5 things to know ahead of Trump’s hush money trial

The first criminal trial for a US president is scheduled to begin on Monday, with former President Donald Trump on trial for his role in hush-money deals with porn stars ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

President Trump has been trying to delay the start of the first criminal trial for months, launching a series of last-ditch efforts to delay the trial indefinitely, with little success.

Over the next six weeks, Mr. Trump will be removed from the campaign trail and forced to sit in the defense seat in a Manhattan courtroom, where a panel of 12 New Yorkers will decide whether or not he will be a convicted felon by Election Day. You will have to decide whether or not to do so.

High-profile witnesses ranging from Trump’s 2016 campaign aides and Trump Organization executives to once-unknown figures who tried to sell salacious stories about Trump and media executives who helped “capture and kill” President Trump. are scheduled to testify. story.

Here are five things you should know before you start.

2016 hush money payment

The case involves hush money paid by Michael Cohen, Trump’s former fixer, to porn actress Stormy Daniels in order to cover up allegations of sexual contact with then-presidential candidate Trump during the 2016 presidential election. It revolves around. President Trump denies his affair.

Cohen paid Daniels (real name Stephanie Clifford) $130,000 to remain silent. Mr. Trump repaid Mr. Cohen for performance of the contract, and Mr. Trump’s company recorded the reimbursement as legal costs, which the Manhattan district attorney argued was illegal.

However, the story that prosecutors tell at trial does not end there. Instead, they will seek to portray the payment to Daniels as just one part of a broader “catch and kill” plan to quell negative gossip about Trump before the election.

Two other quid pro quos include a $30,000 deal with a Trump Tower doorman who claimed Trump had fathered a child out of wedlock with a building employee, and another who also claimed to have had an extramarital affair with Trump. Former Playboy model Karen McDougall is expected to be paid $150,000. It is widely taken up by the nation.

Mr. Trump denies both men’s vile accusations.

President Trump faces 34 felony charges, possible prison sentence

Mr. Trump is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records stemming from arranging a hush-money deal with Mr. Daniels and then repaying Mr. Cohen. President Trump denies his extramarital affair, but he maintains his innocence.

This number is tied to purported false records, including fake invoices for Mr. Cohen’s legal fees, checks from Mr. Trump repaying Mr. Cohen to Mr. Cohen, and ledger entries in Mr. Trump’s financial records recording the repayments. There is.

In New York, each charge is a Class E felony, the lowest level of felonies under state law.

To prove Trump guilty, prosecutors would need to prove that the former president committed fraud and acted with intent to commit or facilitate another crime. Prosecutors allege in their statement of facts that Trump and other participants in the hush-money scheme violated election laws and falsified business records to evade state tax authorities.

While Trump’s other legal problems have resulted in hefty fines, the Manhattan criminal trial raises the stakes.

Under New York state law, nonviolent Class E felonies carry a maximum sentence of 18 months to 4 years. However, if Trump is convicted in the hush-money case, it would be his first offense and the judge may not impose a prison term or probation on him.

Prominent witnesses close to President Trump testify

Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and top business aides are expected to testify throughout the trial.

Hope Hicks, Trump’s press secretary who is said to have been aware of the hush money payments at the time, is reportedly scheduled to testify. She denies her involvement.

Trump Organization employees also took positions, including Deborah Tarasoff, the accountant who allegedly processed the hush-money refunds and invoices, and Jeffrey McConney, the former administrator who allegedly directed Tarasoff to do so. may be expressed. Mr. McConney was a defendant in Mr. Trump’s civil fraud trial, which recently concluded after a New York judge ordered the defendant to pay $464 million, plus interest, for deceptive business practices.

At least two executives from American Media, the publisher of the National Enquirer, who allegedly participated in the catch-and-kill scheme are also likely to testify. David Pecker, the company’s then-CEO, and Dylan Howard, the company’s then-CEO. AMI Editor-in-Chief.

In addition to Mr. Cohen, the people whose stories were quashed, Mr. Daniels, Mr. McDougall, and Trump Tower doorman Dino Sajudin may also take the stand.

Trump will go to court

New York state law requires Mr. Trump to be present for the entire duration of the trial, which could last more than six weeks.

But even when he is not required to attend, the former president has regularly skipped campaign activities in recent months to appear in court with his lawyers on multiple cases.

Monday marks Trump’s 13th day in court this year, according to a review of his calendar by The Hill.

President Trump has at times made a spectacle out of his proceedings, storming out of court one day and threatening the judge to throw him out of the case another.

The judge in Mr. Trump’s hush money trial can be warned and removed from office if Mr. Trump’s behavior is “too disorderly and disruptive to continue in court.”

Jury selection may take several days

Jury selection is scheduled to begin on Monday, when Trump’s lawyers and state prosecutors begin selecting the 12 New Yorkers who will decide the former president’s fate. This process can take days, if not weeks.

Potential jurors will be randomly selected from a list of registered New York voters, state driver’s license holders, and New York state income tax filers. To serve on the bench, a person must be at least 18 years old, a U.S. citizen, and a resident of Manhattan, where the trial will take place. Jurors must understand English and must not have been convicted of a felony.

Once assembled, Mr. Marchan, the judge, begins by introducing Mr. Trump and his lawyers. The judge will also outline the charges and, after reading a list of potential witnesses, ask everyone if they wish to be excused.

“[I]If you have honest, legal, and good-faith reason to believe that you cannot take this case or be fair and impartial based solely on what you have heard so far, let me know now. please. ”I ask.

The judge signaled that anyone who raised their hand would likely be excused.

The remaining group was then provided with a 42-question survey.

Some of the questions include: Do you listen to talk radio? Have you ever attended a Donald Trump rally or campaign event? Have you considered yourself a supporter of his QAnon movement?

Potential jurors are not asked about their political affiliation or whether they plan to vote for Trump in November. Trump was seeking to gather that information as he faces a trial in the borough, which President Biden won by about 75 percentage points in 2020.

Lawyers may file objections for cause that challenge a juror’s eligibility. Each side will also be given 10 peremptory challenges that they can use to attack the jury without cause.

The group is eventually narrowed down to 12 jurors who will decide the case, and opening statements begin.