Trump has frequently complained about the judicial system, which he claims is “destined” to work against him.
New York:
Donald Trump’s legal battle swung from victory to defeat on Monday as he received a lifeline in his fight to avoid a half-billion-dollar fraud verdict when a New York judge rejected an effort to delay a separate criminal trial.
A New York state appeals court cut a potentially crippling $454 million bond due on Monday to $175 million and gave the former president an extra 10 days to pay.
The Republican presidential candidate got unexpectedly positive news about his New York civil fraud case as he hears another case in court – an upcoming hearing in his criminal trial over hush-money payments to porn stars.
Judge Juan Merchan rejected a request by Trump’s lawyers to delay the former president’s first criminal trial for at least 90 days and ordered jury selection to begin on April 15.
Trump faces charges of falsifying business records of payments made in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election to ensure a sexual encounter with porn star Stormy Daniels would not go public.
“You’re essentially accusing the Manhattan (District Attorney) office and the people who worked on this case of wrongdoing and trying to make me complicit in it,” a visibly incensed Murchin told Trump during the hearing in a Manhattan courtroom. Trump’s lawyer said.
Trump also faces a Monday deadline to pay a hefty original bond pending an appeal of a judge’s ruling that he was responsible for a fraudulent conspiracy to inflate his net worth.
Trump has made it clear he can’t find the $454 million and could risk New York state seizing part of his empire if he can’t come up with bond.
-“The rigged case”-
Trump, 77, welcomed the appeals panel’s ruling while condemning the hush money case as “election interference” and “witch hunt.”
“I have great respect for the decision of the Appellate Division and I will very quickly provide $175 million in cash or bonds or guarantees or whatever is necessary within 10 days,” he told reporters.
The hush-money trial was scheduled to begin Monday but was delayed after prosecutors were slow to produce thousands of pages of potential evidence.
Speaking on “Truth Social,” Trump denounced both cases as politically motivated attacks ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election, when he is likely to face incumbent Democrat Joe Biden again.
“These are rigged cases, all coordinated by the White House and Department of Justice to interfere with the election,” Trump wrote. “No crime was committed. Our country is corrupt!”
Trump has frequently complained about the judicial system, which he claims is “destined” to work against him.
He said New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is black, is a “racist” and accused Judge Arthur Englund in the civil fraud case of being “disingenuous.”
Trump got some positive financial news last week when it was announced that Truth Social would eventually go public through a merger, a deal that could net him billions of dollars in revenue.
He won’t be able to access the funds for six months, but it could help him secure a bond.
However, if payment is not made, James could still order a freeze on his bank accounts or seize some of his properties in New York.
– Seeking more delays –
Trump’s lawyers have sought ways to delay his multiple trials — if possible until after the presidential vote.
In the trial involving Stormy Daniels (real name Stephanie Clifford), Trump is accused of illegally using campaign funds to ensure her silence about an alleged sexual encounter in 2006.
If she speaks out, the consequences could be devastating for Trump’s presidential hopes, coming on the heels of another scandal that stemmed from a recording of the married businessman boasting that as a celebrity, he Feel free to “grab” women. their genitals.
Trump also faces accusations of trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election and of withholding classified documents after leaving the White House.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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