Pro and anti-Trump protestors clash outside the Manhattan courthouse as the former president pleads not guilty.
Why is Trump being charged?
Former US President is charged with a crime about a payment or “hush money” he made to a porn star before his 2016 presidential election. An indictment is when a person receives a formal notice that it is believed that they have committed a crime.
The Grand Jury decided to indict Trump after months of allegations and evidence that indicated that Trump had paid $130,000 to porn star Stormy Daniels in the ending days of the 2016 election. This money was allegedly paid to buy her silence for an encounter they had years before.
According to Michael Cohen, who was once Donald attorney and fixer, Trump and Cohen worked together to arrange payments to former Playboy model Karen McDougal.
Trump had denied any affair or wrongdoing. He said the payment was made to protect his reputation from false accusations.
Image Source – New York Post
Trump gets underwhelming support as the former president pleads not guilty.
Donald had referred to all allegations against him as a “witch hunt” and urged his supporters to defend him on the streets of New York.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene had also planned to make a speech in favor of the former president of the USA. But his speech was highly criticized as his speech was drowned with whistles and boos.
The Georgia congresswoman had earlier invited supporters of Trump to join her at Collect Pond Park, a short distance from the courthouse, for a rally at 10:30 AM.
But instead of getting support, she was shut down by Anti-Trump supporters, who shut her down and drove her off. She arrived five minutes late and stayed there for 10 minutes before quickly returning to her SUV, saying it was too hectic and “swarmed” to stay.
The scene was flooded with police officers.
Many police officers and armed NYPD snipers were present, and they were seen on the roofs of numerous buildings as Trump arrived. Police helicopters were also buzzing overhead.
Also, the police were observing the gathering with binoculars from the balcony of the Manhattan family court building. Although the members of the opposing parties pushed and screamed their way through the large crowd, NYPD officers shouted at some of the protestors to calm down.
The NYPD officers were pulling Anti-Trump supporters away from the pro-Trump supporter area and returning them to the designated side. They heard disputes while frantically removing individuals and trying to keep the two factions apart.
Read More: Christina Koch becomes the first woman to fly to the moon
