DA Alvin Bragg: New evidence helped lead to Trump charges

Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg holds press conference after Trump arraignment

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg held a press conference on Tuesday afternoon after the historic arraignment of former President Donald Trump for 34 felony criminal charges.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg held a news conference Tuesday afternoon after former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts after a grand jury’s indictment over hush money paid during his 2016 presidential campaign.

Bragg spoke before a room of reporters to discuss the charges against the former commander-in-chief.

"Earlier this afternoon Donald Trump was arraigned on a New York Supreme Court indictment returned by a Manhattan grand jury on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first-degree," Bragg said. "Under New York State law it is a felony to falsify business records with intent to defraud and intent to conceal another crime, that’s exactly what this case is about."

"Thirty-four false statements made to cover up other crimes, these are felony crimes in New York State, no matter who you are. We cannot and will not normalize serious criminal conduct. The defendant repeatedly made false statements on New York business records. He also told others to make false statements."

Alvin Bragg, Manhattan district attorney, during a news conference in New York, on April 4, 2023. Donald Trump entered a not-guilty plea to 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. (Stephanie Keith/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"The defendant claimed he paid Michael Cohen for legal services performed in 2017. This simply was not true. And it was a false statement the defendant made month after month in 2017. For nine straight months, the defendant held documents in his hand containing this key lie. That he was paying Michael Cohen for legal services performed in 2017. And he personally signed checks for payments to Michael Cohen for each of these nine months. In total, the grand jury found there were 34 documents with this critical false statement."

Bragg explained that Trump made these false statements to cover up crimes related to the 2016 presidential election.

"Donald Trump, executives at the publishing company American Media Inc., Mr. Cohen and others agreed in 2015 to a ‘Catch and Kill’ scheme. That is a scheme to buy and suppress negative information to help Mr. Trump’s chance of winning the election."

Bragg said for the scheme, Trump and others made three payments to people who claimed to have negative information about Trump. The district attorney explained that Trump and others set up shell companies and made false statements. One of the three people paid to keep quiet was porn actress Stormy Daniels.

Less than two weeks before the presidential election in 2016, Cohen wired a $130,000 payment to Daniels’ lawyer. This payment was to hide damaging information from the voting public, Bragg said.

"The scheme violated New York election law, which makes it a crime to conspire to promote a candidacy by unlawful means, the $130,000 wire payment exceeded the federal campaign contribution cap, and the false statements in AMI’s books violated New York law."

Bragg, who took office in 2022, and initially slowed the office’s move toward indicting Trump, said additional evidence not available to his predecessor led to moving forward now. The district attorney didn’t elaborate on the evidence or how it came to prosecutors’ attention, the Associated Press reported.

Trump entered the plea Tuesday during a brief arraignment in a lower Manhattan courtroom as prosecutors unsealed a grand jury indictment.

No cameras were allowed inside during the arraignment, though some media were allowed to take photographs in the brief moments before the proceedings began.

Trump wasn't handcuffed and he didn't sit in a jail cell, in part because parts of the courthouse were cleared out for his arraignment — and because Trump is a former president with Secret Service protection.

In addition to not being placed in handcuffs, the former president also didn’t have to take a booking photo.

Trump, who was impeached twice by the U.S. House but was never convicted in the U.S. Senate, is the first former president to face criminal charges. He is due back in court on Dec. 4, 2023.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.