A judge warned former US President Donald Trump to refrain from rhetoric on social media that could cause civil unrest, Associated Press reported. As Donald Trump told the judge he was pleading “not guilty”, the judge Juan Merchan warned the former US President that he could be removed from the courtroom if he is disruptive. Donald Trump spoke only a few times to respond to questions, it was reported.
He has been told to temper down social media posts related to the indictment and is next due in court in December although his lawyers asked for him to be excused from attending the hearing in person.
Read more: Donald Trump charges: 2016 polls, social media posts, false business records
Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments during his 2016 presidential campaign. With this, Donald Trump became the first former president in US history to face criminal prosecution.
Donald Trump has also been charged of falsifying business records related to three pre-election hush-money cases, prosecutors said.
"Donald J. 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," Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement.
{{/usCountry}}"Donald J. 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," Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement.
{{/usCountry}}The court filing said that the former president "with intent to defraud and intent to commit another crime and aid and conceal the commission thereof, made and caused a false entry in the business records of an enterprise"