Former President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts in a Manhattan court after hearing charges against him, according to a source.
The charges stem from an investigation into a hush money payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Trump did not speak as advisers expected before entering the courtroom
Before entering the courtroom, former President Donald Trump did not make a statement — something some advisers had expected him to do.
“We had been under the impression he may make a brief statement before going in, and I think the fact that he didn’t is notable,” former Trump White House communications director Alyssa Farah Griffin, told CNN. “That indicates to me potentially what he saw in the indictment goes further than he expected to.”
Griffin said his lack of a statement could also signify that “the attorneys are likely at odds with the comms advisers.”
Advisers told CNN earlier Tuesday that the former president planned to deliver one brief line before heading inside of the courtroom. He is expected to speak to the cameras in the hallway outside of the Manhattan courtroom after his arraignment, according to one of Trump’s lawyers, Chris Kise.
Trump indictment has been unsealed, according to source
The indictment returned last week by a grand jury against former President Donald Trump has been unsealed, according to a source.
Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 criminal charges against him in a Manhattan criminal court Tuesday afternoon, a source familiar with the matter tells CNN.
Trump officially became the first former president to face criminal charges.
Trump has just left the court area after arraignment.
(CNN)