Former President Donald Trump’s New York criminal hush money trial will start with jury variety on April 15, Judge Juan Merchan mentioned at a listening to Monday.
The new trial date comes after Merchan wiped Trump’s earlier March 25 trial start date from the books previous this month. State prosecutors consented to a prolong after federal prosecutors despatched Trump greater than 100,000 pages of paperwork this month that can be related to the case. Merchan first of all mentioned in reaction {that a} trial would not start earlier than mid-April.
Speaking at a short lived news convention within the foyer of his construction on Wall Street after the listening to, Trump mentioned he would proceed to hunt a prolong of the hush money trial previous Election Day on Nov. 5. He additionally mentioned he desires a complete dismissal: “I shouldn’t have a trial.”
The presumptive Republican presidential nominee faces 34 felony counts of falsifying New York business records to cover up a $130,000 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, who has said she had a sexual encounter with Trump. Trump has denied that claim.
Trump is accused of falsifying records to conceal the real purpose of reimbursement payments to former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, who made the initial $130,000 payment to Daniels soon before the 2016 presidential election.
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Prosecution ‘not at fault’ for late documents, judge rules
At the hearing Monday, Merchan rejected claims from Trump’s lawyers that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office should have obtained and turned over the documents earlier. The Trump team had argued the entire case should be thrown out because the prosecution “actively sought to stop President Trump from acquiring crucial fabrics.” At least some of the documents relate to Cohen, who pleaded guilty to federal tax and campaign finance crimes in 2018 and may be called by state prosecutors in the hush money case.
But Merchan determined prosecutors went “above and past” what they were required to do. He said the federal prosecutors’ office isn’t under the direction or control of Bragg’s office.
Trump’s workforce had in the beginning mentioned it could want a minimum of a 90-day trial prolong to study the brand new paperwork if Merchan did not throw out the entire case. When that was once rejected Monday, Trump legal professional Todd Blanche requested for courtroom permission to report a movement to prolong the trial according to pretrial exposure. Merchan mentioned Blanche may report the movement however emphasised the trial is scheduled for April 15.
The 34 felony counts technically carry a maximum penalty of 136 years in prison, but legal experts say nothing near that is realistic, even if Trump were convicted on all counts.
Trump faces 3 different criminal instances and not using a company trial date: a federal case and a state case from Georgia over whether or not Trump illegally tried to thieve the 2020 presidential election, and a federal case alleging Trump mishandled categorized paperwork. Trump has pleaded now not responsible in all of his criminal instances.
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