24
Venezuela’s foreign affairs office called it a “colonial threat” and “illegal, and unjustified aggression”.
It accused the president of threatening “the sovereignty of the national airspace… and the full sovereignty of the Venezuelan state”.
President Trump’s words were part of a “permanent policy of aggression against our country” that breached international law and the UN Charter, it added.
The Pentagon and the White House have so far not given any additional detail on the president’s statement.
Mr Trump’s post comes after the American aviation regulator last week warned of a “potentially hazardous situation” over Venezuela due to a “worsening security situation”.
Nicolas Maduro is widely considered a dictator by the West. Pic: Reuters
The South American nation revoked operating rights for six major airlines that went on to suspend flights to the country.
Mr Trump warned a few days ago that land operations against suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers would begin “very soon”.
Such a move would be a major escalation in Operation Southern Spear – the US naval deployment in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific that’s so far attacked at least 21 vessels.
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Three killed as US strikes another alleged drug boat
Venezuela has said the attacks, which have killed more than 80 people, amount to murder.
The US has released videos of boats being targeted, but hasn’t provided evidence – such as photos of their cargo – to support the smuggling claims.
Read more:
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The US-Venezuela crisis explained
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Venezuela claims Trump creating ‘fables’ to justify ‘war’
The Pentagon has sought to justify the strikes by labelling the drug gangs as “foreign terrorist organisations” – putting them on par with the likes of al Qaeda.
It claims the boats targeted are carrying drugs bound for the US, although Sky’s chief correspondent says the final destination is likely to be Europe and West Africa.
President Maduro has denied Mr Trump’s claims he is involved in the drugs trade himself and said his counterpart wants to oust him so he can install a more sympathetic government.
Venezuelan officials have also claimed Mr Trump’s true motivation is access to the country’s plentiful oil reserves.
Mr Maduro is widely considered a dictator who’s cheated elections and has been president since 2013.
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