Trump indictment updates: Trump speaks out on charges from Mar-a-Lago

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg claimed former President Donald Trump "repeatedly made false statements" on New York business records and made others do the same during a press briefing following Tuesday's arraignment.

"These are felony crimes in New York state, no matter who you are," Bragg said. "We cannot and will not normalize serious criminal conduct.

Bragg said the case, "like so many of our white-collar cases," alleges that "someone lied again and again to protect their interests and evade the laws to which we are all held accountable."

Bragg claimed Trump and his associates attempted to withhold negative information about him in a “catch-and-kill scheme” meant to bolster his candidacy for president.

"The evidence will show that Trump lied … to cover up crimes related to the 2016 presidential election," Bragg said.

The payments to Michael Cohen were meant to "hide damaging information from the voting public," he added.

When asked why his office was pursuing the case now, Bragg said there is more evidence in hand than his predecessor had.

Prosecutors asked for a trial date in January 2024.

Donald Trump’s legal team called that timeline “too aggressive” and suggested spring 2024 as an alternative.

Judge Juan Merchan did not weigh in.

Trump's next in-person court appearance is set for Dec. 4. The defense counsel asked the judge to waive Trump’s appearance.

The judge acknowledged that Tuesday's hearing was a “huge undertaking,” but said he would not immediately excuse Trump’s appearance, and said he would deny for the time being the defense counsel’s request “in the interest of transparency.”

-ABC News' Olivia Rubin and Laura Romero

The indictment against former President Donald Trump has been unsealed.

Prosecutors allege Trump "employed a 'catch and kill' scheme to identify, purchase, and bury negative information about him and boost his electoral prospects," and "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."

Prosecutors allege, "In one instance, American Media Inc. ('AMI'), paid $30,000 to a former Trump Tower doorman, who claimed to have a story about a child TRUMP had out of wedlock," though the story wasn't true.

"The People of the State of New York allege that Donald J. Trump repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal crimes that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election," Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement. "The trail of money and lies exposes a pattern that, the People allege, violates one of New York’s basic and fundamental business laws."

Former President Donald Trump left the courtroom at 3:25 p.m., nearly one hour after entering the room at 2:28 p.m.