Former US President Donald Trump’s first criminal trial will begin on April 15, the eve of the presidential election.
The 77-year-old former president faces four criminal cases. The hush money trial involves the amount he allegedly paid adult film star Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet about his romance. The hush money was paid to Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.
Despite attempts by his lawyers to delay or dismiss the case, Judge Juan Merchan ruled on Monday that the trial must begin on April 15.
Trump’s lawyers said they needed more time to review the documents. But the judge seemed unconvinced by their arguments.
Although Trump has pleaded not guilty to all 34 charges, he has argued that the charges against him do not constitute a crime. After speaking with his attorney in court, he even called the case “election interference” and vowed to appeal the decision.
“It’s a disgrace and we will obviously appeal,” he said. “But this is purely a case of voter intimidation and election interference, and that should not be allowed to happen.”
However, things took an unexpected turn last week when thousands of documents related to the federal investigation into the payments were suddenly released. This has delayed proceedings as the court examines whether there was misconduct in the release of the documents.
Trump’s legal team has expressed concerns about the timing and volume of the document dump, accusing prosecutors of misconduct. “We received the materials a week ago,” said Trump attorney Todd Branch. “We’re still going through them.”
But Judge Mocha remained unconvinced as he questioned the validity of their claims and expressed impatience with their arguments.
“You are essentially accusing the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and those who worked on this case of engaging in prosecutorial misconduct and trying to make me complicit in it,” Judge Melchan said.
“It’s weird that we’re evenly matched here and that it took us so long,” he said before adjourning for a break.
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