Former President Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial in New York will begin with jury selection on April 15, Judge Juan Merchan announced at a Monday hearing.
The new trial date comes after Merchan removed Trump’s previous March 25 trial start date earlier this month. State prosecutors agreed to the delay after federal prosecutors provided Trump with over 100,000 pages of material last month that could be related to the case. Merchan initially stated in response that the trial would not commence until mid-April.
Following the hearing, Trump spoke at a brief news conference in the foyer of his Wall Street skyscraper, saying he will continue to seek a postponement in the hush money trial until after Election Day on November 5. He also stated that he wants a thorough dismissal. “I shouldn’t have a trial.”
The probable Republican presidential nominee is facing 34 criminal counts for falsifying New York business documents to conceal a $130,000 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, who claims she had a sexual encounter with Trump. Trump has denied the claim.
Michael Cohen, a former Trump lawyer who made the original $130,000 payment to Daniels just before the 2016 presidential election, is the target of accusations that Trump fabricated records to hide the true purpose of reimbursement payments.
Prosecution ‘not at fault’ for late documents, judge rules
During the Monday hearing, Merchan dismissed the assertions made by Trump’s lawyers that the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office should have acquired and provided the documents at an earlier stage. The Trump team had contended that the entirety of the case should be dismissed due to the prosecution’s alleged efforts to obstruct President Trump from accessing crucial evidence. Some of the documents pertain to Michael Cohen, who admitted guilt for federal tax and campaign finance offenses in 2018 and might potentially be summoned by state prosecutors in relation to the hush money case.
According to Merchan, prosecutors exceeded their obligations by going beyond what was expected of them. He emphasized that the federal prosecutors’ office operates independently and is not subject to Bragg’s office.
Trump’s team initially requested a 90-day trial delay to review the newly presented documents, but their request was denied. In response, Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, sought permission from the court to file a motion for a trial delay based on pre-trial publicity. While Judge Merchan allowed Blanche to proceed with the motion, it is important to note that the trial is still set to take place on April 15.
Legal experts believe that while the 34 felony counts against Trump technically carry a maximum penalty of 136 years in prison, it is highly unlikely that he would receive such a lengthy sentence if convicted on all counts.
Trump is currently dealing with three additional criminal cases, all of which have no set trial date. These cases involve a federal and state case in Georgia, focusing on Trump’s alleged illegal attempts to influence the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. Additionally, there is a federal case accusing Trump of mishandling classified documents. It is important to note that Trump has pleaded not guilty in all of these criminal cases.
