The detention of former President Donald Trump has stirred up a commotion in American politics. On Tuesday, he pleaded not guilty to 34 charges of falsifying first-degree business records in New York City. These charges hold a maximum punishment of 136 years in prison, but the actual sentence will be less severe if convicted on any or all counts. Falsifying business records is usually a misdemeanor in New York. Still, it becomes a felony, with a maximum four-year term, if the defendant's "intent to defraud includes an intent to commit another crime or to aid or conceal the commission thereof." During a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, reporters asked Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg why the indictment did not specify the second crime concealed in the charges. Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan District Attorney, has accused former President Donald Trump and his associates of implementing a catch and kill strategy to suppress information that could harm their reputation before the 2016
