An unprecedented indictment has been issued against Donald Trump, charging him with 34 criminal offenses.

Donald Trump, the former President of the United States, has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony charges related to a payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election. Trump, who is seeking re-election in 2024, is the first former president to face criminal charges in US history.

The indictment was unsealed on Tuesday, with the Manhattan district attorney's office accusing Trump of falsifying New York business records "to conceal damaging information and unlawful activity from American voters before and after the 2016 election." The prosecutors allege that this included payoffs, including an illegal payment of $130,000 to Daniels' attorney, as part of a "catch and kill scheme."

District Attorney Alvin Bragg stated that 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." Bragg emphasized that businesses cannot manipulate their records to cover up criminal conduct.

Trump arrived at the Manhattan courtroom shortly before 2:30 pm on Tuesday, flanked by his lawyers. He wore a dark blue suit and red tie, sitting with his hands folded at the defense table as he entered his plea of not guilty. The former president said nothing as he entered or left the courtroom roughly an hour later. Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing and denounced the case as a "witch hunt."

In a social media post before his arrival at the Manhattan court, Trump wrote, "Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse. Seems so SURREAL – WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Can't believe this is happening in America." Trump's arraignment came less than a week after a New York grand jury voted to indict him, a move that was welcomed by his critics but criticized by top Republicans.

The case has underscored deep political divisions in the US, with concerns about violence breaking out leading to a large police presence deployed ahead of Tuesday's hearing. Large groups of Trump supporters and detractors held rival protests near the court throughout the day.

Jennifer Victor, an associate professor of political science at George Mason University, noted that Trump's supporters tend to believe that the case is politically motivated. She added that the trial would be a "very polarizing type of affair as this whole [case] drags out."

The New York investigation focused on a $130,000 payment that Trump's former personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen made to Daniels in the waning days of the former president's 2016 campaign. Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, claimed that she had an affair with Trump starting in 2006, and Cohen said he paid her on Trump's orders. However, Trump has denied the affair, insisting that the payment was to protect his reputation from a false accusation.

Republican legislators have continued to publicly support Trump, with Senator Ted Cruz calling the case a "mockery of the rule of law." For their part, Democrats have emphasized that "nobody is above the law."

Congressman Adam Schiff called Trump's arraignment "a somber moment in the life of our country, when it's necessary to arraign a former president on criminal charges." Bragg, the prosecutor overseeing the case, has repeatedly rejected recent Republican claims that the case is politically motivated as "baseless and inflammatory."

He is expected to address the media on Tuesday afternoon for the first time since Trump said last month that he expected to be arrested. The case is likely to be highly controversial and divisive, reflecting the deep political divisions that continue to shape the US political landscape.

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