Donald Trump was formally arrested and booked on Tuesday by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office and arraigned in an adjacent New York courthouse, officially becoming the first criminally charged former president. The scene in Manhattan was part spectacle and part routine as the former president’s legal drama took a new turn.

The post Donald Trump Officially Arrested And Arraigned In New York City appeared first on Blavity.

Trump arrived at the DA’s office around 1:30 p.m. under heavy Secret Service protection. Defying expectations, he did not make any statements as he entered. Once inside, reports indicated Trump was processed, including having his fingerprints taken, but he did not have a mugshot. After being processed, Trump appeared with his lawyers in the adjacent Manhattan courtroom. Appearing stone-faced, the former president only spoke to plead not guilty to falsifying business records and acknowledge his rights to legal representation. After the proceedings, Trump left the courtroom without making a public statement; he was expected to fly back to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida Tuesday night.

While the proceedings inside the DA’s office and courtroom were relatively straightforward, aside from the extraordinary security presence, the scene outside was a spectacle. Hundreds of onlookers showed up and remained outdoors for several hours. Many were reporters, but others appear to have been either Trump supporters or protestors against the former president. At least two members of Congress showed up to support Trump: Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and George Santos, R-N.Y. Santos, who also faces a growing list of legal troubles, were peppered with reporters’ questions.https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=feedly&dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbWl4ZWRfbWVkaWFfMTU4OTciOnsiYnVja2V0IjoidHJlYXRtZW50IiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19leHBlcmltZW50c19jb29raWVfZXhwaXJhdGlvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOjEyMDk2MDAsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZHVwbGljYXRlX3NjcmliZXNfdG9fc2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3ZpZGVvX2hsc19keW5hbWljX21hbmlmZXN0c18xNTA4MiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ0cnVlX2JpdHJhdGUiLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2xlZ2FjeV90aW1lbGluZV9zdW5zZXQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijp0cnVlLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3R3ZWV0X2VkaXRfZnJvbnRlbmQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfX0%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1643272785018646528&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Ffeedly.com%2F&sessionId=34f5bced3dd6a5701fe512e1ae6848d814a94db3&siteScreenName=feedly&theme=light&widgetsVersion=aaf4084522e3a%3A1674595607486&width=550px

Greene, meanwhile, was heckled by the crowd, many of whom blew whistles at her as she made her way through the dense sea of people.https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=feedly&dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbWl4ZWRfbWVkaWFfMTU4OTciOnsiYnVja2V0IjoidHJlYXRtZW50IiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19leHBlcmltZW50c19jb29raWVfZXhwaXJhdGlvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOjEyMDk2MDAsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZHVwbGljYXRlX3NjcmliZXNfdG9fc2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3ZpZGVvX2hsc19keW5hbWljX21hbmlmZXN0c18xNTA4MiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ0cnVlX2JpdHJhdGUiLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2xlZ2FjeV90aW1lbGluZV9zdW5zZXQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijp0cnVlLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3R3ZWV0X2VkaXRfZnJvbnRlbmQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfX0%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1643280429355528192&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Ffeedly.com%2F&sessionId=34f5bced3dd6a5701fe512e1ae6848d814a94db3&siteScreenName=feedly&theme=light&widgetsVersion=aaf4084522e3a%3A1674595607486&width=550px

At Trump’s arraignment, the indictment against him was unsealed, making public for the first time the 32 felony counts against him. The charge indicates Trump “made and caused a false entry in the business records of an enterprise” by misreporting the nature of the $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels; the payment was reported as “hush money” to prevent her from talking about an affair she claims to have had with Trump.

After the arraignment, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg released a statement about the proceedings. In stating his office “cannot allow New York businesses to manipulate their records to cover up criminal conduct,” Bragg’s message indicated the purpose of prosecuting Trump is “to ensure that everyone stands equal before the law.”

Source: Donald Trump Officially Arrested And Arraigned In New York City