FORMER U.S. President Donald Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records, the Manhattan district attorney said Tuesday afternoon.

Trump, who was arraigned at the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City and became the first former U.S. president to be criminally indicted, reportedly pleaded not guilty.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced the indictment after Trump’s arraignment, accusing him 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, according to Bragg’s office in a press release.

Trump then tried 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 release alleged.

The New York State Supreme Court indictment cited three instances of hush-money payments to cover up Trump’s alleged affairs.

A Republican who held the White House from early 2017 to early 2021 after winning the 2016 race, Trump has denied wrongdoing and stated that the criminal inquiry led by Bragg, a Democrat, is politically motivated.

Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche, speaking to reporters outside the Manhattan Criminal Court after Trump’s departure, revealed that his client is “frustrated” and “upset.” “It’s not a good day,” Blanche said, adding that “you don’t expect this to happen ... to somebody who was the president of the United States.”

Trump is traveling back to his Mar-a-Lago residence in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he will hold an event to address his indictment Tuesday night, following the court appearance.

“Seems so SURREAL — WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Can’t believe this is happening in America. MAGA!” Trump wrote on his social media platform “Truth Social” before arriving at the Manhattan Criminal Court earlier in the day.

Republicans have rallied behind Trump, criticizing that the justice system has been weaponized by the Democratic Party for political purposes since Trump, 76, is running for the White House again and is an early frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

Democrats, by contrast, are seeking to cast the historic indictment as an accountability move and urging Trump supporters to remain peaceful while protesting.

(Xinhua)