Former US president Donald Trump was arrested Tuesday after being charged by the Manhattan district attorney’s office for his alleged involvement in paying hush money to adult film actor Stormy Daniels.
The historic spectacle marks the first time a former president — who, in this case, also happens to be a 2024 presidential candidate — has been indicted in a criminal investigation. Manhattan prosecutors allege Trump was involved in paying Daniels $130,000 toward the end of his 2016 presidential campaign to keep quiet about an affair she said they had in 2006.
The former president has called the Manhattan investigation a “political Witch-Hunt trying to take down the leading candidate, by far, in the Republican Party”. And more recently, he urged his supporters to “PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK” in posts on his Truth Social platform.
The former president is separately under investigation for his role in the January 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection. And a grand jury in Georgia has examined evidence of Trump’s 2020 election interference in that state, though the outcome of that inquiry has yet to be made public.
Given that Trump is a former president under Secret Service protection, a perp walk wasn’t initially expected in this case, according to Insider. And The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman reported he did not have a mug shot taken Tuesday.
Still, some photos of the former president arriving at the courthouse did showcase the moments before he was in custody, followed by his courtroom appearance during which he pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts.
