- When Donald Trump’s hush money case opens on Monday, he will become the first former president to go on trial on criminal charges.
- Mr. Trump is trying to juggle his presidential campaign while defending himself against accusations related to his plan to clear up allegations of marital infidelity.
- He is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, a crime punishable by up to four years in prison.
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump will make history as the first former president to stand trial on criminal charges as his hush money trial begins Monday and jury selection begins.
The incident has left the would-be Republican presidential nominee on numerous campaigns and Manhattan courtrooms to protect himself from accusations related to a plot to bury allegations of marital infidelity that arose during his first White House campaign in 2016. You will be forced to balance sitting for weeks.
President Trump rejects hush money trial delay request for third time
The case could be the only one of four criminal cases against Trump that could reach a verdict before voters decide in November whether to send him back to the White House. Therefore, it could have significant political implications.
Here’s what you need to know about the hush money scandal and the accusations against Trump.
What is this case about?
The former president announced that he was part of a plan to bury harmful articles that he feared could negatively impact his 2016 campaign, especially after Trump’s reputation for comments about women at the time had been tarnished. He is accused of falsifying the organization’s internal records.
The allegations involve two women, porn actor Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougall, who have claimed to have had extramarital sexual relations with Trump several years ago, as well as a child whom Trump claims The focus is on the payoff to a Trump Tower doorman who claimed to have heard stories about. Trump was an extramarital man. President Trump has maintained that none of these alleged sexual encounters occurred.
Former President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York on March 25, 2024. Trump’s hush money case begins with jury selection, making him the first former president to go to trial on criminal charges. The incident has left the would-be Republican presidential nominee on a campaign trail and in a Manhattan courtroom trying to protect himself from accusations related to a plot to bury allegations of marital infidelity that arose during his first White House campaign in 2016. You will be forced to balance sitting for weeks. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Mr. Trump’s former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen paid Mr. Daniels $130,000 and arranged for the publisher of the supermarket tabloid National Enquirer to pay Mr. McDougal $150,000. This practice was a journalistically questionable practice known as “catch and kill,” in which publications paid for exclusive rights. Someone’s story that is not intended to be published as a favor to a celebrity or to gain influence over that person.
Prosecutors allege that Mr. Trump’s company reimbursed Mr. Cohen and paid him bonuses and additional fees, all of which were incorrectly recorded in Trump Organization records as legal costs. Mr. Cohen separately pleaded guilty to violating federal campaign finance laws in connection with the payments.
What are the charges?
Trump has been charged with 34 felonies for falsifying business records. The charge carries a maximum penalty of four years in prison, but it will ultimately be up to the judge whether he spends time in prison if convicted.
This count relates to a series of checks written to Cohen to reimburse him for his role in payments to Daniels. These payments, made over a 12-month period, were recorded as legal costs in various internal company records.
To prevail on the felony charge, prosecutors must prove that Trump not only falsified or made false entries in business records, but that he did so with intent to commit or conceal a second crime. Must be. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office said President Trump was trying to cover up violations of federal campaign finance laws, but some experts say the unusual legal strategy could backfire. claims.
How does jury selection work?
The process of selecting 12 jurors and six alternates is a process in which Judge Juan M. Machan brings a large number of people to the courtroom, including those who cannot serve on the jury due to implicit bias or other reasons. It starts with eliminating the. The judge said anyone who raised their hand to indicate they were unable to perform their duties or to act fairly and impartially would be excused before calling the group remaining in the jury box to answer 42 questions. Potential jurors can only be identified by their numbers, as the judge has ordered their names to be kept secret from everyone except prosecutors, Trump and his defense team.
Among the questions potential jurors will be asked are whether they follow the former president on social media, have worked for a Trump organization, or have attended a Trump rally or anti-Trump organization or rally. Questions include whether the potential juror is a supporter or supporter of President Trump. Far-right groups such as the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, who were part of the pro-Trump mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, or members of the far-left-leaning group known as Antifa, opposed to fascists and neo-Nazis; Especially in the demo.
Who is expected to testify?
Cohen, a Trump supporter turned critic, is expected to be a key prosecution witness because he is the man behind the payoff. Before testifying before the grand jury that indicted him last year, Mr. Cohen said his goal was to “tell the truth” and insisted he was not seeking revenge, but Mr. Trump said he was “not seeking revenge.” They need to be held accountable for their dirty deeds.” Mr. Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to federal charges, including campaign finance violations, for arranging payments to Mr. Daniels and Mr. McDougal, and served time in prison.
Other expected witnesses include Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford. Daniels claims that she had a sexual relationship with President Trump in 2006 and that she did not want him to, but did not refuse. President Trump insists that never happened.
What will Trump’s defense be like?
President Trump has denied any wrongdoing and accused the lawsuit of being an attempt to harm his 2024 presidential campaign. President Trump has acknowledged that he reimbursed Cohen for the payments and that they were intended to prevent Daniels from going public about the alleged meeting. But President Trump said in 2018 that it had nothing to do with the campaign.
Mr. Trump’s lawyers are likely to attack the case in an attempt to undermine the credibility of prosecution witnesses like Mr. Cohen and Mr. Daniels. President Trump called them liars and said he was testing the limits of a judge-imposed gag order. He is trying to rein in the president’s inflammatory statements about the incident. Trump’s lawyers are expected to try to convince jurors they can’t trust Cohen by portraying him as a fraud and pointing to his multiple federal criminal convictions and disqualifications.
President Trump recently posted a photo on social media of a 2018 statement in which Daniels denied having a sexual relationship. Shortly thereafter, Daniels recanted that statement and said there had been sexual contact. She said her disavowal was due to her non-disclosure agreement and that she signed her statement because the parties involved “made me feel like I had no choice.”
What about Trump’s other lawsuits?
Mr. Trump’s other three criminal cases are mired in legal battles and appeals, and jurors may not hear them before the November election.
The 2020 election interference case brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith remains on hold as President Trump pursues his claim that he will not be prosecuted for actions he committed while in the White House. The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments on the issue in late April.
Another lawsuit filed by Mr. Smith accuses Mr. Trump of illegally storing classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago mansion. The trial was scheduled to begin in May, but the judge heard arguments last month to set a new trial date and has not yet set one.
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No trial date has been set in the Georgia case, where Trump and his allies are accused of conspiring to overturn the state’s 2020 election loss. Prosecutors have suggested an August trial date, but the defense team is now telling the Court of Appeals that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is accused of having a romantic relationship with a former top prosecutor who recently withdrew from the case. They are requesting that prosecutors consider whether they should be stripped of their legal rights. .
President Trump has maintained his innocence in all three cases and says he did nothing wrong.
