On Monday, Donald Trump made history as the first US president to go on trial for a crime when he showed up in a Manhattan courtroom to answer to allegations relating to a hush-money transaction to a porn star that may jeopardize his chances of regaining the presidency.
Done in his trademark red tie and blue suit, the 77-year-old Trump sat at the defence table as Justice Juan Merchan dismissed a move from Trump’s attorneys to have the judge save himself and placed restrictions on the evidence and witnesses that might be used in the trial. To postpone or thwart the four criminal proceedings against him, Trump’s legal team has been filing a barrage of legal filings for months.
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The trial is likely to go through May, and Trump, the Republican nominee for president in 2024, is compelled to attend. It is anticipated that witness testimony will take place after the choice of 12 jurors & 6 substitutes among an assortment of Manhattan households takes approximately a week.
Prosecutors in New York state allege that he fabricated documents to conceal a $130,000 payment made during the final days of the campaign for president in 2016 to purchase porn star Stormy Daniels’ silence on an alleged 2006 sexual encounter.
Trump has refuted any involvement of this kind. In a lawsuit filed in New York state court last year by Democrat Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan District Attorney, he entered a not guilty plea to 34 charges of falsifying business records.
Helicopters followed the convoy of black SUVs that transported the president from his Trump Tower residence, as police-maintained watch at the entrance of the courthouse amidst a tangle of barriers. Across the street in the plaza, a small group of demonstrators held signs that said “LOSER” and “convict Trump already.” The signs were painted by hand. This is the only criminal prosecution he is facing that is certain to go to trial prior to the election on November 5, even though some legal experts view it as the least significant of the four.
Although a guilty decision could hinder Trump’s chances, according to Reuters/Ipsos polls, he could still be able to hold office if found guilty. The businessman-turned-politician, who presided over the country from 2017 to 2021, has mobilized his followers by claiming that his political rivals are out to get him.
Due to Trump’s criticism of witnesses, judges, and the families of people engaged in the numerous legal issues over the last year, Merchan as well as two other judges have placed limited gag orders on him. Trump has attempted in vain to have Merchan resign in this instance, claiming that he has a conflict of interest due to the judge’s daughter’s employment with Democratic politicians.
A brief overview of Trump’s hush-money trial
The first day of the jury selection process for Donald Trump’s first trial on charges ended on Monday. The former president will have a very different criminal trial in New York than the two separate civil trials he has been in recent months.
The 77-year-old Mr. Trump is accused of 34 counts of a scam pertaining to hush money payments provided by porn artist Stormy Daniels prior to the 2016 election. He entered a not guilty plea, claiming the charges against him are not serious. During the eight-week trial, the Republican front-runner for president may sometimes be sidelined by the Manhattan case.
What is the main point of it?
In the run-up to the year 2016, election, which Mr. Trump won, Ms. Daniels claims that she had a sexual relationship with him in 2006—a claim he disputes—and that she gave him cash to keep quiet about it. The main focus of the trial is the money that Mr. Trump paid back to Michael Cohen, his former personal attorney and “fixer.”
Cohen,57, asserts that Ms. Daniels was instructed to give him $130,000 (£104,000) in return for her silence on her alleged relationship with Mr. Trump. This is an effort of “unlawfully influence” the election of 2016, according to the prosecution.
Payments of hush money are not prohibited. However, the Manhattan Region Attorney’s Department claims that Mr. Trump broke the law when he mislabeled the funds, he used to reimburse Cohen as legal fees. He is charged with 34 counts of first-degree business record fabrication.
Is Trump going to be there?
The Republican front-runner for the 2024 presidential nomination, Mr. Trump, has pledged to spend his days in court and his nights campaigning. He has to be in court, according to the law.
On May 17, the day his son graduates from high school, Mr. Trump hopes to avoid going to trial. The judge stated that he will make a decision closer to the event.
That is not the way Mr. Trump has operated in the past. At his two just ended legal cases, the former president occasionally appeared and frequently came and went from the courtroom as he wanted. The former president won’t have the same freedom in this trial either, as he is an accused criminal.
Experts informed that Mr. Trump will need to be there for his criminal trial each day. A warrant for his arrest may be issued if he doesn’t. According to specialists, the judge may choose to allow Mr. Trump to miss a crucial meeting or other event because the court has some limited authority to authorize absences.
However, as Neama Rahmani, a previous federal attorney & president of the West Coast Trial Lawyers, pointed out, failing to show up at a jury trial can be expensive. He stated, “People dislike jury duty, and it’s a surefire way to get condemned if they see that the other side in the case doesn’t respect their time and doesn’t care.”
The former president is currently the presumed Republican nominee after thoroughly defeating the opposition in the Republican primary. From now, all he has to worry about is the November general election.
However, a trial that could last six to eight weeks will be a diversion for him and hinder his efforts to launch his presidential challenge against Joe Biden. Additionally, it will divert desperately needed campaign cash from supporting his legal case.
How will the trial be conducted?
With more than 16 years of experience on the bench, Manhattan Court of Appeals Justice Juan Merchan presided over a tax fraud trial involving the Trump Organization this past year. However, his most prominent case as a judge will be the first criminal prosecution of a past US president.
Earlier, Mr. Trump said that the magistrate judge “hates” him, so he ought to resign; however, Justice Merchan disagreed. A group of solicitors have been engaged by the former president to represent him in several cases. A group led by Todd Blanche and Susan Necheles is here to represent him.
Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan District Attorney who was the first to indict Mr. Trump has gathered eight seasoned attorneys to handle the prosecution. Prosecutors have informed the court that they will require at least 15 to 17 days to present their case, and that number could increase if the parties are unable to reach a consensus on specific terms.
Mr. Cohen is anticipated to be the star witness for the prosecution. He’ll probably be subjected to a tough cross-examination over his turbulent history.
Meanwhile, the former president will contend that the accusations are “politically motivated” and “meritless”. He has made statements regarding the several trials he is facing, but he hasn’t offered any proof for them.
The court will not convene on Wednesdays or on April 29 in accordance with Justice Merchan’s regulations. In addition, some members of Mr. Trump’s legal staff will be observing the Jewish festival of the Passover feast, that may cause the trial to adjourn.
How will the jury selection process operate?
Jury duty in felonies in New York calls for 12 members, plus up to 6 alternates. When the trial begins, potential jurors will be asked a variety of questions, such as where they obtain their news and whether or not they ever went to a Trump rally. They are being questioned about whether they have ever read a book by Mr. Trump or listened to any audio by Mr. Cohen.
According to Mr. Rahmani, jury selection could take up the majority of the trial due to “everyone knows who Donald Trump is.” Regarding him, everyone has an opinion. Mr. Rahmani stated, “People aren’t entering the courtroom empty-handed.”
To select a fair jury, prosecutors as well as the defense team can evaluate up to 500 candidates. But Justice Merchan has the authority to set a time restriction for questioning. Additionally, each side may only pose ten challenges without giving an explanation.
Is television going to cover the trial?
While it did temporarily allow audio coverage during the epidemic, New York is one of just three jurisdictions nationwide that outlaws almost all visual and audio media during legal proceedings.
Judges have the option to allow cameras into their chambers, and on most days, we were able to see snippets of Mr. Trump’s civil fraud trial. However, Justice Merchan did not seem to change his mind as this trial got underway and has refused to allow cameras in his courthouse during preliminary hearings.
This implies that, in spite of the great public interest, very few members of the media and the public will be present inside the Manhattan courtroom to witness Mr. Trump’s trial. For the rest of us, the scene will likely be colored in by Mr. Trump’s internet remarks, media accounts, and sketch art.
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