Donald Trump attacked a “Trump-hating” judge in his first court appearance today, telling supporters gathered at Mar-a-Lago that the charges against him are “bogus” and that the US justice system is “lawless”.
The former president, who has pleaded not guilty to 34 criminal charges, said the arrest was an attempt by the “radical left” to arm the police and courts.
Mr. Trump has been accused of falsifying business records. He pleaded not guilty to all charges during a historic 45-minute trial in New York.
Among the charges against him is that he allegedly paid $30,000 to silence a doorman who claimed to have a story about the former president’s secret child.
Follow the latest news here today, and discover every development in the Yesterday’s court hearing here.
05:46 am
Today’s Telegraph front page: ‘Trump in jail’
05:33 AM
What happens next?
Mr. Trump’s next hearing is scheduled for December 4.
The trial will be held in Manhattan, which fared poorly in the 2020 presidential election, winning just 22.6 percent of the vote. His legal team wants the trial moved to the more conservative Staten Island district.
The former president faces up to four years in prison if convicted of falsifying business records to commit another crime, such as violating campaign finance laws.
But experts believe there is no chance Mr Trump will be sent to prison even if he is convicted of these charges. He has no criminal record and the alleged crimes are not violent.
Read the full explanation by David Millward over here
04:18 am
In case you missed it, here are the charges.
The indictment against Donald Trump is unsealed and lists 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
Prosecutors have accused the former president of directing three separate hush-hush payments to cover up allegations.
They confirmed in court yesterday that one of the allegations is that Mr Trump paid $30,000 to silence a doorman who claimed he had a story about the former president’s secret child.
Another payment was $130,000 to Stormy Daniels, a former sex film star who allegedly had an affair with Mr. Trump.
The money was paid by Michael Cohen, Mr Trump’s lawyer and long-time lobbyist. The story was killed. Two years later, Mr. Cohen was jailed for three years on eight charges, including tax evasion and campaign finance violations.
Mr. Trump has consistently denied that he had any sexual relationship with Ms. Daniels.
See a useful explanation of the meaning of the charges and the available penalties This story is here. You can also read the full indictment below:
03:43 AM
Melania is away.
Many of Donald Trump’s closest associates were smiling and waving for the cameras, but some family members did not show up for the party.
Former first lady Melania Trump was not at the New York courthouse or Mar-a-Lago ballroom for her husband’s speech.
The couple’s 17-year-old son Barron Trump and Ivanka Trump were not Mr Trump’s first daughter.
Donald Jr. Eric and Tiffany Trump celebrated at an event where their father was defending the 34 charges he faced after his arrest in New York. Eric Trump traveled from Florida with Mr Trump’s entourage, but other family members stayed away.
Mrs. Trump was last seen partying with her husband at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday.
02:56 am
Key Takeaway: Trump has talked a lot about the classified documents issue.
Nick Allen wrote: One of the things that stood out from Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago speech was how much he said, not what it was about Hurricane Daniel’s security issueBut a completely different investigation.
He spent much of his time justifying his actions by holding secret documents.
Justice Department-appointed special counsel Jack Smith is investigating whether Mr. Trump broke the law when he moved documents from the White House to Mar-a-Lago after he left office.
In August, FBI agents seized thousands of government records, some of them highly classified, from Mar-a-Lago.
In his speech, Mr. Trump repeatedly called Mr. Smith “crazy.”
He also complained that Mr Smith was “intimidating” members of his staff.
He suggested that Mr. Trump and his legal team believe he may face more legal risk in this case than the crime he was charged with in New York.
02:05 AM
The show is over
Donald Trump’s 25-minute speech was undoubtedly designed to drum up support for his presidential bid.
“There is a very dark cloud over our beloved country,” Mr Trump said.
He continued: “But I have no doubt that we will make America great again.” god bless you. And God bless America. Thank you very much, everyone. Thank you.”
Cheers can be heard from the fans as they stand and applaud. And outside, throngs of people decked out in “Trump Wins” flags, baseball caps emblazoned with the former president’s name, and blaring music as if they were at a party.
01:52 AM
Accusation ‘ridiculous’
Mr Trump is now unveiling 34 criminal charges against him in New York, saying they were indicted on a quick trip to the once-great city. He called the allegations “ridiculous”.
“Since they can’t beat us at the ballot box, they will try to beat us with the law,” he said, again accusing the “radical left” and saying the charges were an attempt to interfere with his election hopes.
He also appears to be giving briefs to the judge presiding over the case. Judge Juan Mershan warned Mr Trump against using inflammatory language in court today. Mr. Trump tells his supporters they have a “Trump-hating judge.”
01:48 am
Trump family in ‘hell’
As Mr. Trump continues to discuss his family, his tone changes, writes Rosina Sabur of Mar-a-Lago.
“I have a big family,” he said, discussing his two older children and then his daughter Ivanka and younger son Barron.
Mr Trump accused New York prosecutors of putting us through “hell”.
01:41 AM
Rosina Sabur reports from Mar-a-Lago:
Mr. Trump has been discussing other criminal cases involving classified records since leaving the White House.
A short distance from where he speaks is a storage closet where some classified documents are found.
He says the issue isn’t as bad as what Joe Biden faced and gets some laughs in the room. Mr. Biden has been under investigation for hoarding classified documents since his resignation as vice president.
As listed at Mar-a-Lago, there are regular “busses” among the crowd. The cast of characters He explained that he was out to find him. Voters Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan DA who brought Tuesday’s suit, and New York Attorney General Letitia James followed suit against Mr Trump.
01:38 am
‘Courageous and ready to fight’
The Telegraph’s Rosina Sabour was at Mar-a-Lago when Mr Trump spoke.
After the criminal charges left an indelible stain on his record, Mr. Trump was determined to end the day with a national address, his advisers said. When he returned to his Florida home, he was embarrassed, but he didn’t want to appear defiant and ready to fight, advisers said.
This is Mr. Trump’s chance to fix his day. And a huge fan base is making itself heard outside.
01:27 AM
Donald Trump took the stage.
Donald Trump took to the stage as the crowd chanted “America” and said, “We have to save our country.”
“I never thought something like this could happen in America,” Mr Trump told supporters at his Mar-a-Lago retreat in Palm Beach, Florida.
“The crime I have committed is to fearlessly defend our people against those who seek to destroy them.
01:19 AM
The Trump family is united
The Trump family was absent from the New York courtroom, but they are mingling with supporters at the Mar-a-Lago ballroom.
01:15 AM
Trump’s strategy
The 45th President of the United States He entered the court At a dignified, slow and deliberate pace.
But now expect a fiery Donald Trump to come back.
The center of attention, with a free reign to say whatever he wants on live television, will be on stage in the lobby of his mansion in front of his invited fans.
As the reporter Nick Allen explainedMr. Trump is likely to see the impeachment as an opportunity to unite Republicans and add rocket fuel to his campaign for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
12:58 AM
Trump fans gathered for the show
Hundreds of people were invited to the ballroom of Donald Trump’s luxury resort to listen to his speech.
12:48 AM
Motor car to Mar-a-Lago
Donald Trump spent more than two hours on Force One with only aides as he planned his speech. He was then driven by motorcade to Mar-a-Lago.
12:28 AM
Welcome to the Wednesday Live Blog
Hello and welcome to today’s live blog. We bring you the latest information and news on the Donald Trump impeachment case.
The former president has arrived in Florida and is due to speak at around 1.15am BST (8.15pm EST).
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