According to CNN, Donald Trump pleaded not guilty on Tuesday after being taken into police custody at the Manhattan district attorney’s office for his arraignment in court, making him the first current or former U.S. president to face criminal charges.
Trump is expected to be fingerprinted as part of his arrest, though it is unclear whether his mugshot will be taken. According to two sources close to the situation, Trump privately expressed interest in having his mugshot taken.
Trump responded to charges that he was allegedly involved in a hush-money scheme during his 2016 presidential campaign after being hit with a 34-count indictment in the Stormy Daniels case after being officially indicted by a grand jury last week.
Trump referred to the indictment as “political persecution,” accusing Democrats of being “crooked.”
He has maintained his innocence and claims to be the victim of a politically motivated witch hunt spearheaded by Democratic Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and current President Joe Biden.
“I believe this Witch-Hunt will backfire massively on Joe Biden,” the former president said. “The American people realize exactly what the Radical Left Democrats are doing here. Everyone can see it. So our Movement, and our Party – united and strong – will first defeat Alvin Bragg, and then we will defeat Joe Biden, and we are going to throw every last one of these Crooked Democrats out of office so we can MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”