On Monday, Judge Juan Merchan declared that the hush money lawsuit against Donald Trump will start on April 15 of the following month. Trump entered a not guilty plea to all of the accusations earlier on Monday in response to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s extensive probe.
DA Bragg filed 34 allegations against Trump alleging that he falsified financial documents related to payments of hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels. The issue revolves around $130,000 in payments that Michael Cohen, Trump’s former attorney, reportedly made to Daniels in exchange for her silence regarding an alleged encounter before to the 2016 presidential campaign.
The trial was originally scheduled to start on March 25, thus Trump’s request to postpone it even longer was denied.
According to NBC News, Judge Juan Merchan stated, “[Prosecutors] went so far above and beyond what they were required to do that really it’s odd that we’re even here taking this time.”
WATCH:
Fox News reports:
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said much of the newly produced material is unrelated to the state’s case against Trump. Federal prosecutors have already produced more than 100,000 pages of records for review. Fox News Digital has learned, though, that at least 74,000 pages of records initially were sent only to Bragg’s office and not to Trump’s legal team.
Trump’s lawyers were seeking a 90-day delay or a dismissal of charges against him, arguing there were violations in “the discovery process,” whereby both sides exchange evidence. Defense lawyers said a 30-day delay was “insufficient.”
Trump’s lawyers have said the materials from the federal investigation are critical for his defense in the state case being brought by Bragg.
Payments made to two women who claimed to have had affairs with Trump, Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, are at the center of the issue regarding Trump and claims of hush money payments. Trump has refuted these relationships. Prior to the 2016 presidential election, the payments were made, purportedly, to stop the women’s accusations from going viral and perhaps influencing the result of the election.
JUST IN: Donald Trump's net worth jumps to $6.5 billion making today Trump's single-greatest day ever for his wealth.
At this very moment, Trump's $175 million bond in the NY fraud case makes up just 2.7% of his net worth.
The sudden jump in Trump's net worth is thanks to… pic.twitter.com/HLcTPgk29a
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 25, 2024
Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen, entered a guilty plea in 2018 to charges relating to these payments, including violations of campaign finance laws. He asserted that he coordinated the women’s payments per Trump’s orders. Cohen said that his actions were designed to safeguard Trump’s candidacy despite receiving a three-year prison sentence.
Whether or not these payments were considered unlawful campaign contributions is at the center of the legal disputes. The payments were first looked into by federal prosecutors in Manhattan as a part of a larger investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. But as a result of that probe, Trump was not brought up on any charges.
Trump has encountered additional legal controversy regarding the payments and other issues after leaving office. The Manhattan District Attorney’s office is still looking into several financial transactions between Trump and his business empire, including the payments of hush money.
The case raises intricate legal issues pertaining to presidential immunity, campaign finance regulations, and the possibility of criminal prosecution. It is a component of a larger series of legal proceedings and investigations that Trump has encountered since he left office. These include questions about his financial dealings, the policies of his government, and his activities related to the 2020 presidential election.
