Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has asked a New York judge to refuse former President Trump’s request for a delay in his trial on Thursday.
Additional records from Trump’s alleged hush money payments case have led to Bragg’s petition. Judge Juan Merchan granted a 30-day postponement to assess the documents, rescheduling the trial for April 15.
Trump’s legal team contended the delay was insufficient. They claim the newly discovered documents violate discovery regulations and seek a 90-day postponement.
Bragg’s brief on Thursday aims to dispute that request, claiming that it is simply a tactic by Trump’s legal team to postpone the lawsuit for as long as possible.
“Defendant’s accusations of a discovery violation are a distraction from the only issue actually presented here, which is how this Court should respond to the late arrival of potentially relevant evidence from sources outside of the People’s direction or control,” Bragg wrote in his opinion.
“On that point, the appropriate remedy is the brief adjournment allowed by this Court, which provides more than enough time for the parties to analyze what the people now consider to be a limited number of pertinent records in the USAO’s recent outputs. This Court should thus refuse the defendant’s request for additional severe punishment,” the filing stated.
The Department of Justice informed Trump’s legal team and Bragg’s office late last week that it intended to deliver 15,000 records as potential evidence. During Trump’s presidency, the Department of Justice examined the hush-money payments.
According to the United States Attorney’s Office, much of the material is unconnected to the state’s case against Trump. Federal prosecutors have previously released at least 104,000 pages of information, 74,000 of which were initially sent only to Bragg’s office and not to Trump’s lawyers.
Bragg’s office has subsequently turned over the 74,000 documents to the defense.
The data from federal prosecutors is related to a federal probe that touched on the hush money scandal and resulted in prison time for former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen.
Trump’s lawyers sought a 90-day postponement or dismissal of the allegations against him, claiming that the discovery process, in which both sides exchanged evidence, was violated. Defense counsel argued that a 30-day adjournment was “insufficient” and requested that Merchan schedule a discovery hearing.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying company documents related to alleged hush-money payments to Stormy Daniels, an adult-film actress, during his 2016 presidential campaign.
