Donald Trump has personally pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts as he appeared in a New York court, becoming the first former US president to face criminal charges.
The allegations relate to him falsifying business records “in order to conceal damaging information and unlawful activity from American voters before and after the 2016 election”, according to prosecutors.
The 76-year-old Republican is accused of using a “catch and kill” scheme to identify, purchase, and bury negative information about him and boost his electoral prospects.
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‘Trump repeatedly made false statements’
Latest updates: Charges against Trump unsealed; watch coverage live
The grand jury indictment, which has been unsealed, accuses Trump of directing three different instances of hush money payments to cover up alleged affairs.
Prosecutors call the alleged payments part of a “conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the 2016 election”.
Trump is accused of orchestrating a payment of $130,000 (£104,000) to porn actress Stormy Daniels 12 days before the 2016 presidential election, which he won.
It was allegedly made to prevent her from discussing a sexual encounter she said she had with Trump at a hotel in Lake Tahoe in 2006.
He is also accused of being behind a payment of $150,000 (£120,000) to ex-Playboy model Karen McDougal to keep her from going public with an allegation she had sex with him.
(L-R) Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal
He has denied having sexual relationships with either of the two women and has denied any wrongdoing involving payments.
A third allegation centres around an alleged $30,000 (£24,000) payment to a former Trump Tower doorman who claimed to have a story about a child Trump had out of wedlock, according to prosecutors.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has said a total of 11 cheques were issued for a “phoney purpose” and nine of them were signed by Trump.
Mr Bragg said: “Each cheque was processed by the Trump Organization and illegally disguised as a payment for legal services.”
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Trump waves at supporters outside hearing
Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen has said the ex-president directed him to arrange the $130,000 payment to Ms Daniels.
And Trump has acknowledged reimbursing him for the payment, with the Trump Organization logging the reimbursement as legal expenses.
A felony is usually defined as a crime punishable by a year or more in prison.
Together the charges carry a maximum sentence of 136 years in jail under New York law, but if Trump is convicted at a trial the term would almost certainly be far less than that.
A conviction would not prevent Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024.
Read more:
What are the charges Trump faces?
The key figures in the hush money case
Michael Cohen said Trump directed him to arrange the $130,000 payment to Ms Daniels. Pic: AP
Arrest at courthouse
Trump was earlier formally arrested following his arrival at Manhattan Criminal Courthouse.
The frontrunner to be the Republicans’ choice for the White House in 2024 surrendered to the Manhattan district attorney’s office in the same building before the historic hearing.
Wearing a dark blue suit and red tie, he was fingerprinted and processed.
A stony-faced Trump then made his way to the courtroom, without saying anything, for his arraignment where the formal charges were disclosed. He was not in handcuffs during the proceedings.
He sat with his hands folded as he entered his plea flanked by his lawyers. “Not guilty,” Trump said.
Trump did a fist pump outside Trump Tower as he left for the courthouse. Pic: AP
Trump says there is ‘no case’
He has called the indictment a “witch-hunt” and claimed it was politically motivated as lead investigator Mr Bragg is a Democrat.
Trump has also said the probe was an attempt to weaken his bid to retake the White House next year.
After the arraignment, Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social: “The hearing was shocking to many in that they had no ‘surprises’, and therefore, no case. Virtually every legal pundit has said that there is no case here. There was nothing done illegally!”
Todd Blanche, a lawyer for Trump, told reporters “we’re going to fight it hard”.
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Television cameras were not allowed inside the courtroom, after a ruling by Judge Juan Merchan, but five still photographers had access before the hearing began to take pictures of Trump and the scene.
Trump earlier pumped his fist as he left his nearby home at Trump Tower before being escorted to Manhattan Criminal Courthouse in a motorcade by his Secret Service protection team.
He is next due in court in December. The judge asked both sides to refrain from comments that may lead to civil unrest.
