(BALTIMORE) — A Maryland man was charged Tuesday for allegedly threatening the Human Rights Campaign, a prominent LGBTQ+ rights organization, in what police say appears to be a response to the March 27 Nashville, Tennessee, mass shooting at a Christian school.
The man who allegedly threatened the Human Rights Campaign, Adam Michael Nettina, is charged with interstate communications with a threat to injure for allegedly leaving a voicemail on March 28 in which he threatened to “slaughter,” shoot and assault members of the organization.
Authorities say they believe he references the Nashville shooting in his voicemail. Nashville police have said the school shooter identified as transgender, adding the shooter was assigned female at birth but pointed to a social media account linked to the shooter that included use of the pronouns he/him.
“You guys going to shoot up our schools now? Is that how it’s going to be?” the voicemail said, according to DOJ documents.
It continued, “We’re waiting. And if you want a war, we’ll have a war.”
The threat follows concerns from LGBTQ groups about anti-LGBTQ hate and violence.
Some prominent Republicans promoted anti-transgender rhetoric and speculated that the Nashville shooter’s gender identity played a role in the gun violence despite research showing that mass shootings are overwhelmingly committed by cisgender men and that transgender people are four times more likely to be victims of violence.
“The LGBTQ+ community is under attack in statehouses across the country and on social media platforms,” read a statement from Elizabeth Bibi, spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign, sent to ABC News. “This violent, hateful rhetoric leads to stigma, and stigma leads to physical violence.”
“As we see radical politicians sow hate and fear with anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, we have seen the physical threats to our community multiply – from armed men at Pride parades, to threats of violence against local drag shows at libraries, to bomb threats at children’s hospitals, to the continued rise in fatal violence against members of our community, especially Black transgender women,” Bibi continued.
Advocates say that falsely painting the entire LGBTQ community as inherently dangerous and responsible for the actions of one person will promote violence against the community.
“Every study available shows that transgender and nonbinary people are much more likely to be victims of violence, rather than the perpetrator of it,” the Human Rights Campaign said in a statement following the shooting. “Regardless of the reason for this shooting, the use of violence is reprehensible and we renew our call for common-sense gun safety.”
If convicted, Nettina faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. Legal representation for Nettina was not available.
The case was investigated by the FBI Baltimore Field Office.
The Human Rights Campaign said it received two threatening voicemails late last month.
“We are grateful to law enforcement for acting so quickly to keep our community safe, and we condemn any and all violent words or deeds. We will continue our work to call out those who spread violence, fear and disinformation.”
ABC News’ Alexander Mallin contributed to the report.
(NEW YORK) — Donald Trump called for the return of the death penalty in a series of ads in 1989 amid the case of the “Central Park Five” – five Black and brown boys wrongfully accused of rape and assault in New York City.
More than 30 years later, some of the now-exonerated men say the former president’s indictment is “karma.”
The case known as the “Central Park Five” began on April 19, 1989, when jogger Trisha Meili was raped, brutally beaten and left for dead in the park. She survived and testified, but did not remember her assault.
Five Black and Latino teens — Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise — were taken into custody, hounded in police interrogations and ultimately gave false confessions.
Trump took out full page ads in local newspapers days after the attack, calling to “Bring back the death penalty. Bring back our police!” The ads never explicitly call for the death penalty against the then-dubbed “Central Park Five.”
The five were wrongfully convicted of various crimes, but their convictions were vacated in 2002 following a confession from a different man whose admission was affirmed by DNA evidence. Following a settlement between New York City and the five men, Trump said the city should not have settled with the Central Park Five and continued to rail against the men, according to an op-ed he wrote in the Daily News at the time.
In response to Trump’s arraignment, Salaam released a statement on Tuesdsay in the format of Trump’s full-page 1980s ads:
Santana, one of the now-“Exonerated Five,” criticized those who support Trump on Monday, and asked his social media followers to “never forget” Trump’s actions against the five men: “#Neverforget … because we never had a chance to,” said Santana in an Instagram post.
Salaam also spoke on MSNBC last week about Trump’s indictment and the failings of the justice system in the past.
“For someone to say that ‘if they could do it to Trump, they could do it to anyone,’ — they do it to black and brown people all the time,” said Saalam. “The fact that Black and brown people are in prison, have been there for crimes they haven’t commit, like myself, is … a travesty of justice. And the truth of the matter is that we need this legal system to work and I’m excited to see what will happen on Tuesday.”
Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records on Tuesday after being indicted by a Manhattan grand jury last week.
ABC News’ Nakylah Carter contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Communities across the United States — from small towns to big cities — were on alert for tornadoes on Wednesday, as a major storm system sweeps through areas still reeling from devastating twisters.
There were an unspecified number of injuries and fatalities confirmed in Missouri’s Bollinger County after a tornado hit the Glenallen area, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
At least nine other tornadoes had already been reported across Iowa and Illinois, including a “large and extremely dangerous tornado” that touched down near Canton, Illinois, on Tuesday evening, according to the National Weather Service.
On Wednesday morning, the National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. The cities of Little Rock, Arkansas, and Detroit were included in the watch areas, where forecasters said conditions will be favorable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms. People were warned to seek shelter.
As the storm continues to move east, severe weather is in the forecast for a vast area — from western Texas to western New York. Cities in the bull’s-eye for damaging winds, large hail and tornadoes on Wednesday include Memphis, Louisville, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Chicago, Detroit and Cleveland, according to the latest forecast.
The forecast comes just days after a powerful storm system unleashed violent tornadoes and severe thunderstorms across the country, killing at least 32 people and leaving thousands without power.
The National Weather Service has confirmed at least 81 tornadoes touched down in 14 states on March 31 and April 1. It was the largest single tornado outbreak to hit the U.S. in a year, since the one that spawned 140 twisters in southeastern states — from Texas to Maryland — on April 12-13, 2020.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Apr 05, 1:30 PM EDT
At least 5 confirmed dead in Bollinger County, Missouri
At least five people have died in Bollinger County, according to local Sheriff Casey Graham.
“Several of our communities in Bollinger County, specifically the Grassy and Glenallen areas, were hit with what appears to be a significant tornado early this morning,” Graham said in statement posted on Facebook.
Images show that the village of Glenallen sustained heavy damage. It sits just 4 miles from Marble Hill, the county seat.
Search and rescue efforts remain ongoing, Sgt. Clark Parrott of the Missouri Highway Patrol, told ABC News on Wednesday morning.
-ABC News’ Will McDuffie
Apr 05, 11:01 AM EDT
Tornado watch issued for Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Louisville
The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for several regions under threat of severe storms on Wednesday.
Included in the advisory are central and southern Indiana, north-central Kentucky and southwest Ohio. The formation of tornadoes could be “likely” in cities like Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Louisville, according to the NWS.
The threats include “widespread” damaging wind gusts up to 70 mph, the advisory states.
The tornado watch is in effect until 5 p.m. ET.
Apr 05, 10:54 AM EDT
Multiple fatalities reported in Missouri’s Bollinger County
An unspecified number of injuries and fatalities have been confirmed in Missouri’s Bollinger County after a tornado hit the Glenallen area, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
At least nine other tornadoes had already been reported across Iowa and Illinois, including a “large and extremely dangerous tornado” that touched down near Canton, Illinois, on Tuesday evening, according to the National Weather Service.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced he will visit hard-hit Bollinger County.
Parson will “assess damage and learn what resources will be needed during recovery” in the rural county in the state’s southeast, he said in a tweet.
“We appreciate the work of our first responders and the many neighbors who reached out to help their neighbors, and our prayers are with the loved ones of those who were killed in the storms,” the governor said.
Apr 05, 10:54 AM EDT
Parts of 8 states on alert for tornadoes
Parts of eight states — Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio — are on alert for tornadoes Wednesday as a major storm sweeps through areas already reeling from devastating twisters.
As the storm continues to move east, severe weather is in the forecast for a vast area from western Texas to western New York.
The forecast comes just days after a powerful storm system unleashed violent tornadoes and severe thunderstorms across the country, killing at least 32 people and leaving thousands without power.
The National Weather Service confirmed at least 81 tornadoes touched down in 14 states on March 31 and April 1. It was the largest single tornado outbreak to hit the U.S. in a year, since the one that spawned 140 twisters in southeastern states — from Texas to Maryland — on April 12-13, 2020.
Body camera footage shows a vehicle that crashed into a house after an officer shot the driver, in Washington, D.C., on March 18, 2023. — United States Park Police
(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Park Police released video on Tuesday showing the moment one of its officers shot and killed a teenager last month in Washington, D.C.
The incident occurred on the morning of March 18. An officer with the Metropolitan Police Department was responding to a call at approximately 8:51 a.m. ET about a suspicious vehicle parked at 34th Street and Baker Street NE. Upon arrival, the officer found the car with the engine running and the driver — identified as 17-year-old D.C. resident Dalaneo Martin — apparently asleep inside, according to separate press releases from the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Park Police.
After determining the vehicle was stolen, the officer called for backup. Additional Metropolitan Police Department officers as well as two U.S. Park Police officers arrived on scene to assist, police said.
Footage from the officers’ body cameras, released by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Park Police, show them attempting to remove Martin from the car at approximately 9:30 a.m. ET. The videos show an officer cutting plastic that was in place of the right backseat window and unlocking the door. The two U.S. Park Police officers then enter the vehicle from the backseat doors and grab Martin by his hands while shouting, “Police! Don’t move!”
Martin awakes and a brief struggle ensues, the video shows. Martin drives the car away with one of the U.S. Park Police officers inside while the other falls out onto the street, the videos show. Body camera footage from the officer still in the backseat shows Martin pulling his hands away and placing them on the steering wheel while continuing to drive. The officer shouts at him from the backseat to “stop” while Martin yells back, “Get off of me!”
“Stop, man, just let me out,” the officer says in the video while pulling out his firearm. “Let me go!”
Martin keeps driving, the footage shows.
With his gun drawn, the officer then shouts: “Stop! Stop or I’ll shoot!”
About a second later, the officer is seen in the video firing his weapon multiple times, with the bullets appearing to strike Martin in the back. The vehicle then crashes into a house on 36th Street NE.
Another video shows both U.S. Park Police officers rendering aid to Martin, who is seen lying on the grass next to the car after the crash.
Medics arrived and pronounced Martin dead at the scene, according to police.
No one inside the home was injured from the crash. A handgun was recovered from inside the vehicle, police said.
The two U.S. Park Police officers involved in the incident were taken to a local hospital for treatment. The one who fell out of the car did not sustain any life-threatening injuries, officials said. Both officers were placed on paid administrative leave while the Metropolitan Police Department conducts an investigation into the incident, according to police.
A Maryland-based law firm representing Martin’s family has called for “a full investigation.”
“Dalaneo Martin was just 17 years old when he was brutally murdered at the hands of a Park Police Officer, leaving a five-month old child without a father,” the law firm said in a statement to D.C. ABC affiliate WJLA. “We are calling for a full investigation of the officers involved in this shooting. These officers need to be held accountable for taking another black child from our community.”
(NEW YORK) — Communities across the United States — from small towns to big cities — were on alert for tornadoes on Wednesday, as a major storm system sweeps through areas still reeling from devastating twisters.
There were an unspecified number of injuries and fatalities confirmed in Missouri’s Bollinger County after a tornado hit the Glenallen area, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
At least nine other tornadoes had already been reported across Iowa and Illinois, including a “large and extremely dangerous tornado” that touched down near Canton, Illinois, on Tuesday evening, according to the National Weather Service.
On Wednesday morning, the National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. The cities of Little Rock, Arkansas, and Detroit were included in the watch areas, where forecasters said conditions will be favorable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms. People were warned to seek shelter.
As the storm continues to move east, severe weather is in the forecast for a vast area — from western Texas to western New York. Cities in the bull’s-eye for damaging winds, large hail and tornadoes on Wednesday include Memphis, Louisville, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Chicago, Detroit and Cleveland, according to the latest forecast.
The forecast comes just days after a powerful storm system unleashed violent tornadoes and severe thunderstorms across the country, killing at least 32 people and leaving thousands without power.
The National Weather Service has confirmed at least 81 tornadoes touched down in 14 states on March 31 and April 1. It was the largest single tornado outbreak to hit the U.S. in a year, since the one that spawned 140 twisters in southeastern states — from Texas to Maryland — on April 12-13, 2020.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Apr 05, 11:01 AM EDT
Tornado watch issued for Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Louisville
The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for several regions under threat of severe storms on Wednesday.
Included in the advisory are central and southern Indiana, north-central Kentucky and southwest Ohio. The formation of tornadoes could be “likely” in cities like Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Louisville, according to the NWS.
The threats include “widespread” damaging wind gusts up to 70 mph, the advisory states.
The tornado watch is in effect until 5 p.m. ET.
Apr 05, 10:54 AM EDT
Multiple fatalities reported in Missouri’s Bollinger County
An unspecified number of injuries and fatalities have been confirmed in Missouri’s Bollinger County after a tornado hit the Glenallen area, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
At least nine other tornadoes had already been reported across Iowa and Illinois, including a “large and extremely dangerous tornado” that touched down near Canton, Illinois, on Tuesday evening, according to the National Weather Service.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced he will visit hard-hit Bollinger County.
Parson will “assess damage and learn what resources will be needed during recovery” in the rural county in the state’s southeast, he said in a tweet.
“We appreciate the work of our first responders and the many neighbors who reached out to help their neighbors, and our prayers are with the loved ones of those who were killed in the storms,” the governor said.
Apr 05, 10:54 AM EDT
Parts of 8 states on alert for tornadoes
Parts of eight states — Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio — are on alert for tornadoes Wednesday as a major storm sweeps through areas already reeling from devastating twisters.
As the storm continues to move east, severe weather is in the forecast for a vast area from western Texas to western New York.
The forecast comes just days after a powerful storm system unleashed violent tornadoes and severe thunderstorms across the country, killing at least 32 people and leaving thousands without power.
The National Weather Service confirmed at least 81 tornadoes touched down in 14 states on March 31 and April 1. It was the largest single tornado outbreak to hit the U.S. in a year, since the one that spawned 140 twisters in southeastern states — from Texas to Maryland — on April 12-13, 2020.
(NEW YORK) — Communities across the United States — from small towns to big cities — were on alert for tornadoes on Wednesday, as a major storm system sweeps through areas still reeling from devastating twisters.
There were an unspecified number of injuries and fatalities confirmed in Missouri’s Bollinger County after a tornado hit the Glenallen area, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
At least nine other tornadoes had already been reported across Iowa and Illinois, including a “large and extremely dangerous tornado” that touched down near Canton, Illinois, on Tuesday evening, according to the National Weather Service.
On Wednesday morning, the National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. The cities of Little Rock, Arkansas, and Detroit were included in the watch areas, where forecasters said conditions will be favorable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms. People were warned to seek shelter.
As the storm continues to move east, severe weather is in the forecast for a vast area — from western Texas to western New York. Cities in the bull’s-eye for damaging winds, large hail and tornadoes on Wednesday include Memphis, Louisville, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Chicago, Detroit and Cleveland, according to the latest forecast.
The forecast comes just days after a powerful storm system unleashed violent tornadoes and severe thunderstorms across the country, killing at least 32 people and leaving thousands without power.
The National Weather Service has confirmed at least 81 tornadoes touched down in 14 states on March 31 and April 1. It was the largest single tornado outbreak to hit the U.S. in a year, since the one that spawned 140 twisters in southeastern states — from Texas to Maryland — on April 12-13, 2020.
(SUTHERLAND SPRINGS, Texas) — Victims of the 2017 mass shooting at a Sutherland Springs, Texas, church have reached a tentative agreement with the Justice Department to settle their yearslong legal battle with the government for $144.5 million, according to an attorney for the victims and the Justice Department.
Twenty-six were killed and 22 were injured in the Nov. 5, 2017, massacre at the small, rural First Baptist Church.
The Sutherland Springs families “have gone through so much pain and loss in the most horrific way,” trial attorney Jamal Alsaffar said in a statement to ABC News. “But despite that, these families fought for justice, endured and won two trials against the Federal Government, and made this country safer as a result.”
The agreement is “not final,” Alsaffar said, and will require final signoff from Attorney General Merrick Garland, but if approved, it would bring to a close a complex and uncomfortable process for the DOJ as it sought to appeal a judge’s ruling that found the government largely responsible for the shooting.
In July 2021, a judge ruled that the U.S. Air Force was 60% responsible for the church shooting because it failed to alert the FBI that the shooter, Devin Kelley, was previously investigated and court martialed for assaulting his then-wife and her stepson on an Air Force base, which would have flagged him as barred from purchasing a weapon under the NICS background check system.
The DOJ’s appeal of the ruling was roundly criticized by gun control advocates and survivors of the attack who accused the Biden administration of undermining its own positions on the importance of the national background checks system.
District judge Xavier Rodriguez had ordered the government to pay victims more than $230 million in damages, saying that evidence presented at trial “conclusively established that no other individual — not even Kelley’s own parents or partners — knew as much as the United States about the violence that Devin Kelley had threatened to commit and was capable of committing.”
After the government expressed its intent to appeal, many of the survivors, still struggling with expensive medical care to treat the injuries they suffered, spoke out in excruciating detail how the delays in receiving settlement money left them essentially in limbo.
“No words or amount of money can diminish the immense tragedy of the mass shooting in Sutherland Springs,” Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta said in a statement Wednesday. “Today’s announcement brings the litigation to a close, ending a painful chapter for the victims of this unthinkable crime.”
The DOJ added in a statement, “The NICS plays a critical role in combatting gun violence, and the federal government is always striving to improve the functioning of that system. The Department continues to work actively to combat gun violence as part of its comprehensive violent crime reduction strategy.”
(NEW YORK) — A tornado warning was issued on Wednesday in a region that included parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri, the National Weather Service said.
“A couple tornadoes possible,” the service said. “Scattered large hail and isolated very large hail events to 2.5 inches in diameter possible.”
The warning came after a “large and extremely dangerous tornado” struck down near Canton, Illinois, Tuesday evening, according to the service.
The tornado warning is in effect until 8:00 p.m., local time and NWS has warned people to seek shelter.
Heavy tornado activity is forecast in regions in the U.S. still reeling from a line of devastating tornadoes that killed dozens of people.
A major storm moving east on Tuesday is expected to produce another severe weather outbreak in the Midwest, mid-South, and Great Lakes, bringing strong, long-track tornadoes, damaging winds and large hail. More than 95 million Americans are on alert for these severe weather conditions.
Cities in the bull’s-eye include Little Rock, Arkansas, Springfield, Missouri and Davenport and Des Moines, Iowa, forecasts show.
As the storm moved through the Rocky Mountains and Southwest overnight, places like Utah saw wind gusts up to 135 mph and up to 17 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service.
Severe storms could even reach as far south as Austin, Texas, and Dallas and as far north as Chicago, Milwaukee and Green Bay, Wisconsin. The inclement weather is expected to begin Tuesday afternoon and last overnight into Wednesday, with nocturnal tornadoes possible from Arkansas to Illinois and Iowa. A tornado watch was issued until 10 p.m. CT for parts of Missouri, Iowa and Illinois.
The threats of damaging winds and tornadoes will continue east on Wednesday into the Great Lakes, Ohio and Tennessee River Valley.
A severe threat area is expected through Wednesday night from Louisiana all the way to western New York. Enhanced risk for damaging winds and tornadoes will affect cities from Memphis and Nashville to Chicago again, Cincinnati, and Detroit.
The forecast comes just days after a powerful storm system unleashed a line of violent tornadoes and severe thunderstorms across 14 states. At least nine EF3 tornadoes — wind speeds ranging from 136 to 165 mph — were confirmed to have touched down in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee and Delaware on Friday and Saturday.
The damage was especially extensive near Little Rock, Arkansas, where an apartment complex was left in ruins following the strong twisters. At least five people were killed in Arkansas as a result of the storms.
At least one EF4 tornado — with winds ranging from 166 to 200 mph — was confirmed in Iowa on Friday.
At least 32 people in nine states were killed in the storms.
(NEW YORK) — Former President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, after being indicted by a Manhattan grand jury last week.
He is the first former U.S. president to be indicted.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Apr 04, 10:58 PM EDT
Read the full transcript of Trump’s arraignment hearing
Former President Donald Trump’s first court hearing following his indictment on 34 counts of falsifying business records lasted 57 minutes, according to court records.
Apr 04, 8:52 PM EDT
Trump: ‘Very dark cloud over our beloved country’
In his closing remarks, former President Donald Trump said there is a “very dark cloud over our beloved country.”
He addressed the crowd for about 25 minutes.
Apr 04, 8:35 PM EDT
Trump begins speech from Mar-a-Lago
Former President Donald Trump has started his address at his Mar-a-Lago estate, hours after he was arraigned on criminal charges.
“God bless you all. I never thought anything like this could happen in America,” were Trump’s first words.
Trump claimed the “fake case” was brought “only to interfere with the upcoming 2024 election” and said it should be “dropped immediately.”
Apr 04, 8:10 PM EDT
Some Trump family members at Mar-a-Lago for speech
Some members of Donald Trump’s family just entered the Mar-a-Lago ballroom for the former president’s remarks.
Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr., with Kimberly Guilfoyle, and his daughter Tiffany Trump entered the room to loud applause from the crowd.
-ABC News’ Will Steakin
Apr 04, 4:47 PM EDT
Prosecution claims conflict of interest with Trump attorney
Prosecutors alleged during Tuesday’s hearing that one of former President Donald Trump’s attorneys, Joe Tacopina, has a conflict of interest in the case because of prior communications with Stormy Daniels.
Tacopina pushed back on that aggressively, telling Judge Juan Merchan that he “never met, never spoke” with Daniels, and said that an associate from his office did send Daniels a document and held preliminary conversations with her.
Trump said “yes,” when the judge asked him if he understood he had a right to conflict-free counsel.
Judge Merchan did not make any decision on this today.
-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin and Laura Romero
Apr 04, 4:24 PM EDT
Trump en route to Florida
Donald Trump’s plane left New York Tuesday afternoon to head back to Florida where the former president is expected to address the public from Mar-a-Lago Tuesday night.
Apr 04, 4:22 PM EDT
Bragg: ‘We cannot and will not normalize serious criminal conduct’
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg claimed former President Donald Trump “repeatedly made false statements” on New York business records and made others do the same during a press briefing following Tuesday’s arraignment.
“These are felony crimes in New York state, no matter who you are,” Bragg said. “We cannot and will not normalize serious criminal conduct.
“Bragg said the case, “like so many of our white-collar cases,” alleges that “someone lied again and again to protect their interests and evade the laws to which we are all held accountable.”
Bragg claimed Trump and his associates attempted to withhold negative information about him in a “catch-and-kill scheme” meant to bolster his candidacy for president.
“The evidence will show that Trump lied … to cover up crimes related to the 2016 presidential election,” Bragg said.
The payments to Michael Cohen were meant to “hide damaging information from the voting public,” he added.
When asked why his office was pursuing the case now, Bragg said there is more evidence in hand than his predecessor had.
Apr 04, 4:18 PM EDT
Dispute over possible trial date
Prosecutors asked for a trial date in January 2024.
Donald Trump’s legal team called that timeline “too aggressive” and suggested spring 2024 as an alternative.
Judge Juan Merchan did not weigh in.
Trump’s next in-person court appearance is set for Dec. 4. The defense counsel asked the judge to waive Trump’s appearance.
The judge acknowledged that Tuesday’s hearing was a “huge undertaking,” but said he would not immediately excuse Trump’s appearance, and said he would deny for the time being the defense counsel’s request “in the interest of transparency.”
-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin and Laura Romero
Apr 04, 3:44 PM EDT
Indictment unsealed
The indictment against former President Donald Trump has been unsealed.
Prosecutors allege Trump “employed a ‘catch and kill’ scheme to identify, purchase, and bury negative information about him and boost his electoral prospects,” and “went to great lengths to hide this conduct, causing dozens of false entries in business records to conceal criminal activity, including attempts to violate state and federal election laws.”
Prosecutors allege, “In one instance, American Media Inc. (‘AMI’), paid $30,000 to a former Trump Tower doorman, who claimed to have a story about a child TRUMP had out of wedlock,” though the story wasn’t true.
“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,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement. “The trail of money and lies exposes a pattern that, the People allege, violates one of New York’s basic and fundamental business laws.”
Apr 04, 3:29 PM EDT
Trump leaves courtroom
Former President Donald Trump left the courtroom at 3:25 p.m., nearly one hour after entering the room at 2:28 p.m.
Apr 04, 3:28 PM EDT
Trump pleads not guilty to 34 felony counts
Former President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, according to a source in the courtroom. Trump entered the not guilty plea himself, sources said.
Trump waited in the courtroom for at least five minutes before Judge Juan Merchan arrived, and rose when the judge said, “all rise.”
“Let’s arraign Mr. Trump, please,” Merchan said.
Trump spoke quietly when he addressed the judge, including when he entered his not guilty plea.
Prosecutors asked for a protective order on the discovery materials, which would prevent Trump from disseminating those records.
Todd Blanche, Trump’s new defense attorney, at one point said, “I didn’t realize we were going to be giving opening statements.”
Blanche said Trump was “frustrated” and “upset” and had a right to express his views publicly.
The judge said he was not going to enact a gag order.
-ABC News’ Katherine Faulders, Olivia Rubin, Laura Romero and John Santucci
Apr 04, 2:41 PM EDT
Photo released of Trump at arraignment
A photo has been released of former President Donald Trump sitting between his attorneys at the defense table.
Still cameras were permitted to take photos in the courtroom before the hearing began, but Judge Juan Merchan barred video cameras from the proceedings.
Former President Donald Trump has entered a Manhattan courtroom for an unprecedented arraignment.
Trump didn’t speak to the press as he headed into the courtroom at 2:28 p.m., nearly one hour after he entered the courthouse at 1:23 p.m.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg was brought into the courtroom before him, escorted in under the protection of officers.
Apr 04, 2:16 PM EDT
Trump processed, fingerprints taken
Former President Donald Trump has been processed as a criminal defendant, including having his fingerprints taken.
-ABC News’ Katherine Faulders and John Santucci
Apr 04, 1:38 PM EDT
Trump posts while en route to court: ‘Can’t believe this is happening’
Former President Donald Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social while on his way to the Manhattan courthouse, saying that it “seems so SURREAL.”
“WOW, they are going to ARREST ME,” he wrote. “Can’t believe this is happening in America. MAGA!”
-ABC News’ Will Steakin
Apr 04, 1:35 PM EDT
Trump surrenders
Former President Donald Trump has surrendered at court in lower Manhattan for arraignment on criminal charges.
He traveled in a black SUV with his Secret Service detail. His two lawyers, Todd Blanche and Susan Necheles, were in another SUV.
The motorcade passed a man holding a sign reading, “No one is above the law.”
Although the document remains sealed, sources familiar told ABC News that Trump has been charged with around two dozen counts, including felonies.
Still cameras will be permitted inside the courtroom to take photos before the hearing begins, but Judge Juan Merchan has barred video cameras from the proceedings.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is expected to address the media after Trump’s arraignment.
Apr 04, 1:09 PM EDT
Trump en route to courthouse
Former President Donald Trump has left Trump Tower and is now in a motorcade to a lower Manhattan courthouse to be arraigned.
Apr 04, 12:49 PM EDT
George Santos, Marjorie Taylor Greene outside courthouse
Protesters from both sides are gathering outside at Collect Pond Park, some with flags reading “Trump or Death.” Hundreds of people are inside the barricaded park, with pro-Trump supporters outnumbering the anti-Trump protesters and competing voices trading barbs and shouts.
Republican Reps. George Santos and Marjorie Taylor Greene are among the 50 to 60 Trump supporters at the scene.
Greene spoke outside the courthouse calling Trump’s indictment “election interference.”
She accused Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg of being a “tool for Democrats” to “hijack the 2024 presidential election.”
“Every single American should be concerned. They’re coming after President Trump today, they will come after you tomorrow. President Trump did nothing wrong,” she said.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., who was also outside the courthouse, pushed back, shouting at Greene, “She should not be here.”
The streets surrounding the New York Criminal Court are largely blocked off. A robust police presence is busily shepherding onlookers past a row of television cameras.
Greene and Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., plan to attend Trump’s Tuesday night speech at Mar-a-Lago, aides told ABC News.
-ABC News’ Lucien Bruggeman, Lauren Peller, Will Steakin and Jay O’Brien
Apr 04, 12:13 PM EDT
Trump spends morning working phones, speaking to aides and allies: Sources
Former President Donald Trump spent Monday night and Tuesday morning huddled with his legal team at Trump Tower preparing for his arraignment, sources told ABC News.
Trump was up early Tuesday morning working the phones and speaking to aides and allies ahead of his Tuesday afternoon arraignment, sources said.
Trump is expected to enter his not guilty plea himself, not through his lawyers, sources said. Trump’s legal team has still not seen the indictment or been informed of the charges, according to sources, who told ABC News the legal team expects to see it just minutes before the arraignment begins.
One person described Trump as “upbeat” and “relatively excited.” Another person said Trump is “not angry” and is resigned to the fact that this day has finally come.
-ABC News’ Katherine Faulders and John Santucci
Apr 04, 11:21 AM EDT
Trump slams judge ahead of arraignment
Former President Donald Trump lashed out at the judge expected to preside over his arraignment in a Tuesday morning post on his social media platform, Truth Social.
Trump attacked the judge and his family, without naming them, claiming they are known Trump haters, and claiming a potential trial would not be fair.
The former president has repeatedly gone after the judge and the Manhattan district attorney on social media in the days leading up to Tuesday’s arraignment.
-ABC News’ Will Steakin
Apr 04, 11:02 AM EDT
George Santos, Marjorie Taylor Greene outside courthouse
Former President Donald Trump isn’t expected in lower Manhattan for another few hours, but the circus outside the courthouse is well underway.
Protesters from both sides are gathering outside at Collect Pond Park, some with flags reading “Trump or Death.”
Republican Reps. George Santos and Marjorie Taylor Greene are among the 50 to 60 Trump supporters at the scene.
The streets surrounding the New York Criminal Court are largely blocked off. A robust police presence is busily shepherding onlookers past a row of television cameras.
Greene and Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., plan to attend Trump’s Tuesday night speech at Mar-a-Lago, aides told ABC News.
-ABC News’ Lucien Bruggeman, Will Steakin and Jay O’Brien
Apr 04, 7:36 AM EDT
‘There will be no guilty plea,’ Trump’s lawyer says
Just hours before Donald Trump was expected to turn himself in to New York City authorities to face criminal charges, his lawyer Joe Tacopina insisted Friday that the former president will not be pleading guilty.
“Really, there’s a lot of mystery here because we’re doing something that’s never been done before,” Tacopina told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos in an interview on Good Morning America.
“One thing I can assure you as I sit here today is there will be no guilty plea in this case,” he added. “That is one thing I can guarantee you.”
Tacopina said Trump won’t be put in handcuffs but “he’ll be processed the way anyone else would be, to a degree — again, with Secret Service involvement.”
“I think there will be a typical processing, which does not take long — 20, 30 minutes,” he said. “And then we’ll appear before a judge, you know, deal with a couple issues right off the bat and it won’t be a long day in court.”
That’s when authorities will unseal Trump’s indictment, revealing the exact charges against him.
“They have not shared it with us, won’t share it with us until it’s unsealed,” Tacopina said. “But we know the basis of the indictment and the factual allegations in the indictment.”
Trump’s defense team plans to make “a lot of motions” once they see the indictment, according to Tacopina.
“I don’t think this case is going to see a jury. I think it’s going to go away on papers,” he said. “I think there’s a legal challenge that will be made and should be made successfully.”
When asked about speculation that the judge might impose a gag order, Tacopina said there was “no indication” of that.
“It can’t happen in this case,” he added. “The defendant is the leading Republican candidate for the office of the president of the United States and will be campaigning. Hard to put a gag order when he’s going to be fielding questions about his current legal situation.”
After court, Trump plans to travel back to Palm Beach, Florida, where he will make a statement at his Mar-a-Lago estate, according to Tacopina.
Trump’s attorney talks how he will fight criminal charges
Following Donald Trump’s unprecedented indictment by a Manhattan grand jury last Thursday, the former president begins the first steps in the criminal justice process.
Trump surrenders to authorities
The Manhattan district attorney’s office said it has been in contact with Trump’s lawyers to arrange his surrender to authorities in order to begin criminal proceedings.
Trump, a Florida resident, traveled to New York City on Monday and spent the night at Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan before his arraignment in lower Manhattan on Tuesday. The former president must adhere to the court’s deadline and be processed by authorities before heading to court for the unsealing of the indictment.
Trump is processed by authorities
Processing typically involves being fingerprinted and photographed for a mug shot, but experts say those may not occur in Trump’s case because the former president is not a flight risk. Similarly, Trump’s attorney Joe Tacopina told ABC News last Friday that the former “president will not be put in handcuffs.”
It is also unlikely that Trump will be publicly transported to the courtroom by police, according to Cheryl Bader, an associate clinical professor of law at Fordham University in New York City.
“With white-collar crime, we see that a lot of [suspects] have the privilege of being able to turn themselves in instead of being arrested and put in handcuffs,” Bader told ABC News during a recent interview.
Trump appears in court, makes plea
During the court appearance, which typically takes place in a courtroom without cameras in New York state, the former president will be read his charges and ordered to make a plea. Trump and his lawyers have indicated they intend to fight the indictment in court.
Following his plea, the judge will have the right to remand Trump on bail or release him on his own recognizance before adjourning for a future date. Bader said that judges rarely order suspects in white-collar crimes to be held in jail before their trial, and she expected that the judge will release Trump after the hearing.
In some cases, especially if the suspect is a flight risk, a judge may place restrictions on the suspect such as holding onto their passport, but Bader said it is unclear if the judge will go that far.
Judge hears motions, sets next court date
Following the judge’s order, Trump’s lawyers will have the opportunity to review the indictment charges and make motions regarding the case, including seeking to have the charges dismissed or evidence suppressed, or requesting a change of venue.
Several pre-trial hearings and motions are expected in the case, as Trump’s lawyers have repeatedly made claims that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation is a political attack, according to Bader.
“I’m sure the case is going to be very litigated and take a lot of time to wind its way through the system,” Bader told ABC News.
-ABC News’ Aaron Katersky, Ivan Pereira and Will Steakin
Apr 03, 10:16 PM EDT
Judge issues decision on cameras in court Tuesday
Judge Juan Merchan will allow five pool still photographers to snap for several minutes before the arraignment formally starts, according to a decision issued Monday night.
No video cameras will be allowed, though Judge Merchan conceded, “That this indictment involves a matter of monumental significance cannot possibly be disputed. Never in the history of the United States has a sitting or past President been indicted on criminal charges.”
The judge said he needed to balance other interests.
No electronic devices will be allowed in either the main or overflow courtrooms, the judge ruled.
-ABC News’ Aaron Katersky
Apr 03, 4:25 PM EDT
Trump arrives at Trump Tower
Former President Donald Trump has arrived at Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan where he’ll spend the night Monday before his arraignment in lower Manhattan on Tuesday.
Trump briefly waved as he departed his motorcade and walked into the side entrance of the building on 56th Street Monday afternoon.
-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin
Apr 03, 3:41 PM EDT
Biden says he has faith in legal system, not worried about unrest
President Joe Biden said Monday he has faith in the legal system as he made his most extensive comments yet on former President Donald Trump’s indictment.
While touring a manufacturing facility in Minnesota, a reporter asked Biden if he was worried about unrest, and the president replied, “No. I have faith in the New York Police Department.”
Asked if he has faith in the legal system at this point, the president responded, “Yes.”
On Friday, in an exchange with reporters outside the White House, Biden repeatedly declined to comment on the indictment.
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson
Apr 03, 3:37 PM EDT
Trump lands in New York City
Former President Donald Trump has just touched down in New York, ahead of his arraignment Tuesday.
Trump’s plane landed at LaGuardia Airport, and is now expected to head to Trump Tower.
-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin
Apr 03, 1:50 PM EDT
Trump opposes cameras in court
Former President Donald Trump on Monday opposed the presence of cameras in the courtroom for his Tuesday arraignment.
“It will create a circus-like atmosphere at the arraignment, raise unique security concerns, and is inconsistent with President Trump’s presumption of innocence,” Trump’s attorney Susan Necheles said.
A coalition of news organizations, including ABC News, has filed motions with the court, seeking access to cover and record the hearing Tuesday.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office declined to take a position on the matter.
Judge Juan Merchan has not yet ruled.
-ABC News’ Josh Margolin
Apr 03, 1:18 PM EDT
Trump expands legal team with top white-collar defense attorney
Former President Donald Trump is expanding his legal team, hiring a former federal prosecutor and white-collar defense attorney to lead his defense ahead of Tuesday’s arraignment, sources said.
Todd Blanche, a former assistant U.S. attorney in the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office, recently resigned from his law firm to take on this new role, according to sources. Blanche has represented high-profile clients like Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign chairman, and Igor Fruman, an ex-associate to Rudy Giuliani.
Blanche is expected to travel with Trump from Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan to the courthouse in lower Manhattan on Tuesday, the sources said. Blanche didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
-ABC News’ John Santucci and Katherine Faulders
Apr 03, 1:00 PM EDT
Trump en route to New York
Former President Donald Trump has departed Florida’s Palm Beach International Airport bound for New York City.
Dozens of Trump supporters lined the streets to cheer the former president on as his motorcade headed to the airport.
Some wore shirts saying, “Trump did nothing wrong.”
“People want to support [Trump] because, basically, they see him as an underdog at this point, and which he is,” Whit Taylor told ABC News as he watched the motorcade. “He’s being harassed and pushed around by people who are just haters. I mean that’s the bottom line — they just hate people.”
Trump is expected to stay in Manhattan Monday night before appearing in court for an arraignment on Tuesday.
Apr 03, 12:38 PM EDT
No specific credible threat in NYC, mayor says
As New York City gears up for former President Donald Trump’s arraignment on Tuesday, Mayor Eric Adams said “there has been no specific credible threat.”
“All New Yorkers should go on with their regular activities” on Tuesday, Adams said at a news conference Monday, adding that New Yorkers should expect “some disruptions,” including traffic and street closures.
New Yorkers may also see an additional police presence, NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said. She encouraged people to use mass transit when possible.
Sewell said any protests should be peaceful and orderly.
The mayor warned that violence and vandalism won’t be tolerated, and said anyone caught participating in violence will be arrested.
Adams called out Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who said she’s planning to come to New York to support Trump, urging her and others to “be on your best behavior.”
Apr 03, 6:32 AM EDT
Poll shows plurality of the public supports Trump indictment
A plurality of Americans think former President Donald Trump should have been charged by a Manhattan grand jury with a history-making indictment.
According to the poll, 45% think Trump should have been charged with a crime in this case, whereas 32% don’t think so and 23% say they don’t know.
Democrats are, unsurprisingly, rallying behind the grand jury’s decision.
Almost nine in 10 Democrats (88%) think Trump should have been charged in the investigation by the Manhattan D.A., which has been probing a $130,000 hush money payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels who alleges the two had an affair. Trump has long denied these claims.
-ABC News’ Brittany Shepherd
Apr 03, 6:01 AM EDT
‘I just don’t know what to expect to see,’ Trump’s lawyer says
Donald Trump’s lawyer doesn’t know what to expect when the former president is arraigned on Tuesday in New York City given the historic nature of Trump’s indictment, he said on Sunday.
“This is unprecedented. I don’t know. I’ve done a million arraignments in that courthouse with celebrities and whatnot. But this is a whole different thing. We have Secret Service involved. I understand they’re closing the courthouse for the afternoon. I just don’t know what to expect to see,” Joe Tacopina told ABC This Week anchor George Stephanopoulos.
“What I hope is that we get in and out of there as quickly as possible, that it’s, at the end of the day, a typical arraignment where we stand before the judge, we say ‘not guilty,’ we set schedules to file motions and whatnot or discovery, and we move forward and get out of there,” Tacopina said.
-ABC News’ Tal Axelrod
Apr 03, 5:26 AM EDT
Trump expected to travel to New York on Monday
Former President Donald Trump is expected to travel to New York on Monday, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
He is expected to appear in court on Tuesday at the earliest, the sources said, on what is expected to be around two dozen counts – including felonies.
The exact charges are unknown since the indictment will not be unsealed until Trump appears in court.
-ABC News’ Aaron Katersky, Katherine Faulders, John Santucci
Apr 02, 11:09 AM EDT
Trump to speak at Mar-a-Lago Tuesday night
Following his expected arraignment on Tuesday in New York City, former President Donald Trump announced he would speak that evening from Mar-a-Lago.
The former president is slated to give remarks at 8:15 p.m., according to a press release.
-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin
Apr 02, 10:33 AM EDT
America split on Trump indictment: Poll
While 45% of Americans believe former President Donald Trump should face charges in an investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, 32% say he shouldn’t have been indicted, according to a new ABC News/Ipsos poll.
Another 23% of American say they don’t know whether the nation’s 45th president should face charges.
While the charges have not been announced, a Manhattan grand jury that indicted Trump had been hearing evidence in a $130,000 hush money payment Trump allegedly made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, who claims they had an affair. Trump has denied the allegations.
The poll showed a split in opinions along party lines. While 88% of Democrats said Trump should face charges, 62%, of Republicans said the former president should not have been charged while 16% said he should be charged, and the remainder was uncertain.
About 47% of Americans polled say the charges are politically motivated, echoing the sentiment from top GOP figures. About 79% of Republicans hold that view.
-ABC News’ Brittany Shepherd
Mar 31, 6:08 PM EDT
Why Trump indictment might hinge on a ‘novel legal theory’
As legal experts speculate on what charges lay inside the sealed indictment ahead of former President Donald Trump’s expected surrender on Tuesday afternoon, many predict that prosecutors could try out a new legal theory to justify bringing the charges.
“This could be a novel legal theory,” said Kate Shaw, a law professor at Cardozo and ABC News contributor, speculating on what charges the public could see against Trump while stressing it’s unknown until the indictment is unsealed.
-ABC News’ Libby Cathey
Mar 31, 5:31 PM EDT
Trump faces around 2 dozen counts, including felonies, sources say
Former President Donald Trump has been charged with around two dozen counts, including felonies, sources familiar with the sealed indictment told ABC News.
The exact charges remain unknown since the indictment will not be unsealed until Trump appears in court on Tuesday.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office declined to comment.
Mar 31, 4:51 PM EDT
Senate sergeant at arms warns of potential demonstration activity
The Senate sergeant at arms is warning of potential demonstration activity related to the indictment of former President Donald Trump.
“While law enforcement is not tracking any specific, credible threats against the Capitol or state offices, there is potential for demonstration activity,” an email obtained by ABC News said.
Capitol Police “is working with law enforcement partners, so you may observe a greater law enforcement presence on Capitol Hill,” the email said, adding that there could be “nationwide impacts to Senate state offices.”
The Capitol Police declined to comment and the sergeant at arms didn’t immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
-ABC News’ Luke Barr
Mar 31, 12:56 PM EDT
Ivanka Trump speaks out
Former President Donald Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, reacted to the indictment on Instagram Friday, writing, “I love my father, and I love my country. Today, I am pained for both.”
She added, “I appreciate the voices across the political spectrum expressing support and concern.”
Mar 31, 12:30 PM EDT
How DA could use hush money payment to Playboy model Karen McDougal to bolster Trump case
Sources familiar with the matter told ABC News the Manhattan district attorney’s office is also investigating a $150,000 payment to Playboy model Karen McDougal, who, like Stormy Daniels, claimed to have had an affair with Donald Trump.
The former president has denied having an affair with either woman and has called the investigation a witch hunt.
McDougal was paid for the rights to her story in August 2016 by American Media, publisher of the National Enquirer, which did not publish it, a practice known as catch and kill.
Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, has said he recorded Trump discussing reimbursement to American Media for the payment to McDougal, but the payment was never made.
Trump has not responded to ABC News’ request for comment but in a 2018 interview with Fox News, he claimed he wasn’t aware of any payment made to AMI to facilitate the alleged hush agreement.
Mar 31, 12:27 PM EDT
Judge signs order allowing DA to publicly acknowledge indictment
Judge Juan Merchan has signed this order allowing the Manhattan district attorney’s office to publicly acknowledge the indictment.
The People v Donald J Trump. This is the order allowing the DA to publicly acknowledge the indictment pic.twitter.com/leg9vDascr
(NEW YORK) — Former President Donald Trump was formally charged in New York City Tuesday with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to 2016 hush money payments, according to the Manhattan district attorney’s office.
Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal attorney, paid $130,000 to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in the closing days of the 2016 presidential campaign to keep her quiet about an affair she claimed to have had with Trump, which Trump has long denied.
Prosecutors with the Manhattan district attorney’s office say that Trump illegally falsified business records when his reimbursement of the funds to Cohen was logged in the Trump Organization’s books as a “monthly retainer” for Cohen’s legal services.
The former president, who has denied all wrongdoing, entered a plea of not guilty to all charges.
In a statement, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said that Trump was accused of “falsifying New York business records in order to conceal damaging information and unlawful activity from American voters before and after the 2016 election.”
“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. TRUMP then went to great lengths to hide this conduct, causing dozens of false entries in business records to conceal criminal activity, including attempts to violate state and federal election laws,” the statement said. “TRUMP is charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with 34 counts of Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree.”
“According to court documents and statements made on the record in court, from August 2015 to December 2017, TRUMP orchestrated his ‘catch and kill’ scheme through a series of payments that he then concealed through months of false business entries,” the statement said. “In one instance, American Media Inc. (‘AMI’), paid $30,000 to a former Trump Tower doorman, who claimed to have a story about a child TRUMP had out of wedlock.”
“In a second instance, AMI paid $150,000 to a woman who alleged she had a sexual relationship with TRUMP. When TRUMP explicitly directed a lawyer who then worked for the Trump Organization as TRUMP’s Special Counsel to reimburse AMI in cash, the Special Counsel indicated to TRUMP that the payment should be made via a shell company and not by cash. AMI ultimately declined to accept reimbursement after consulting their counsel. AMI, which later admitted its conduct was unlawful in an agreement with federal prosecutors, made false entries in its business records concerning the true purpose of the $150,000 payment,” according to the statement.
“In a third instance — 12 days before the presidential general election — the Special Counsel wired $130,000 to an attorney for an adult film actress. The Special Counsel, who has since pleaded guilty and served time in prison for making the illegal campaign contribution, made the payment through a shell corporation funded through a bank in Manhattan,” the statement said.
“After winning the election, TRUMP reimbursed the Special Counsel through a series of monthly checks, first from the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust — created in New York to hold the Trump Organization’s assets during TRUMP’s presidency — and later from TRUMP’s bank account. In total, 11 checks were issued for a phony purpose. Nine of those checks were signed by TRUMP. Each check was processed by the Trump Organization and illegally disguised as a payment for legal services rendered pursuant to a non-existent retainer agreement. In total, 34 false entries were made in New York business records to conceal the initial covert $130,000 payment. Further, participants in the scheme took steps that mischaracterized, for tax purposes, the true nature of the reimbursements,” said the statement.
Trump, who is running for president again in 2024, was indicted on the charges on Thursday, becoming the first current or former U.S. president to be indicted for criminal conduct.
