Trump’s indictment is about more than hush money – it’s a question of democracy

And it's just the first of possibly many charges against the ex-president, the only US head of state to be charged with a crime

Former president Donald Trump pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments he made through his allies to hide extramarital affairs in the weeks before the 2016 election.

As prosecutors in the New York courtroom reiterated, the issue wasn't just that Trump directed these payments that put him at fault, but that the timing of them likely changed the course of his campaign and paved the way for Trump to interfere with election results for two cycles. And the criminal charges were only part of the picture when it comes to Trump's election meddling, and the threats he has posed to US democracy.