Amna: Welcome to the "Newshour."
Today was an unprecedented day
in American history.
Former president Donald Trump
arrested and arraigned in a
Manhattan courtroom -- the first
U.S. President to face criminal
charges.
Geoff: Mr. Trump pleaded not
guilty to 34 counts of
falsifying business records
relating to hush money payments
during the 2016 campaign.
And with the indictment unsealed
today, we're learning new
details about the Manhattan
district attorney's case and the
former president's defense.
Donald Trump tonight now a
criminal defendant.
The first former U.S. President
to be arrested on criminal
charges in connection to his
alleged role in a hush money
payment scheme.
This afternoon, Mr. Trump
traveled by motorcade from trump
tower to surrender to
authorities at the district
attorney's office in lower
Manhattan.
While in custody, the former
president was fingerprinted, but
received special accommodations.
He was not handcuffed or put in
a jail cell and did not have his
mugshot taken.
The judge in the case did not
allow video cameras in the
courtroom, but permitted a
handful of still photographers
to take pictures.
During a nearly hour-long
proceeding, Mr. Trump was
arraigned and charged with 34
felonies.
The former president pleaded not
guilty.
The case involves payoffs
through an intermediary to adult
film actress stormy Daniels to
conceal an alleged affair ahead
of the 2016 election.
Following the arraignment, Mr.
Trump's attorneys spoke to
reporters.
>> He's frustrated, he's upset,
but I'll tell you what.
He's motivated.
And it's not going to stop him.
It's not going to slow him down.
Geoff: And Manhattan district
attorney Alvin Bragg, who has
faced an onslaught of attacks
from Mr. Trump and his
supporters, defended the
charges.
>> As this office has done time
and time again, we today uphold
our solemn responsibility to
ensure that everyone stands
equal before the law.
No amount of money or amount of
power changes that enduring
American principle.
Geoff: Earlier Tuesday, dozens
of trump supporters flocked to
lower Manhattan, heeding the
former president's call to
protest.
Among them was Republican
congresswoman Marjorie
taylor-greene.
>> They're coming after
president trump today and they
will come after you tomorrow.
President trump did nothing
wrong.
Geoff: And scandal-ridden GOP
congressman George Santos.
>> I'm here to support the
president of the United States,
who's being unfairly attacked by
a D.A.
Geoff: A team of New York City
police, secret service, and
court security barricaded and
controlled the crush of the
crowd.
As members of the media stood in
line for hours for a seat inside
the courtroom where the former
president faced judge Juan
merchan, who just this morning,
Mr. Trump called highly partisan
and a well-known trump hater.
He also said the case should be
moved to nearby Staten Island,
which he views as friendlier
political ground.
Tonight, Donald Trump returns to
his mar-a-lago home where he's
addressing his arraignment in a
primetime speech.
Amna: To give us a sense of what
happened in the courtroom today,
I'm joined by Andrea Bernstein.
She covers democracy for
propublica and trump legal
matters for NPR, and is the
author of "American oligarchs:
The kushners, the trumps and the
marriage of money and power."
Welcome back and thank you for
joining us.
Most of us saw just brief
glimpses of those proceedings
today.
For example, the short video
clip of Mr. Trump being led into
the courtroom earlier today, but
you are in the room.
Describe for us what it was like
in the room and what you
observed.
Andrea: In one sense, it was
totally normal.
The very same courtroom where'd
trump's former financial officer
was indicted and pleaded guilty.
This is the courtroom where
trump's own company was found
guilty of multiple felonies.
But it was also extraordinary
because of the security was like
nothing I've ever seen.
There were court officers lining
the center aisle.
All around the room, secret
service, police.
No laptops, no electronics.
Forced quiet.
You could hear a little bit of
the protests, but there was the
former president of the united
States having to say to a judge
"Not guilty," something we've
obviously never seen.
Amna: 34 counts of falsifying
business records in the first
degree.
We will dive more deeply into
the legal details but you have
covered him for so long.
What stands out to you about
these charges?
Andrea: Of course, we didn't
know in the courtroom what the
charges were going to be.
We heard for the first time 34
felony counts and we understood
more today about what that is.
In New York, there has to be an
underlying crime.
We were falsified the business
records to do what?
We learned three answers.
One was to conceal a
conspiracy New York.
To violate campaign finance
laws.
Also a violation of federal laws
by giving donations in excess
and a violation of tax laws.
We learned all that today.
There was also extensive
back-and-forth about the former
president's posts.
Amna: You noticed everything
about Mr. Trump.
I wonder, to see him in this
way, to be sitting at the table
like any other criminal
defendant, what strikes you
about that?
Andrea: So, we have never -- so
many people have asked me over
the years, is he ever going to
be indicted?
Is he going to be held
accountable?
His company was convicted last
year, but he has not been.
Here is a case where the
prosecutor stood up and said the
rule of law applies.
The judge also treated the
former president in that way.
The rule of law applies.
Something that has happened in
other countries but never here.
I think there's a truth telling
that goes on in the court of law
that is very different from the
political sphere that we are
about to see play out in this
new case.
The people of the state of new
York versus Donald Trump.
Amna: There's a long way to go.
Briefly, what will you be
watching?
Andrea: I will be watching to
see how Mr. Trump's legal team
handles the timing.
They will try to get the case
dismissed, perhaps delay.
On the other hand, there's a
presidential election coming up,
and the more they do that, the
more they put a potential trial
right in the middle of high
campaign season, which is really
something we've never seen
before in this country.