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A2   UP FRONT
                   Wednesday 5 april 2023
            Trump pleads not guilty to 34 charges; admonished by judge




            Continued from Front                                                                   hattan,  the  Courthouse,”  return  to  his  Palm  Beach,
                                                                                                   he  posted  on  his  Truth  So-  Florida, home, Mar-a-Lago,
            The  broad  contours  of                                                               cial  platform.  “Seems  so  on Tuesday evening to give
            the  case  have  long  been                                                            SURREAL — WOW, they are  remarks. At least 500 promi-
            known,    but   indictment                                                             going to ARREST ME. Can’t  nent supporters have been
            contains new details about                                                             believe this is happening in  invited,  with  some  of  the
            a scheme that prosecutors                                                              America. MAGA!”              most  pro-Trump  congres-
            say involved payoffs to two                                                            Afterward,  Trump  lawyer  sional Republicans expect-
            women,  including  a  porn                                                             Todd  Blanche  told  report-  ed to attend.
            star, who said they had ex-                                                            ers that it was a “sad day  A conviction would not pre-
            tramarital  sexual  encoun-                                                            for the country.”            vent Trump from running for
            ters  with  him  years  earlier,                                                       “You  don’t  expect  this  to  or  winning  the  presidency
            as well as to a Trump Tower                                                            happen to somebody who  in 2024.
            doorman  who  claimed  to                                                              was president of the United  The  investigation  is  scruti-
            have a story about a child                                                             States,” he said.            nizing  six-figure  payments
            he alleged the former pres-  Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks at a press con-  Trump,   who   was   im-  made to porn actor Stormy
            ident  had  out  of  of  wed-  ference after the arraignment of former president Donald Trump   peached twice by the U.S.  Daniels and former Playboy
            lock.                        in New York on Tuesday, April 4, 2023.                    House but was never con-     model  Karen  McDougal.
            The  arraignment,  though                                             Associated Press   victed in the U.S. Senate, is  Both  say  they  had  sexual
            largely  procedural  in  na-  about  an  hour  later,  also  the  dour  demands  of  the   the first former president to  encounters  with  the  mar-
            ture, amounts to a remark-   without  commenting.  All  American  criminal  justice    face criminal charges. The  ried Trump years before he
            able  reckoning  for  Trump  told,  the  typically  verbose  system  while  projecting   nation’s  45th  commander  got into politics. Trump de-
            after years of investigations  Trump spoke only about 10  an  aura  of  defiance  and   in chief was escorted from  nies  having  sexual  liaisons
            into  his  personal,  business  words during the entire pro-  victimhood  at  celebratory   Trump  Tower  to  the  court-  with either woman and has
            and  political  dealings.  The  ceeding.                  campaign events.             house  by  the  Secret  Ser-  denied any wrongdoing in-
            case  is  unfolding  against  Before  the  arraignment,  Wearing  his  signature  dark   vice.                      volving payments.
            the  backdrop  not  only  he  narrated  his  feelings  in  suit  and  red  tie,  Trump   “He is strong and ready to  The  arraignment  unfolded
            of  his  third  campaign  for  real  time,  describing  the  turned  and  waved  to    go,” Trump lawyer Joe Ta-    against  the  backdrop  of
            the  White  House  but  also  experience  as  “SURREAL”  crowds outside the building   copina told The Associated  heavy security in New York,
            against other investigations  as he traveled from Trump  before  heading  inside  to   Press. Earlier, Tacopina said  coming  more  than  two
            in Washington and Atlanta  Tower to lower Manhattan  be  fingerprinted  and  pro-      in  a  TV  interview  that  the  years  after  Trump  support-
            that  might  yet  produce  to face a judge.               cessed. He arrived at court   former  president  wouldn’t  ers stormed the U.S. Capitol
            even more charges.           The day’s schedule, with its  in an eight-car motorcade   plead guilty to lesser charg-  in  a  failed  bid  to  halt  the
            Trump,  his  lips  pursed  in  striking  blend  of  legal  and  from Trump Tower, commu-  es,  even  if  it  might  resolve  congressional  certification
            apparent  anger,  entered  political  events,  represents  nicating in real time his an-  the  case.  He  also  said  he  of  Democrat  Joe  Biden’s
            the  courtroom  shortly  be-  the new split-screen reality  ger at the process.        didn’t think the case would  win.
            fore 2:30 p.m. He left court  for Trump as he submits to  “Heading  to  Lower  Man-    make it to a jury.           Trump  was  defiant  ahead
                                                                                                   New  York  police  said  they  of his arraignment. He used
                                                                                                   were  ready  for  large  pro-  his  social  media  network
                                                                                                   tests  by  Trump  supporters,  to  complain  that  he  was
                                                                                                   who share the Republican  going to court in a heavily
                                                                                                   former  president’s  belief  Democratic  area,  declar-
                                                                                                   that  the  New  York  grand  ing,  “KANGAROO  COURT”
                                                                                                   jury  indictment  and  three  and  “THIS  IS  NOT  WHAT
                                                                                                   additional pending investi-  AMERICA  WAS  SUPPOSED
                                                                                                   gations  are  politically  mo-  TO  BE!”  He  and  his  cam-
                                                                                                   tivated  and  intended  to  paign  have  repeatedly
                                                                                                   weaken  his  bid  to  retake  assailed  Bragg  and  even
                                                                                                   the  White  House  in  2024.  trained  scrutiny  on  mem-
                                                                                                   Journalists  often  outnum-  bers of Bragg’s family.
                                                                                                   bered protesters, though.    Despite  that,  the  scenes
                                                                                                   Trump,  a  former  reality  TV  around  Trump  Tower  and
                                                                                                   star, has been hyping that  the    courthouse    where
                                                                                                   narrative to his political ad-  Trump  will  stand  before  a
                                                                                                   vantage,  saying  he  raised  judge did not feature ma-
                                                                                                   more than $8 million in the  jor  unrest.  Police  tried  to
                                                                                                   days  since  the  indictment  keep apart protesters sup-
                                                                                                   on claims of a “witch hunt.”  porting  the  former  presi-
                                                                                                   His  campaign  released  a  dent  and  those  opposing
                                                                                                   fundraising  request  titled  him  by  confining  them  to
                                                                                                   “My  last  email  before  ar-  separate  sides  of  a  park
                                                                                                   rest”  and  he  has  repeat-  near  the  courthouse  using
                                                                                                   edly   assailed   Manhat-    metal barricades.
                                                                                                   tan  District  Attorney  Alvin  Georgia  Republican  Rep.
                                                                                                   Bragg,  egged  on  support-  Marjorie  Taylor  Greene,
                                                                                                   ers to protest and claimed  one  of  Trump’s  staunch-
                                                                                                   without  evidence  that  the  est supporters in Congress,
                                                                                                   judge  presiding  over  the  staged  a  brief  rally  at  the
                                                                                                   case “hates me” — some-      park, but the scene was so
                                                                                                   thing  his  own  lawyer  has  chaotic that it was hard to
                                                                                                   said is not true.            hear her over the crush of
                                                                                                   Trump  was  scheduled  to  reporters and protesters.q
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