The commencement of jury selection in the criminal trial regarding hush money linked to Donald Trump is scheduled to commence on April 15, as determined by a New York judge on Monday. This trial marks a significant event in United States history, being the first criminal prosecution of a former President. Judge Juan M. Merchan issued the ruling despite objections from Trump’s legal team, who sought a postponement due to the late submission of over 100,000 pages of potential evidence by federal prosecutors. Merchan asserted that Trump had been allotted a reasonable period for preparation, dismissing the delay request while Trump was present in the courtroom.
Originally slated to commence on Monday, the trial in Manhattan concerns allegations of falsifying business records to conceal a sex scandal involving adult-film actress Stormy Daniels during the final stages of the 2016 election campaign. However, the trial was rescheduled to mid-April following the belated submission of additional documents by federal prosecutors. Merchan absolved Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office of responsibility for the tardy document production from the U.S. Attorney’s office, allowing the case to proceed to trial next month, thus ensuring a court date well in advance of the November election.
Trump denounced the case as “a witch hunt” and “a hoax” upon his arrival at the courtroom on Monday, and later expressed intentions to appeal the judge’s decision to commence the trial in April. Maintaining his plea of not guilty to all 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal payments orchestrated by his former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, Trump positioned himself for a legal battle where Cohen is anticipated to serve as the principal witness against him.
Voicing his grievances, Trump asserted, “This case should have been brought three and a half years ago, they decided to wait now just during the election, so that I won’t be able to campaign.” He underscored his determination to challenge the ruling through an appeal.
While Trump faces four criminal cases amid his bid for a return to the White House, the Manhattan trial stands as the sole case with an established trial date. Legal analysts speculate that the hush money case could present the most substantial possibility of a felony conviction among Trump’s four criminal charges before the November election.
