Donald Trump Pleads Not Guilty To 34 Felony Charges

Former US president Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 charges of falsifying business records.

Prosecutors alleged the actions were a conspiracy to influence the 2016 presidential election by silencing claims of extramarital affairs.

Stay up-to-date on the latest news with The National Briefing - keeping you in the loop with news as it hits:

It officially marks the first time a former US president has been charged with a crime.

New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a release the charges related to offences caused as a result of Mr Trump’s electoral strategy – where he paid hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 campaign. 

"During the election, Trump and others employed a 'catch and kill' scheme to identify, purchase, and bury negative information about him and boost his electoral prospects,” Mr Bragg said.

"Trump then went to great lengths to hide this conduct, causing dozens of false entries in business records to conceal criminal activity, including attempts to violate state and federal election laws.

"Trump is charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with 34 counts of Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree."

Mr Trump arrived to for his arraignment looking visibly angry before proceeding to be fingerprinted in custody. He however was not handcuffed and was not subject to a mug shot.

Despite strategizing for weeks on how he wanted to appear defiant – it’s reported he mainly looked infuriated when there were no television cameras or photographers inside the court room.

Subscribe to The Briefing, Australia's fastest-growing news podcast on Listnr today. The Briefing serves up the latest news headlines and a deep dive into a topic affecting you. All in under 20 minutes.