Breaking
Donald Trump charges latest: Former president says US is ‘going to hell’ after charges – as he insists there’s ‘no case here’
Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records in a Manhattan court; the former US president claimed the US was “going to hell” in his address to supporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
Donald Trump
LIVE
Watch full coverage of Donald Trump’s court appearance on Sky News
Why you can trust Sky News
Key points
Trump pleads not guilty to 34 charges View post | He denies falsifying business records View post
‘Our country is going to hell,’ Trump tells supporters View post
‘We cannot and will not normalise serious criminal conduct’ – DA View post
The party needs Trump as much as Trump needs the party | James Matthews View post
The charges against Trump have only galvanised his supporters | Martha Kelner View post
Updates from US correspondents Martha Kelner, Mark Stone and James Matthews. Live reporting by Bhvishya Patel
Sort by:
LatestSort by latest OldestSort by oldest
7h ago
14:55
What are the charges Trump is facing?
Donald Trump has become the first current or former president to be charged with a crime – marking a new chapter in American history.
He has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.
Now the indictment – a formal charge – has been unsealed to the public, here are some of the charges facing Trump…
From August 2015 to December 2017, Trump allegedly orchestrated his “catch and kill” scheme through a series of payments that he then concealed through months of false business entries;
In one instance, American Media Inc (AMI) allegedly paid $30,000 to a former Trump Tower doorman, who claimed to have a story about a child Trump had out of wedlock;
In the second instance, AMI allegedly paid $150,000 to a woman who alleged she had a sexual relationship with Trump. When Trump directed a lawyer to reimburse AMI in cash, a special counsel indicated to him that the payment should be made via a shell company and not by cash. AMI ultimately declined to accept reimbursement;
In the third instance, 12 days before the presidential general election Trump’s special counsel allegedly wired $130,000 to an attorney for an adult film actress;
After winning the election, Trump reimbursed the special counsel through a series of monthly checks, first from the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust and later from his bank account. In total, 11 checks were issued for a phony purpose;
From August 2015 to December 2017, Trump allegedly orchestrated a scheme with others to influence the 2016 presidential election by identifying and purchasing negative information about him to suppress its publication and benefit electoral prospects;
Each count concerns one of the following – an entry in the Trump Revocable Trust’s Detail General Ledger, a cheque and cheque stub to Michael Cohen, and invoices from Cohen that are maintained in Trump Organisation records;
Although the larger catch and kill scheme and the Karen McDougal payment is described, the actual charges appear to concern only those records intended to hide the payments to Michael Cohen for the Stormy Daniels settlement.
Copy link
25m ago
21:56
District attorney’s funds for ‘partisan and political witch-hunt’ against Trump will be investigated, congresswoman says
The US House of Representatives will investigate the Manhattan district attorney’s funds for a “partisan and political witch-hunt” against Donald Trump, congresswoman Mary Miller has said.
In a statement on Twitter, Ms Miller said the country could not have “two systems of justice” – one for district attorney Alvin Bragg and one for everyone else.
She went on to say Trump would “prevail” and the America first movement “would not be silenced by this latest communist assault on our democracy”.
Copy link
43m ago
21:37
Scenes from Trump’s Florida resort
Moments ago, Donald Trump delivered an impassioned speech to his supporters and said that he was the victim of election interference as he lashed out at New York prosecutor Alvin Bragg for bringing criminal charges against him.
Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, as Manhattan prosecutors accused him of orchestrating payments to two women before the 2016 US election to suppress publication of their sexual encounters with him.
Trump accused Mr Bragg of being out to get him “before he knew anything about me” and said the judge in the case, Juan Merchan, was “a Trump hating judge.”
Here are a few of the scenes from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate earlier…
Pics: AP
Pics: AP
Copy link
1h ago
21:18
What could happen now?
Donald Trump has been charged but any potential trial could be more than a year away.
After the former president pleaded not guilty to 34 felony charges of falsifying business, Judge Juan Merchan set the next court hearing for 4 December.
So what happens now?
Trump’s case is far from typical, and his lawyers say they intend to fight it aggressively with a blizzard of paperwork. That could push any trial past the timetable floated by the two sides and closer to the presidential election.
The state-by-state contests for the Republican nomination is scheduled for the first half of 2024. The party will formally select a nominee in mid-2024 to face the Democratic nominee.
If elected, Trump would not hold the power to pardon himself of state charges.
But putting a president-elect or president on trial for state charges would enter uncharted legal waters.
Trump has accused Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg, an elected Democrat, of targeting him for political gain and could try to seek a dismissal of the charges on those grounds.
He has also complained that Mr Merchan, the judge, treated his company unfairly when he oversaw a criminal tax-fraud trial last year.
This morning, Trump said the case should be moved from heavily Democratic Manhattan to Staten Island, a more conservative part of New York City.
To do this, Trump’s lawyers would have to file a motion showing why Mr Merchan is unqualified to handle the case.
Trump will likely pursue other avenues as well, some of which could present thorny legal issues that take time to resolve.
Falsifying business records is typically a misdemeanour punishable by no more than one year in prison under New York state law.
But Mr Bragg elevated those charges to felonies, each carrying a maximum of four years in prison, by arguing that Trump falsified those records to cover up campaign-finance violations.
Copy link
1h ago
20:50
‘I have a Trump hating judge’
Pundits and legal analysts say “there is no case here”, Donald Trump tells the crowds.
He says he spent time with a “local failed district attorney” today who charged a former president of the US for the first time in history.
“Every single pundit and legal analyst said there is no case. Virtually every one,” he says.
He goes on to say the “criminal is the district attorney” because he “illegally leaked massive amounts of grand jury information”.
“Hope is never lost because various prosecutors in the DA’s office also quit because they thought I was being treated unfairly, he adds.
“How about that? Isn’t that great? I love them. I would like to meet them.
“Meanwhile, overall crime in New York was up 30% last year – much more than that the year before, with felony assaults, robberies and burglaries all up by massive numbers.
“Not the same place that I know and not the same place you know.
“This is where we are right now. I have a Trump hating judge with a Trump hating wife and family, whose daughter worked for Kamala Harris.”
He goes on to say “this is where we are as a nation” and the US “is a mess”.
“Incredibly, we are now a failing election and now these radical left lunatics want to interfere with our elections by using law enforcement. We can’t let that happen,” he adds.
“With all of this being said and with a very dark cloud over our beloved country I have no doubt that we will make America great again.”
Copy link
Advertisement
1h ago
20:26
‘Our country is going to hell,’ Trump says
Donald Trump is delivering his address to hundreds of supporters at his Florida estate after he became the first former US president to face criminal charges in an unprecedented moment today.
In his first comments after being charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records, the 76-year-old former president says “he never thought anything like this could happen in America”.
“The only crime I have committed is fearlessly defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it,” he says.
He says the US “is going to hell” and says even people “who are not big fans” of him have said this “should not be happening”.
Trump claims what he is facing is “election interference” and claims “a local racist district attorney in Atlanta” is trying to “do everything” in their power to indict him.
He says: “This fake case was brought only to interfere with the upcoming 2024 election and it should be dropped immediately.”
Trump says Hillary Clinton got rid of 33,000 emails and “that was okay”, adding “but nobody has done it like Joe Biden”.
He claims Mr Biden “had classified documents which he took when he was a senator” and goes on to say “he is not being harassed and hounded like the people who work for me are” – this is a reference to the FBI raid he faced at his Florida estate last year.
Drawing his attention back to his indictment, he says “this is a persecution not an investigation” but “our heads are held very high”.
Copy link
2h ago
20:09
Scenes from Mar-a-Lago ahead of Trump speech
Crowds are gathering at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida ahead of his address to supporters.
Trump adviser Jason Miller has tweeted a picture from inside the estate where hundreds are waiting for the former president.
At least 500 prominent supporters have been invited to the speech.
Copy link
2h ago
19:56
Trump ‘under the control of a process larger than himself’
Donald Trump will be “angry” after his indictment in New York and could “vent” and “lash out” in his speech in Florida later, Michael McAuliffe, a former federal prosecutor, says.
Speaking to Sky News tonight, Mr McAuliffe says: “If I was on his defence team I would be worried about how far he is going to go tonight and in the near future when he talks about this pending case.
“It is unprecedented – to be under the control of a process larger than himself.
“The risk for Donald Trump is he is playing dodgeball and he has now entered a game of three dimensional chess where things could start disassembling for him.”
Mr McAuliffe says Trump will be “gearing up” to what he is going to say tonight.
Copy link
2h ago
19:48
What do we know about the charges against Trump?
Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty in a history-making moment to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
Prosecutors in Manhattan allege that Trump – the first sitting or former US president to face criminal charges – falsified business records to conceal a violation of election laws during his successful 2016 campaign.
So what do we know about the charges?
Here, Sky’s US correspondent James Matthews take a look at the charges…
Copy link
2h ago
19:23
American magazine releases new cover on Trump indictment
The American news magazine TIME has released a new cover on the indictment of Donald Trump.
It features an illustration from artist Edel Rodriguez of a fingerprint and is the eighth TIME cover of Trump by Mr Rodriguez.
There have been 36 TIME covers of Trump in total.
Copy link
3h ago
18:59
Former president leaves Trump Force One
Wearing his signature dark suit and red tie, Donald Trump is leaving his plane and has got into a vehicle waiting outside.
He is due to speak in Florida at 1.15am (UK time).
The arraignment in a New York court today stated he was facing 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
Copy link
3h ago
18:40
Trump lands back in Florida
Donald Trump has landed back in Florida after pleading not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in New York earlier.
His plane, Trump Force One, has landed at Palm Beach Airport.
Trump is scheduled to return to his home in Mar-a-Lago to give his comments on the indictment later.
At least 500 prominent supporters have been invited, with some of the most pro-Trump congressional Republicans expected to attend.
Copy link
3h ago
18:31
Former president was a ‘reluctant showman’ in court
The demeanour of Donald Trump was “one today of a very reluctant showman”, Sky’s US correspondent Mark Stone says.
Speaking on the former president’s appearance today, Stone says Trump did appear to be affected by what was unfolding.
He says: “He seemed to be genuinely affected by what he was being forced to go through.”
Stone says Trump went from the “opulence” of the penthouse he was staying in to the “austerity” of the courthouse.
“Even from the still photographs you could tell this was a man who did seem to be affected,” he adds.
Copy link
3h ago
18:25
Trump pleaded ‘not guilty’ himself
Donald Trump was the one to plead “not guilty” to the judge in the courtroom today, the court transcript shows.
A copy of the transcript shows the former president pleaded his innocence himself when presented with the arraignment in court.
The transcript provides an insight into what unfolded inside the courtroom today.
Copy link
4h ago
18:00
Speaker of the House vows to call DA before Congress
Republican congressman Kevin McCarthy has accused New York district attorney Alvin Bragg of “weaponising the federal justice process” in brining these charges against Donald Trump.
The Speaker of the House, officially the third most powerful person in the federal government, said the prosecutor would be “held accountable by Congress”.
Mr McCarthy was endorsed for the position of speaker by Trump after Republicans gained a slim majority in the House of Representatives following last year’s midterm elections.
Copy link
4h ago
17:41
‘There was nothing done illegally,’ Trump says
Donald Trump has said “there is no case” when it comes to his indictment and “nothing was done illegally”.
In a statement on social media site Truth Social, the former president accused New York district attorney Alvin Bragg of shutting the city down and bringing in “38,000 NYPD officers”.
He went on to confirmed he would be delivering remarks tonight at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
“The hearing was shocking to many in that they had no ‘surprises’ and therefore, no case,” he said.
“Virtually every legal pundit has said that there is no case here. There was nothing done illegally!”
Copy link
4h ago
17:30
Judge: ‘No gag order at this time’
Our American partner network NBC reports that the judge said no parties were seeking a gag order and nor would he be granting one at this stage.
Justice Juan Merchan acknowledged that such an order would be particularly onerous on Donald Trump, as a potential presidential candidate.
He did however caution the former president and all witnesses who may be called to testify in the case, to refrain from statements that may incite violence or unrest, or words or conduct that undermine the rule of law.
Copy link
5h ago
17:11
What is a ‘catch and kill’ scheme?
The term “catch and kill” refers to the practice of buying the rights to a story without ever publishing it.
It is a way to keep potentially damaging stories or incriminating information about someone out of the public domain.
Prosecutors say Donald Trump paid three people to keep quiet about affairs – in the so-called “catch and kill” scheme to bury negative information and boost election results.
Copy link
5h ago
16:43
Calm before the storm in Mar-a-Lago
By Martha Kelner, US correspondent, in Palm Beach
As Trump prepared to leave New York and head home to Florida this was the scene inside his Mar-a-Lago estate.
Media from around the world was queueing to gain access to a ballroom in the main building which will tonight host his prime time address.
It will, likely, be the first time Trump speaks on camera since the news of his indictment became public last week.
Copy link
5h ago
16:36
No mugshot taken of Trump – reports
It was not entirely clear if Donald Trump would have his mugshot taken while inside the courthouse today.
Now, it has been reported that the former president did not have a picture of himself taken when he was arrested and processed ahead of his arraignment, according to our US partner network NBC.
During the arraignment, Trump pleaded not guilty in a historic moment for the US.
The indictment, unsealed after Trump’s court appearance along with a statement of facts, alleged that Trump and others violated election laws through a scheme to suppress the publication of negative information about him ahead of the 2016
US election.
Copy link
6h ago
16:14
Trump lied for ‘nine straight months’ over false business records
Alvin Bragg is addressing the media following Donald Trump’s appearance in a New York court this evening.
Setting out the case against Trump, he said the former president “repeatedly made false statements on New York business records” and caused others to make false statements.
Mr Bragg said Trump claimed he paid his former lawyer Michael Cohen for legal services in 2017, but this “simply wasn’t true”.
“For nine straight months the defendant held documents in his hand containing this key lie, and he personally signed checks paying Michael Cohen for each of these nine months.
“The grand jury found there were 34 documents with this critical false statement.”
Mr Bragg said the reason why Trump falsified these statements was to “cover up crimes relating to the 2016 election”.
As part of the scheme, Mr Bragg said Trump made three payments to people who “claimed to have negative information” about him, and did so by setting up shell companies and making yet more false statements.
“Less than two weeks before the presidential election, Michael Cohen wired $130,000 to Stormy Daniels’ lawyer,” Mr Bragg continued.
“The participants scheme was illegal and violated New York election law, which makes it a crime.
“That is why Trump made false statements. He could not simply say the payments were a reimbursement for Mr Cohen’s payments to Stormy Daniels.
“To do so, would have been to admit a crime.
“Instead Trump said he was paying Mr Cohen for fictitious legal services in 2017, to cover up actual crime committed the prior year.”
Bringing his statement to a close, Mr Bragg said the charges brought against Trump were the “bread and butter” of the district attorney’s office’s work.
“No matter who you are. We cannot and will not normalise serious criminal conduct,” he said.
