As the 2024 election unfolds, Donald Trump plans to spend the majority of the next six weeks in downtown Manhattan, far from any swing states.
Trump has complained that his campaign to recapture the presidency is being hindered by his ongoing criminal hush-money trial. He has strategically planned events throughout the country on Wednesdays, which is the only day of the week when the trial is not scheduled to take place.
“This trial should never have been brought,” the former president said to reporters in the courtroom hallway on Tuesday morning, just before the second day of jury selection. He added, “Right now, I should be campaigning in Pennsylvania, Florida, and many other states, including North Carolina and Georgia.”
Trump has expressed his dissatisfaction to reporters regarding the judge’s delay in ruling on his request for a day off to attend his son Barron’s high school graduation ceremony in May.
Agreeing to stipulations is one simple way that Trump could expedite the process.
During a trial, both parties are given the chance to agree on a specific set of facts, which eliminates the necessity for lawyers to call witnesses and present evidence for matters that are not in dispute.
According to former Manhattan prosecutor Mark Bederow, trials can often be tedious, with only about 10% of the proceedings being truly interesting. In an effort to avoid calling unnecessary witnesses, parties may agree to the admissibility of uncontested evidence or certain facts that are not in dispute. This strategy helps streamline the trial process.
The Washington Post reports that Trump’s legal team has made the decision to contest every issue instead of agreeing to any stipulations.
Perhaps his lawyers will deny that the affair ever took place. They might argue that Cohen acted independently when he arranged the payments to Stephanie Clifford, also known as adult film actress Daniels.
There are numerous undisputed facts surrounding the case, such as Michael Cohen serving as Trump’s personal lawyer in 2016 and the existing relationship between Daniels and Trump.
In 2006, Daniels and Trump were captured in a photograph together, and the following year, Daniels attended a Trump vodka event.
If Trump were to acknowledge those facts – and others – then the lawyers in the case could save a significant amount of time, as they wouldn’t need to establish those foundational details during the court proceedings.
Judges often express satisfaction when both parties in a dispute agree on the details. This not only reduces the number of disputes that need to be adjudicated but also speeds up the entire process.
According to Bederow, a criminal defense attorney, Trump is well within his legal rights to “put the people to the proof,” even though stipulation can expedite court proceedings.
Bederow emphasized that he believes the individual has the right to utilize all available legal means to demand that the opposing party substantiate their claims within the framework of the rules of evidence.
According to Bederow, the fact that Trump has been expressing frustration about his trial impeding his campaign trail, while his own lawyers are intentionally prolonging the proceedings by not agreeing to anything, perfectly exemplifies the conflicting personas of Trump as a criminal defendant and as the Republican nominee.
The District Attorney’s office spokespersons were also unresponsive at the time.
