Other process can continue
Trump gets a month out of hush money trial
March 15, 2024, 11:32 p.m
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There are two decisions on Friday in the various proceedings against former President Donald Trump: In the trial over hush money payments to a porn actress, the Republican’s team is given more time. On the other hand, the trial in the state of Georgia can continue after a long blockage.
The Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump has gained time in the New York trial over an alleged hush money payment to a porn actress. Judge Juan Merchan decided on Friday to postpone the start of the main trial, which was originally scheduled for March 25, by 30 days. Trump’s lawyers had asked for 90 days and pointed to tens of thousands of pages of new documents released by the Manhattan district attorney’s office in March.
The postponement is likely to be seen as a victory for Trump. There are several cases underway against the Republican, in which he rejects all allegations without exception. Critics accuse him of wanting to delay it until after the election at the beginning of November. A Reuters/Ipsos poll in February found a quarter of Republicans and half of independents would not vote for Trump if a jury found him guilty. In polls, he is effectively tied with the Democratic incumbent Joe Biden.
In the current case, a grand jury indicted Trump for falsifying business records related to a hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. His former lawyer Michael Cohen paid Stormy Daniels $130,000 for her silence about a sexual encounter with Trump. According to her account, this is said to have taken place in 2006. Trump has denied having a sexual encounter with Daniels but acknowledged reimbursing Cohen for his payment to her.
Prosecutor is allowed to stay
In another trial, however, Trump’s legal team failed with an application. The court case in the US state of Georgia is about an alleged attempt to manipulate the election. After a three-month debate, the judge decided on Friday that the responsible prosecutor, Fani Willis, could continue to be part of the proceedings despite having an affair with a subordinate. To do this, however, the subordinate must resign. He did this in an open letter that evening, in which he called the step “in the interest of democracy.”
Trump’s lawyers were disappointed. They had argued that the romance represented a conflict of interest. This was rejected by Judge Scott McAfee. The dispute effectively brought the proceedings to a standstill. Trump is accused in Georgia of trying to pressure state officials to overturn his 2020 election defeat in the state.