Donald Trump Expected To Plead Not Guilty Today In Hush Money Case

Trump’s court date comes just five days after he made history and became the first former US president to be indicted for a crime.

New York: 

Donald Trump, former US president, will today appear in a New York court where he will be criminally charged in a case involving hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels. Ahead of his court visit, Trump has said that he is innocent and plans to plead not guilty.

“We have to take back our Country and, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social profile shortly after arriving in New York from Florida on Monday, urging supporters to donate to his campaign.

Trump’s court date comes just five days after he made history and became the first former US president to be indicted for a crime.

Trump, who has launched a comeback bid for the White House, will appear in front of a New York state grand jury where he will be formally charged. The city’s police department, the US Secret Service, and other authorities are on high alert given the political firestorm over the case.

The twice-impeached Republican claims he is the victim of “political persecution” — but is also using the case to energize his support base and raise millions of dollars for his bid to reclaim the White House next year.

Trump, 76, was indicted last week by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, an elected Democrat.

He is accused of paying adult film actress Stormy Daniels $130,000 just days before his election win in 2016.

Trump’s former lawyer and aide Michael Cohen, who has since turned against his ex-boss, says he arranged the payment to Daniels in exchange for her silence about a tryst she says she had with Trump in 2006.

Trump, whose third wife Melania had recently given birth at the time, denies the affair.