Former President Donald Trump is currently attending a New York court hearing where he and his legal team are attempting to delay his trial date on charges related to falsifying business records in order to silence women who claim to have had affairs with him. Upon entering the Manhattan Supreme Court, Trump addressed reporters claiming, “This is a witch hunt. It’s a hoax.”
Delay in Trial Date
Originally scheduled for trial on Monday, the hush money case has been postponed until at least mid-April. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg expressed that he did not oppose a 30-day delay to allow Trump time to review a new set of documents submitted. Trump’s lawyers have requested Judge Juan Merchan either dismiss Bragg’s indictment entirely or delay the trial for a minimum of 90 days. The new trial date is expected to be set during or after Monday’s court proceedings.
In addition to the hush money case, Trump is facing a financial challenge from New York Attorney General Letitia James. There is a $454 million fraud judgment against him in a separate civil case that James can begin to collect as early as Monday. Trump has been unsuccessful in obtaining a bond to prevent this penalty while he pursues an appeal.
Facing multiple criminal and civil cases while also running for the presidency, Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to express his frustrations. He stated in a post, “The penalty in the civil case should be ZERO, I DID NOTHING WRONG!” Trump also called for the dismissal of the fraud case and the hush money case, claiming no criminal activity and alleging corruption within the country.
Bragg’s indictment includes 34 felony counts against Trump for falsifying business records to conceal damaging information from voters prior to the 2016 presidential election. The focus of the case revolves around a $130,000 payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels just days before the election, which Trump went on to win against Hillary Clinton. The payment, orchestrated by Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen, aimed to secure Daniel’s silence regarding an alleged prior extramarital affair with Trump. Cohen, who admitted to making an illegal campaign contribution at Trump’s direction, has become a significant adversary of Trump and is poised to testify in the hush money trial. Despite these accusations, Trump maintains his innocence and has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Donald Trump’s legal battles continue to unfold as he seeks to delay his trial in the hush money case. The former president’s vociferous denials and claims of a conspiracy against him underscore the high stakes surrounding these legal proceedings. As the legal proceedings progress, the outcome of the trial remains uncertain, and the potential consequences for Trump, both legally and politically, could be significant.
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