Former President Trump’s successful 2016 bid for the White House is at the center of the case.
New York:
Donald Trump on Monday will become the first former U.S. president to face a criminal trial, a watershed moment for the country as the November presidential election approaches.
First, the selection of the jury responsible for deciding the case will begin. As the case develops, a number of key figures are expected to appear in court.
Here are the key figures involved in the trial:
– Donald Trump –
Former President Trump’s successful 2016 bid for the White House is at the center of the case.
Prosecutors allege that as he was about to win in 2016, he paid adult film star Stormy Daniels $130,000 to cover up Trump’s illegal sexual relationship with her in 2006.
This may not constitute a crime in itself.
But prosecutors allege that Trump and his lawyer Michael Cohen then conspired to cover up the payments, illegally concealing the transactions as legitimate payments in Trump Organization accounts.
-Stormi Daniels-
Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, claimed in an interview with “60 Minutes” that they met at a celebrity golf tournament in Utah in 2006.
She said they went to Trump’s hotel room, where they had sex and the businessman suggested she appear on his hit TV show “The Apprentice.”
Trump denies the incident ever happened, which could lead to a conflict between her and his lawyers, who are expected to testify.
– Michael Cohen: A spurned insider –
Donald Trump’s former personal attorney, who has never denied his “Pit Bull” nickname, has become a sworn enemy of the former president and will become the prosecution’s star witness.
Michael Cohen insists a $130,000 payment was made to Stormy Daniels at the request of Donald Trump, and he was federally convicted over the payment.
He is expected to tell the jury about the former president’s alleged involvement, but the defense will paint him as unreliable because of his conviction for making false statements to the U.S. Congress.
– Prosecutor: Alvin Bragg –
Bragg, a self-described “child of Harlem” who fell victim to the NYPD’s heavy-handed tactics as a teenager, later studied at Harvard University and became Manhattan’s first African-American prosecutor in January 2022.
He was elected as a Democrat, inherited Trump’s case and was initially criticized for allegedly trying to bury it before prosecuting the former president.
Bragg led prosecutors in the Trump Organization tax fraud trial, which resulted in the group’s first conviction in 2022.
– Judge Juan Merchant –
Merchan, a respected judge in his 60s, was born to Colombian parents who immigrated to the United States with him.
He has a reputation among other attorneys as fair and firm, particularly in conducting litigation efficiently in court.
The case will not be heard Wednesday because Merchant will serve in Manhattan Mental Health Court, modeled after the city’s drug court.
He has already drawn the ire of Trump, with the former president attacking the veteran judge for alleged bias.
Trump went on to accuse Murchin of failing to ensure a fair trial because his daughter works for a campaign organization with ties to Democrats.
That prompted Murchin to expand a gag order barring Trump from attacking jurors and court staff to include members of his own family.
– Trump’s lawyer –
Donald Trump’s attorneys, Susan Nechels and Todd Branch, are a pair of seasoned attorneys with extensive experience in white-collar crime.
Necheles, who trained at Yale Law School and heads her own law firm, is known to be particularly tough on cross-examination.
Todd Blanche served as a federal prosecutor in Manhattan for ten years before beginning his legal career. He left a prestigious New York law firm to devote himself to defending Trump.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
