The trial in New York on criminal charges against former President Trump begins on March 25

2024-02-15 21:42:13, Kosova & Bota CNA

The trial in New York on criminal charges against former President Trump begins

The trial against former President Donald Trump in the criminal case of payment to ensure the silence of two women, will begin as scheduled on March 25 with the selection of the jury, announced the judge in New York. He rejected efforts by Mr. Trump's lawyers to push him.

The ruling means that one of four criminal trials against Mr. Trump will focus on years-long allegations that he tried to cover up extramarital affairs that came to light during his 2016 presidential campaign. In the other cases, Mr. Trump is accused of rigging the election. of the 2020 election and illegally stockpiling classified documents at his Florida estate.

By not moving the trial's start date, Judge Juan Manuel Merchan noted the delay in the Washington court case, which is related to efforts to overturn the election result and whose trial was originally set to begin on March 4, has almost been frozen. pending the outcome of Mr. Trump's appeal on the still pending issue of whether the former president has immunity from prosecution for actions taken during his tenure in the White House.

Referring to objections filed by Mr. Trump's lawyer several months ago asking for a postponement of the trial, Judge Merchan said: "I'm glad I took this position because here we are - Washington's case did not move forward."

According to him, the trial on the issue of payment to ensure silence is expected to last six weeks.

If the New York case adheres to this calendar, it will open just weeks after the Super Tuesday election (the day when primaries are held in most US states), clashing with the political calendar during a time period in which Mr Trump will to try to close the Republican race and secure his nomination as the presidential candidate for the elections. His lawyers referred to this calendar as they tried to challenge the March trial date.

"We strongly object to what's happening in this court," said defense attorney Todd Blanche, adding that "the fact that now we're going to spend, that President Trump is going to spend, the next two months working on this trial, instead of to be on the campaign trail for president, it's something that shouldn't happen in this country."

Mr. Trump made a similar argument as he left the courtroom, telling reporters that "instead of being in South Carolina and other states campaigning, I'm stuck here."

"We have to give him a solution", he added. "I'll be here during the day and I'll be campaigning at night."

In fact, Mr. Trump has repeatedly attended court hearings even though his presence was not necessary. This is the first time Mr. Trump has returned to a New York court since the landmark criminal case that made him the first former president to be indicted for a criminal offense. Since then, he has been sued in Florida, Georgia and Washington.

In recent weeks, he has coordinated campaign activities with court appearances. On Monday, he voluntarily participated in a closed hearing in the Florida case, where he is accused of receiving and keeping classified documents.

While a hearing in the New York case began, another hearing took place in Atlanta where a judge considered arguments on whether Fulton County District Attorney Fani Illis should be disqualified from the case looking into Mr Trump's meddling in the election process in the state of Georgia. , because of her personal relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, whom she assigned to work on the case.

The New York case is considered the lightest of four lawsuits filed against Mr. Trump last year over the alleged violation — of which the public has been aware for years — that many consider lighter than allegations of illegal document retention. secrets, or attempts to overturn the election result.

The Washington case, which is about interference in the election result, was officially adjourned last month and now the Supreme Court is considering the issue of immunity. A new date has not yet been set. A May 20 hearing has been set for the court case involving the secret documents in Florida, but that date could also be pushed back. There is no date yet for the trial in Atlanta.

Over the past year, Mr. Trump has expressed his anger at Judge Merchan, calling him a "Trump-hating judge," seeking unsuccessfully to have him recused from the case and to have the case sent from state court to the federal one. Judge Merchan has acknowledged making some small financial contributions to Democrats, including a $15 donation to President Biden, Mr. Trump's rival, but said he is confident "in his ability to be fair and impartial."

Mr. Trump is also awaiting a ruling, possibly as early as Friday, in the New York fraud case that threatens to dismantle his real estate empire. If the judge rules against Mr. Trump, who is accused of inflating his wealth to defraud banks, insurance companies and others, he could be ordered to pay millions of dollars in fines and face other penalties.

In addition to briefing the court's calendar, Judge Merchan also denied a request by Mr. Trump's lawyers to dismiss the case.

Mr. Trump's lawyers, Todd Blanche and Susan Necheles, accuse Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, elected from among Democrats, of filing the suit to interfere with Mr. Trump's chances of returning to the White House. Mr. Bragg's predecessor, Cyrus Vance Jr., had declined to file a similar lawsuit.

The charges brought against Mr. Trump could carry up to four years in prison, although there is no guarantee that the verdict could result in a prison sentence.

The case concerns payments to two women, pornographic actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, as well as a Trump Towers custodian who claimed to have information that Mr. Trump has a child out of wedlock. marriage. Mr. Trump denies these claims.

Mr. Trump's then-lawyer, Michael Cohen, paid actress Daniels $130,000 and arranged for the publisher of the National Enquirer magazine to pay model McDougal $150,000 to buy their silence.

Mr. Trump's firm then paid attorney Cohen $420,000 and presented the payments as expenses for legal services, rather than compensation, according to prosecutors. Prosecutor Bragg charged Mr. Trump last year with falsifying his company's internal records to hide the true nature of the payments.

Mr. Trump's legal team says that no violation has been committed./ VOA