Trial Alert: Donald Trump Faces Hush-Money Case Starting April 15

Former US President Donald Trump is set to face an unprecedented criminal trial on April 15th, ruling by a judge, marking the first such trial for a former US president. The trial concerns hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels. Trump, 77, is confronted with four criminal cases, although this trial may be the sole one proceeding to court before the upcoming November election.

Trump’s legal team had endeavored to postpone or dismiss the case. He faces fraud charges related to payments made to Ms. Daniels prior to the 2016 election, having pleaded not guilty to all 34 charges, contending that the allegations do not constitute criminal conduct.

Throughout his campaign to reclaim the presidency, Trump and his legal representatives have aimed to delay as many trials as possible. Nonetheless, Justice Juan Merchan decreed on Monday that there was no justification for further delay in Trump’s hush money trial, despite the defense’s objections, scheduling the trial to commence on April 15th.

Following a morning spent in the courtroom alongside his attorneys, Trump labeled the case as “election interference” during remarks to reporters, expressing intentions to appeal the decision, characterizing it as voter intimidation and election interference.

Originally slated to initiate with jury selection on Monday, the trial faced a setback after the release of thousands of documents last week from a 2018 federal investigation into payments to Ms. Daniels. Justice Merchan convened a hearing to scrutinize any potential impropriety in the sudden release of over 100,000 pages of documents pertaining to the federal prosecutors’ case.

Trump’s legal team asserted that the Manhattan district attorney’s office had engaged in misconduct by not ensuring timely delivery of the documents from federal prosecutors. They alleged an attempt to “suppress” evidence.

Despite a concession from the Manhattan District Attorney’s office for a 30-day delay to review the documents, prosecutors contended at the hearing that only 300 new documents warranted consideration, affirming readiness for a mid-April trial.

However, Trump’s legal team sought additional time to scrutinize the documents thoroughly. Justice Merchan interrogated Trump’s lawyer to specify the number of relevant documents requiring review for this case. Trump’s attorney cited the inclusion of records from the Robert Mueller investigation, alleging thousands of pertinent records necessitating careful examination.

Expressing impatience and skepticism towards the attorney’s claims, Justice Merchan appeared unconvinced by allegations of prosecutorial misconduct, highlighting the apparent lack of substantiation.

In conclusion, the judge conveyed skepticism about the necessity of the hearing and the time taken, implying dissatisfaction with the arguments presented.