Category: fox-news/person/donald-trump

Trump reveals his thoughts on barrage of legal charges, investigations: ‘In a sick way I sort of enjoy it’

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Former President Donald Trump on Saturday said that "in a sick way" he enjoys the legal charges and investigations brought against him because they "expose" the motivations of his political opponents.

Speaking at the North Carolina Republican Party's convention in Greensboro, Trump addressed the newly unsealed federal indictment accusing him of mishandling classified documents, as well as the various investigations targeting him since he was elected president in 2016. 

"They launched witch hunt after witch hunt, and they just try to stop our movement," said Trump. "They want to do anything they can to thwart the will of the American people. It's called election interference. That's what they're doing now. And we've never seen it on a scale like this. The other side is downright crooked."

Trump, who said Trump said he has "5,000 prosecutors" going after him, was indicted Friday on 37 federal counts, including willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice and false statements.

TRUMP RAILS AGAINST BIDEN, 'DEEP STATE' AT FIRST SPEECH AFTER CLASSIFIED DOCS INDICTMENT: 'POLITICAL HIT JOB'

Trump also referenced the impeachment proceedings launched against him as well as the findings of Special Counsel John Durham, who last month released a final report on his investigation into the original probe concerning whether Trump and his campaign colluded with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election. Durham found that there was never any information to justify opening the FBI's investigation and that the bureau and the Department of Justice "failed to uphold their mission of strict fidelity to the law."

"We beat it all off, didn't we?" Trump said. "They put our country through hell, and they knew it was a lie the entire time."

The former president then suggested that any Republican who becomes president will be the subject of similar investigations and on the receiving end of unending political attacks, arguing that anyone but him will crumble under such pressure. 

TRUMP INDICTED ON 37 FEDERAL COUNTS OUT OF SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH'S INVESTIGATION INTO CLASSIFIED RECORDS 

"That person will not be able to withstand the fire," he said. "And they actually admit it. They come to me: 'How do you stand this?' And I usually look at them and say, 'In a sick way I sort of enjoy it, because it exposes them.' It exposes them for what they are. And it's also lifted the poll numbers to even higher legs."

Trump touted poll numbers showing him comfortably ahead as the front-runner in the 2024 Republican presidential primary.

Trump also directed his ire at President Joe Biden, calling him "corrupt."

Earlier in the day, Trump delivered his first public remarks since being indicted, accusing Democrats of a "political hit job" against him and alleging a double standard in the Biden administration of justice.

Schiff says classified document indictment proves Trump had ‘maligned intent’ to break law

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Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said the "stunning" detail of the Justice Department's indictment of former President Donald Trump shows Trump had "maligned intent" when he took classified documents to Mar-a-Lago after leaving the White House.

"The most difficult element to prove often is, what did the defendant intend?" Schiff told MSNBC host Nicole Wallace in an interview Friday. "But here Donald Trump has made so crystal clear in the conversations that are recorded, in the instructions he gives to his aides to move the boxes, in his deceitfulness with his own attorneys. It's just so graphic."

Schff, a former federal prosecutor and an impeachment manager during Trump's first impeachment trial, said it was not a difficult decision for special counsel Jack Smith to bring charges against Trump. "The evidence laid out in this indictment is so powerful that I don't think special counsel had any choice but to go forward," he said.

Trump was indicted on 37 federal counts related to the classified documents the FBI recovered from Mar-a-Lago last August, including willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice and false statements. 

TRUMP INDICTED ON 37 FEDERAL COUNTS OUT OF SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH'S INVESTIGATION INTO CLASSIFIED RECORDS

Special Counsel Jack Smith unsealed the indictment against the former president on Friday, emphasizing the "gravity" of the crimes Trump has been charged with as a result of his investigation. 

"I invite everyone to read it in full to understand the scope and the gravity of the crimes charged," Smith said Friday as the indictment was unsealed. 

"The men and woman of the United States intelligence community and armed forces dedicate their lives to protecting our nation, and its laws that protect national defense information are critical to the safety and security of the United States, and they must be enforced," Smith said. "Violations of those laws put our country at risk."

Trump announced he had been indicted on Thursday night on Truth Social. The former president told Fox News Digital he will plead not guilty. 

SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH POINTS TO ‘GRAVITY’ OF CRIMES TRUMP IS CHARGED WITH

The indictment states that Trump kept classified documents from his time in the White House in cardboard boxes brought to Mar-a-Lago. These boxes "included information regarding defense and weapons capabilities of both the United States and foreign countries; United States nuclear programs; potential vulnerabilities of the United States and its allies to military attack; and plans for possible retaliation in response to a foreign attack," according to the indictment. 

The special counsel alleges that Trump showed classified documents to individuals without a security clearance on two separate occasions in 2021. The indictment cites an audio recording of Trump showing off classified documents to several people in July 2021 at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, with Trump acknowledging the materials were still "a secret." 

The indictment states that on several occasions Trump "endeavored to obstruct the FBI and grand jury investigations and conceal his continued retention of classified documents" by suggesting that his attorney "falsely represent to the FBI and grand jury" that he "did not have documents called for by the grand jury subpoena." Trump is also accused of suggesting that his attorney "hide or destroy documents called for by the grand jury subpoena" and instructing his aide, Waltine Nauta, to move boxes of documents while claiming to be cooperating with investigators. 

Nauta was indicted on six federal counts as a "co-conspirator." 

EXCLUSIVE: TRUMP SAYS INDICTMENT IS ‘ELECTION INTERFERENCE AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL’ 

Schiff said he was "stunned" that the documents included secret details of military plans and other information that would put U.S. national security at risk if leaked. 

"But I think this is the way of special counsel and a speaking indictment, letting all the American people know that this isn’t a paperwork violation," he said. "These are national secrets that present real national security risks to the country."

Schiff said the indictment shows that Trump is not above the law. 

"He should be treated like any other lawbreaker. And today, he has been," Schiff said. 

Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

Trump says Biden family is ‘being protected’ by the ‘corrupt’ and ‘one-sided’ justice system

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Former President Trump said President Biden and his family are "being protected" by the "corrupt" and "one-sided" justice system in the United States, while telling Fox News that he should not have been impeached—especially if officials were aware, at the time, of Hunter Biden’s "evil" laptop.

During a Fox News town hall hosted by Sean Hannity in Clive, Iowa Thursday night, Trump railed against the "witch hunts" that he’s faced throughout his political career, while illustrating a double standard between how he is handled versus Biden and his family.

TRUMP PLEDGES TO BATTLE DRUG CARTELS, COMBAT FENTANYL CRISIS IF RE-ELECTED IN 2024

"They’re being protected, and it’s a one-sided system—it is a very unfair system, but they’re being protected," Trump said.

The former president referenced then-Vice President Joe Biden’s efforts to have a Ukrainian prosecutor fired and halt an investigation into Burisma Holdings—a Ukrainian natural gas firm where Hunter Biden sat on the board.

During a call in July 2019, Trump pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to launch investigations into the Biden family’s actions and business dealings in Ukraine—specifically Hunter Biden’s ventures with Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings, and Joe Biden’s successful efforts in having the prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, ousted.

Trump's request came after millions in U.S. military aid to Ukraine had been frozen, which Democrats cited as a quid pro quo arrangement. Democrats also claimed Trump was meddling in the 2020 presidential election by asking a foreign leader to look into a Democratic political opponent.

But Trump’s questions about Hunter Biden were not unfounded. Hunter Biden, at the time of Trump’s first impeachment, had already been under federal criminal investigation for his tax affairs, prompted by suspicious foreign transactions, for more than a year.

FLASHBACK: EX-UKRAINE PROSECUTOR SAID HE WAS TOLD TO BACK OFF PROBE OF BIDEN-LINKED FIRM, FILES SHOW

That investigation, which is ongoing and being run out of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Delaware, was opened in 2018.

Fox News Digital first reported the existence of some type of federal investigation involving Hunter Biden in October 2020, ahead of the last presidential election. It became known then that the FBI had subpoenaed the laptop purportedly belonging to Hunter Biden in the course of an existing money laundering investigation.

"When you look at all of this criminality like the laptop has so much stuff on it," Trump said during the town hall Thursday. "It’s so bad. It's so evil, and yet, they don’t want to do anything."

Trump said the laptop "even affected the impeachment hoax number one." 

"If they read the laptop, and they had the laptop, it should not have proceeded, because I was right," Trump said. "It is a dual system of government."

Trump added: "You can’t have law and order in a country where you have such corruption."

The House voted to impeach Trump in December 2019 on two counts— abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The Senate voted for acquittal in February 2020. Trump was also impeached in January 2021 on a charge of inciting an insurrection for the Jan. 6 Capitol riot—making him the first and only president to be impeached, and ultimately acquitted, twice in history.

TRUMP TARGETED: A LOOK AT PROBES INVOLVING THE FORMER PRESIDENT; FROM STORMY DANIELS TO RUSSIA TO MAR-A-LAGO

Meanwhile, Trump shifted, reflecting on the Russia investigation. 

"From the day I got in, I was under siege by people that had been in Washington for many years, put in there by different presidents," Trump said. "In most cases, people that were against me."

He added: "They spied on my campaign, they did all sorts of things. I was under investigation and under siege and so were my people." 

Trump said that if he "wasn’t tough," he "wouldn’t be here right now." 

"I guarantee that if I didn’t fight back, I wouldn’t be here," Trump said. "What they did was so bad, and they’ve been caught now." 

Trump was referring to Special Counsel John Durham’s final report, which Fox News Digital first reported last month. Durham, after years of investigating, found that the Department of Justice and FBI "failed to uphold their mission of strict fidelity to the law" when it launched the Trump-Russia investigation.

TRUMP SAYS THERE 'MUST BE A HEAVY PRICE TO PAY' FOR COMEY, DEMOCRATS AFTER RELEASE OF DURHAM REPORT

Durham was appointed by former Attorney General Bill Barr to investigate the origins of the FBI's original Russia investigation, known as "Crossfire Hurricane." That investigation looked into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election.

Durham also found that the FBI relied significantly on "investigative leads provided or funded (directly or indirectly) by Trump's political opponents." 

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"So far, nothing’s happened to them of consequence," Trump said. 

Durham is expected to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on his investigation's findings later this month. 

Nadler claims of Trump-campaign Russia collusion contradicted by Durham report

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Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., once said it was "very clear" the Trump campaign colluded with the Russians in the 2016 election — a claim later contradicted by the release of Special Counsel John Durham's report on the Russia investigation.

"It’s become very clear that the Trump campaign colluded with the Russians in trying to subvert the election," Nadler told CNN in November 2018. "The president is right to be nervous right now, because it appears that time is running out when he can hold himself above the law."

DURHAM REPORT CONTRADICTS 'GUARANTEE' FROM MAXINE WATERS THAT TRUMP COLLUDED WITH RUSSIA

The comments now conflict with the Durham report, which concluded in May that federal agencies had no "actual evidence of collusion" to justify its launch of the Trump-Russia investigation. This added to the conclusion of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report in 2019 that determined there was no evidence of a criminal plot to influence the 2016 election. 

Nadler, in the 2018 interview, said evidence would soon surface to prove Trump's personal involvement in collusion with Russia.

"The walls are tightening about his knowledge of the collusion with the Russians," Nadler said. 

ADAM SCHIFF, WHO REPEATEDLY CLAIMED EVIDENCE OF RUSSIAN COLLUSION, DENOUNCES DURHAM REPORT AS 'FLAWED'

This evidence never arose, but Nadler later said in a January 2020 interview with CBS that Trump attempted to rig the 2020 election just "as he worked with the Russians to try to rig the 2016 election." The comments came amid the impeachment push over Trump's call with Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky to investigate then-candidate Joe Biden.

"The reason he did that was in order to extort a foreign government to smear his political opponents for his personal benefits and to help try to rig the 2020 election as he worked with the Russians to try to rig the 2016 election," Nadler said. "Same pattern."

DURHAM FINDS DOJ, FBI 'FAILED TO UPHOLD' MISSION OF 'STRICT FIDELITY TO THE LAW' IN TRUMP-RUSSIA PROBE

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The Durham report concluded the Trump-Russia investigation was based upon "raw, unanalyzed and uncorroborated intelligence." The launch of the investigation despite the lack of evidence, the report said, showed the Department of Justice and FBI "failed to uphold their mission of strict fidelity to the law." The report also concluded the agencies relied heavily upon leads for information "provided or funded (directly or indirectly) by Trump's political opponents."

Durham report contradicts ‘guarantee’ from Maxine Waters that Trump colluded with Russia

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Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., once said she guaranteed that President Donald Trump colluded with Russia to win the White House in 2016 – a claim contradicted by this week's release of Special Counsel John Durham's report on the Trump investigation.

"Here you have a president who I can tell you, I guarantee you, is in collusion with the Russians to undermine our democracy," Waters said in September 2017.

ADAM SCHIFF, WHO REPEATEDLY CLAIMED EVIDENCE OF RUSSIAN COLLUSION, DENOUNCES DURHAM REPORT AS 'FLAWED'

The Durham probe, released nearly six years after that comment, determined that the investigation into the Trump campaign's connection with Russia was premised on "raw, unanalyzed and uncorroborated intelligence." The investigation, the report concluded, had no "actual evidence of collusion" to justify its launch, and the actions from the Department of Justice and FBI "failed to uphold their mission of strict fidelity to the law."

Waters emerged as an early proponent of the Russia collusion theory. She introduced legislation to investigate Trump over collusion claims less than a month after his inauguration. She later called for his impeachment.

"I will fight every day until he is impeached," Waters said in April 2017. "Impeach 45."

DURHAM FINDS DOJ, FBI 'FAILED TO UPHOLD' MISSION OF 'STRICT FIDELITY TO THE LAW' IN TRUMP-RUSSIA PROBE

The Durham probe concluded the core problem with the launch of the Russia collusion investigation, which was titled "Crossfire Hurricane," was that it relied on information from sources openly opposed to Trump's presidency.

"In particular, there was significant reliance on investigative leads provided or funded (directly or indirectly) by Trump's political opponents," the report stated. "The Department did not adequately examine or question these materials and the motivations of those providing them, even when at about the same time the Director of the FBI and others learned of significant and potentially contrary intelligence."

JEAN PIERRE ENDS BRIEFING AFTER BEING PRESSED ON DURHAM REPORT

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Special Counsel Robert Mueller released his investigation into Trump-Russia collusion in April 2019, concluding there was no evidence of criminal conspiracy to influence the 2016 election.

Waters' office did not respond to a request for comment.

Marjorie Taylor Greene introduces articles of impeachment against FBI Director Christopher Wray

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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., on Tuesday introduced articles of impeachment against FBI Director Christopher Wray. 

In the articles of impeachment, obtained by Fox News Digital, Greene claims that, under Wray’s watch, he has facilitated "the development of a Federal police force to intimidate, harass, and entrap American citizens that are deemed enemies of the Biden regime." 

Greene highlighted instances of what she regarded as abuse of the bureau’s authority. These instances included, among others, the FBI’s "unprecedented raid" on the home of former President Donald Trump on Aug. 8, 2022, and the bureau’s creation of a "terrorist threat tag" following the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade earlier that summer.

After the FBI raid, Greene filed articles of impeachment against U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland. 

TRUMP SAYS THERE ‘MUST BE A HEAVY PRICE TO PAY’ FOR COMEY, DEMOCRATS AFTER RELEASE OF DURHAM REPORT

President Trump nominated Wray in 2017 after firing then-director James Comey. Wray was sworn into the FBI on Aug. 2, 2017. 

Greene's introduction of articles of impeachment comes after Special Counsel John Durham released his final report on the FBI's investigation of alleged collusion between Russia and Donald Trump in the 2016 campaign. 

Durham's report concluded that the FBI and DOJ jumped too hastily into the investigation and relied too much on raw and unconfirmed intelligence. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to the FBI and the DOJ for comment, but has not yet heard back.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates. 

Mother of NYC murder victim shouts down Democrat lawmaker: ‘Don’t insult my intelligence’

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The mother of a New York City murder victim shouted down Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., during a House Judiciary Committee field hearing on Monday, warning the lawmaker not to "insult my intelligence."

The mother, Madeline Brame, was one of many witnesses to testify before the committee during Monday's hearing highlighting the crime problem in Manhattan. Goldman attempted to use the time granted to him to question Brame to instead criticize the hearing itself, arguing it was a "coverup" for Republicans attempting to defend former President Donald Trump.

Goldman, who served as impeachment counsel during Trump's first impeachment, sought to explain his view of the situation to Brame after other Democrats had stated that Republicans were using the witnesses as "props" to defend Trump.

"We're not insulting you. Your experiences are devastating, but the problem is, is that this is a charade to cover up for an abuse of power. [Republicans] are going around incessantly, outside of this hearing, about Donald Trump, and the purpose of this hearing is to cover up for what they know to be an inappropriate investigation [into District Attorney Alvin Bragg]," Goldman said.

MANHATTAN DA ALVIN BRAGG SUES REP. JIM JORDAN OVER TRUMP INDICTMENT SUBPOENAS

"Can I respond to you, please?" Brame asked as Goldman attempted to move on.

"Not right now, because I only have 20 seconds, I'm sorry. But I, I do–" Goldman said.

"Don't insult my intelligence," Brame interjected as Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, attempted to maintain order. "You're trying to insult me like I'm not aware of what's going on here. I'm fully aware of what's going on here, OK? That's why I walked away from the plantation of the Democratic Party."

HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE DEMANDS MANHATTAN DA ALVIN BRAGG TESTIFY ABOUT POSSIBLE TRUMP INDICTMENT

Brame had testified earlier about Bragg's mishandling of her son's murder case. Her son, Army Sgt. Hason Correa, was beaten and stabbed nine times by multiple people in 2018. The prosecution for the cases dragged on for more than four years, and Bragg ultimately removed the indictments against two of the suspects in favor of lesser charges. Two others ended up receiving life sentences.

Brame argued that Bragg's office has only served to escalate the city's crime problem, showing no "measurable results" in lowering the city's violent crime rate.

Trump slams Bragg after pleading not guilty: ‘I never thought anything like this could happen in America’

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Former President Trump slammed Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Tuesday from Mar-a-Lago, just hours after pleading not guilty to falsifying business records related to alleged hush-money payments made ahead of the 2016 presidential campaign, telling supporters he "never thought anything like this could happen in America." 

TRUMP PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO 34 FELONY COUNTS OF FALSIFYING BUSINESS RECORDS LINKED TO 2016 HUSH-MONEY PAYMENTS

Trump was arraigned Tuesday in New York City, after being indicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. Trump pleaded not guilty to the charges. 

The judge did not impose a gag order, so Trump was free to make remarks about the case Tuesday night when he returned to Mar-a-Lago. 

"I never thought anything like this could happen in America. I never thought it could happen," Trump said Tuesday night. "The only crime that I have committed is to fearlessly defending our nation from those who seek to destroy it." 

"From the beginning, the Democrats spied on my campaign--remember that they attacked me with an onslaught of fraudulent investigations Russia, Russia, Russia; Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine; impeachment hoax number one; impeachment hoax number two; the illegal and unconstitutional raid on Mar-a-Lago right here; the lying to the FISA court; the FBI and DOJ relentlessly pursuing Republicans; the uncontested judicial changes to election laws by not getting approvals from state legislatures," Trump said. 

Trump was referring to the original investigation by the FBI, then Special Counsel Robert Mueller, into whether he and members of his 2016 campaign colluded with Russia to influence the presidential election. After nearly two years, Mueller's investigation yielded no evidence of criminal conspiracy or coordination by the Trump campaign. 

TRUMP TARGETED: A LOOK AT THE INVESTIGATIONS INVOLVING THE FORMER PRESIDENT, FROM RUSSIA TO MAR-A-LAGO

Trump also referred to his impeachments. Trump was the first president in United States history to be impeached and acquitted twice. He also detailed a number of other investigations that clouded his administration. 

But Trump, on Tuesday night, slammed Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg as a "Soros-backed prosecutor" who "campaigned on the fact that he would get President Trump."

"A local failed district attorney charging a former President of the United States for the first time in history on a basis that every single pundit and legal analyst said there is no case—there’s no case," Trump said. "But it’s far worse than that, because he knew there was no case."

Trump called on Bragg to "resign" after "leaking" details of the indictment to the media before it was unsealed Tuesday.

Trump went on to slam the judge presiding over his case as a "Trump-hating judge," Bragg’s wife as a "Trump-hating wife and family whose daughter worked for Kamala Harris." 

The former president and 2024 GOP presidential front-runner's speech came after his unprecedented arraignment in New York City Tuesday. 

The indictment alleged that Trump "repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal criminal conduct that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election."

Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York opted out of charging Trump in 2019 related to the payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. The Federal Election Commission also tossed its investigation into the matter in 2021.

Trump surrendered to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and was arraigned in court Tuesday afternoon after being indicted by a Manhattan grand jury last week.

Bragg is alleging that Trump falsified New York business records in order to "conceal damaging information and unlawful activity from American voters before and after the 2016 election."

The former president went on to deliver a point-by-point description of each investigation of which he is currently the target.

Trump defended himself against allegations out of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation. Smith is investigating Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified records at Mar-a-Lago.

"Our justice system has become lawless," Trump said. "They’re using it now, in addition to everything else, to win elections."

Trump took a swipe at Hillary Clinton, who "got rid of 33,000 emails."

"That was okay," Trump said.

Trump slammed Smith as a "lunatic special prosecutor." 

The former president also slammed President Biden, who is also under special counsel investigation for his alleged mishandling of classified records, and claimed that the documents he held at Mar-a-Lago were declassified.

"As president, I have the right to declassify documents. If I take them with me, it’s automatic declassify," Trump said, adding that Biden was vice president, and said he "had absolutely no right to declassify." 

"They like to say that I’m obstructing, which I’m not, because I was working with NARA very nicely until the raid on my home."

Smith was appointed as special counsel after the FBI, in August, in an unprecedented move, raided Trump’s private residence at Mar-a-Lago in connection with an investigation into classified records the former president allegedly took with him from the White House on Aug. 8, 2022. 

Smith is also investigating whether Trump or other officials and entities interfered with the peaceful transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election, including the certification of the Electoral College vote on Jan. 6, 2021.

Shifting to New York, Trump slammed New York State Attorney General Letitia James as a "racist in reverse who also campaigned on ‘I will get Trump.’"

James, a Democrat, has been investigating Trump since she took office in January 2019. James brought a lawsuit against Trump in September alleging he and his company misled banks and others about the value of his assets.

Trump also slammed the Georgia grand jury investigating Trump's alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state, including his phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in which Trump suggested the Republicans "find" enough votes to change the results.

Trump slammed the "local racist Democrat district attorney in Atlanta who is doing everything in their power to indict me over an absolutely perfect phone call, even more perfect than the one I made with the president of Ukraine."

Trump was referring to his first impeachment—brought after a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in which he suggested Ukraine should investigate the Biden family's business deals in Kyiv. 

DONALD TRUMP AND STORMY DANIELS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

"I kept saying that is a perfect call—this one was even more perfect," Trump said, referring to the Georgia call. 

"This fake case was brought only to interfere with the upcoming 2024 election and it should be dropped and immediately," Trump said. 

Trump also slammed Hunter Biden and the Biden family, saying had their business dealings and the infamous Hunter Biden laptop been revealed before the 2020 election, the election results "would have been in our favor."

The charges against Trump come after a years-long investigation opened in 2019 by then-Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance. The probe was focused on possible bank, insurance and tax fraud. The case initially involved financial dealings of Trump’s Manhattan properties, including his flagship Fifth Avenue building, Trump Tower, and the valuation of his 213-acre estate Seven Springs in Westchester.

Last year, the investigation led to tax fraud charges against The Trump Organization and its finance chief Allen Weisselberg.

Schumer calls for calm after Trump’s arraignment: ‘Protests must be peaceful’

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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Tuesday called for cool heads and a fair legal process shortly after Donald Trump made history as the first former president ever to face criminal charges.

"I believe that Mr. Trump will have a fair trial that follows the facts and the law," Schumer said in a statement. "There’s no place in our justice system for any outside influence or intimidation in the legal process. As the trial proceeds, protest is an American right but all protests must be peaceful."

Trump pleaded "not guilty" to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, linked to alleged hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels during the GOP leader’s 2016 campaign.

Whereas his Republican allies have spent Tuesday afternoon casting accusations of partisanship at New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg for running the investigation, Democrats have mostly been restrained in their responses – emphasizing that the judicial process must be allowed to go on without interference.

TRUMP PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO GRAND JURY CHARGES DURING ARRAIGNMENT IN MANHATTAN COURT

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., one of Trump’s loudest critics when he was in office, was also careful in his statement on the arrest.

"As Donald Trump challenges the legitimacy of our criminal justice system, let us give him the equal protection and due process he’s deprived everyone he’s accused of a crime," Swalwell said. "Justice benefits all of us."

TRUMP ALLIES SLAM HIS ARREST AS ATTACK ON RULE OF LAW: ‘A DARK DAY FOR OUR COUNTRY’

Democrats were similarly tepid in their reactions last week when Trump was indicted by a grand jury on the criminal charges. By contrast, the GOP coalesced around the ex-president and attacked Bragg as a left-wing ideologue.

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who led the House’s first impeachment of Trump after his phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, also stressed that his fate was now up to the justice system. But he took a shot at Trump by adding, "nobody is above the law."

TRUMP TARGETED: A LOOK AT THE INVESTIGATIONS INVOLVING THE FORMER PRESIDENT; FROM RUSSIA TO MAR-A-LAGO

"A somber moment in the life of our country, when it’s necessary to arraign a former president on criminal charges. As the case falls to the DA to prove, we must recognize what is most important: Even the most powerful are held to account, and that nobody is above the law," Schiff said.

Bragg explained the charges at a press conference after Trump left the courthouse on Tuesday.

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"Under New York state law, it is a felony to falsify business records with intent to defraud and intent to conceal another crime. That is exactly what this case is about – thirty-four false statements made to cover up other crimes. These are felony crimes in New York no matter who you are," he said.

Trump pleads not guilty to grand jury charges during arraignment in Manhattan court

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Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to charges brought by a Manhattan grand jury Tuesday afternoon in court in New York City after surrendering to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office earlier in the afternoon.

The former president of the United States, and the leading Republican presidential candidate for 2024, was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury Thursday after a years-long investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.

Trump pleaded not guilty during his arraignment before Judge Juan Merchan, the trial judge presiding over the case, in the courtroom on the 15th floor of 100 Centre Street in New York City.

The indictment was unsealed in court Tuesday. Trump has been charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. 

Trump was not handcuffed, as some are during an arraignment, after making arrangements with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. Detectives within the office handled the arrest of the former president.

TRUMP SAYS DA BRAGG'S 'OBSESSION' WITH TRYING TO 'GET TRUMP' WILL 'BACKFIRE' AFTER GRAND JURY INDICTMENT

Law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Secret Service, New York Police Department, FBI, New York State court officers and the DA's office, met Friday afternoon to finalize details about the logistics and security of Trump's arrest.

TRUMP INDICTED AFTER MANHATTAN DA PROBE FOR HUSH MONEY PAYMENTS

The unprecedented arraignment and indictment of the former president comes after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has been investigating Trump for hush money payments made leading up to the 2016 presidential election.

These include the $130,000 payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, and the $150,000 payment made to former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Both women were paid for their silence on alleged affairs with Trump — affairs Trump has repeatedly denied.

Those payments had been investigated by the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of New York and by the Federal Election Commission.

Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York opted out of charging Trump related to the Daniels payment in 2019. The Federal Election Commission also tossed its investigation into the matter in 2021.

TRUMP TARGETED: A LOOK AT THE INVESTIGATIONS INVOLVING THE FORMER PRESIDENT; FROM RUSSIA TO MAR-A-LAGO

Trump has slammed the DA’s investigation and the indictment as "Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history."

"From the time I came down the golden escalator at Trump Tower, and even before I was sworn in as your President of the United States, the Radical Left Democrats- the enemy of the hard-working men and women of this Country- have been engaged in a Witch-Hunt to destroy the Make America Great Again movement," Trump said last week.

"You remember it just like I do: Russia, Russia, Russia; the Mueller Hoax; Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine; Impeachment Hoax 1; Impeachment Hoax 2; the illegal and unconstitutional Mar-a-Lago raid; and now this," Trump said, referring to the investigations that clouded his presidency.

"The Democrats have lied, cheated and stolen in their obsession with trying to ‘Get Trump,’ but now they’ve done the unthinkable—indicting a completely innocent person in an act of blatant Election Interference," Trump said. "Never before in our Nation’s history has this been done."

TRUMP TO BE ARRAIGNED TUESDAY WITHOUT HANDCUFFS, SOURCES SAY

He slammed Bragg as a "disgrace" and said he was "hand-picked and funded by George Soros."

"Rather than stop the unprecedented crime wave taking over New York City, he’s doing Joe Biden’s dirty work, ignoring the murders and burglaries and assaults he should be focused on," he said. "This is how Bragg spends his time!"

"I believe this Witch-Hunt will backfire massively on Joe Biden," Trump added. 

The investigation into Trump was opened in 2019 by then-Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance. The probe was focused on possible bank, insurance and tax fraud. The case initially involved financial dealings of Trump’s Manhattan properties, including his flagship Fifth Avenue building, Trump Tower, and the valuation of his 213-acre estate Seven Springs in Westchester.

Last year, the investigation led to tax fraud charges against The Trump Organization and its finance chief Allen Weisselberg.