The hush money trial against Trump is scheduled to start in March as planned
Donald Trump during the hearing in Manhattan criminal court. photo
© Brendan McDermid/POOL Reuters/AP/dpa
Donald Trump wants to run again in the US presidential election in November. But first he has an important date in March: the first criminal trial against an ex-US president.
The trial of the former US president Donald Trump’s hush money payments to a porn star are set to begin as planned next month. A jury will be selected starting March 25, Judge Juan Merchan confirmed at a hearing in a New York court, according to consistent US media reports. The date had already been scheduled last year.
It would be the first criminal trial against a former president in US history. Three further criminal trials are in preparation and civil trials are also ongoing.
Trump, who was present in the courtroom at the hearing, had previously described the start date as “very unfair” and an undue interference in the election. However, Judge Merchan rejected a request from Trump’s lawyers to dismiss the proceedings. Merchan said he estimated the process would take about six weeks.
“I’ll be here during the day and campaigning at night”
The US presidential election, in which Trump would like to run again as the Republican candidate, will take place in November. “I’ll be here during the day and campaigning at night,” Trump announced after the hearing, again criticizing the proceedings as a coordinated attack on his person.
The 77-year-old is charged with 34 counts in the proceedings: The public prosecutor’s office is accusing him of falsifying business documents. He wanted to hide harmful information and illegal activities before and after the 2016 presidential election in order to improve his chances in the vote.
The background to the case is primarily that Trump had $130,000 in hush money paid to the porn actress Stormy Daniels shortly before his election as president. She had claimed that she had had sex with him. Trump denies an affair, but does not deny that money was flowed. Non-disclosure agreements between two parties are not in themselves illegal. However, Trump is accused of illegally recording the payments, trying to conceal them illegally and thereby trying to cover up other violations of the law. The ex-president has pleaded not guilty.