Trump goes to court in NY after judge orders criminal trial to start in March
OAN’s James Meyers
8:15 AM – Thursday, February 15, 2024
The judge conducting former President Donald Trump’s New York criminal trial on Thursday denied his plea to have the charges dropped against him and stated that the trial will go on as scheduled in March.
The “defendant’s motions to dismiss have been denied,” Judge Juan Merchan told the Manhattan courtroom, which included Trump sitting at the defense table. “We will move ahead with jury selection on March 25th.”
The 45th president’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, claimed that going on with the trial as scheduled would be a “great injustice” given his other legal battles.
The judge disagreed with the reasoning saying, “You knew about this case,” he told Blanche. Trump’s lawyer said that the date would be “election interference” because of the presidential primaries that month.
The former president faces 34 felony charges in the case, which consists of allegations that he falsified business records to cover up hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election.
This includes funds that stopped Daniels and ex-Playboy model Karen McDougal from going public with stories that Trump had secret affairs with them.
Additionally, Trump faces four criminal cases and it’s the first time any former president has been indicted. The 45th president has pleaded not guilty in all four cases against him and has claimed that they are all part of a “political witch hunt” to deter his 2024 presidential election hopes.
Meanwhile, Merchan had already scheduled the trial date for March 25th but that date ran into problems after another judge scheduled the trial for Trump’s federal election interference case in Washington, D.C., for March 4th. The judge, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan claimed she spoke with Merchan to reschedule the trial date.
However, Merchan never rescheduled the case and now the election interference case is currently being put on hold as the Supreme Court is hearing Trump’s claim that presidential immunity protects him in that particular case.
Thursday’s appearance from Trump will be his first since his arraignment last April.
Trump has been allowed to come and go in the civil cases at his discretion, but he will be required to attend every day of the Manhattan criminal trial in person.
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How are Trump’s legal battles affecting his ability to defend himself in the New York criminal trial?
Focused on his New York criminal trial. The judge’s decision to deny Trump’s plea to have the charges dropped means that the trial will proceed as scheduled in March. Trump’s lawyer argued that going ahead with the trial would be an injustice, considering his other legal battles. However, the judge disagreed, stating that Trump had prior knowledge of the case.
The former president is facing 34 felony charges related to allegations of falsifying business records to conceal hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election. These payments aimed to prevent Daniels and ex-Playboy model Karen McDougal from publicly sharing stories about their alleged affairs with Trump.
It is worth noting that these charges mark the first time a former president has been indicted. Trump has pleaded not guilty in all four cases brought against him and has consistently referred to them as a “political witch hunt” designed to hinder his prospects in the 2024 presidential election.
In addition to the trial in New York, Trump is also scheduled to appear in court for his federal election interference case in Washington, D.C. However, scheduling conflicts arose when another judge set the trial date for March 4th, overlapping with the New York trial. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan has announced that she spoke with Judge Merchan to reschedule the trial, but no new date has been set.
Meanwhile, the election interference case is temporarily on hold as the Supreme Court considers Trump’s claim that presidential immunity protects him in this particular case.
The article concludes by mentioning that Trump’s appearance in court on Thursday will primarily focus on his New York criminal trial. It also includes a tweet from a user expressing their belief that Trump’s case is not a crime but highlights the unbalanced scales of justice outside the Manhattan Courthouse.
Overall, the article provides an overview of the developments in Trump’s legal battles, emphasizing the latest decision by the judge to proceed with the New York criminal trial and the ongoing scheduling issues with the federal election interference case.
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