Hush money for porn star
Trump despairs: Judge again rejects postponement of trial
April 11, 2024, 9:56 a.m
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Donald Trump actually wants to concentrate entirely on his presidential campaign in the coming months. The numerous proceedings against him are disturbing. His lawyers therefore want to postpone the trial surrounding the hush money payment to an ex-porn actress – and fail repeatedly.
For the third time this week, an appeals court has rejected Donald Trump’s request to delay the criminal trial, which is scheduled to start on April 15, against the former US president in connection with hush money payments to a porn star. According to consistent US media reports, Judge Ellen Gesmer rejected the application on Wednesday (local time).
The criminal trial against Trump is the first against a former US president. He is scheduled to begin jury selection next Monday in New York. Trump’s lawyers had already failed this week with two further requests that were aimed at delaying the start of the trial.
The New York Times wrote that the latest motion “underscores Trump’s increasingly desperate attempts to delay the process.” Specifically, his lawyers tried to delay the trial in order to gain time for the final examination of a lawsuit against the responsible judge, Juan Merchan. The Republican’s lawyers argue that the judge is biased because his adult daughter also worked as a consultant for Democrats.
The 77-year-old Trump, who wants to be re-elected to the White House for the Republicans in November, is accused in the hush money proceedings of, among other things, falsifying business documents. The background to the case is that in 2016, shortly before his election as president, Trump had $130,000 in hush money paid to the porn actress Stormy Daniels, real name: Stephanie Clifford. 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 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. Trump has pleaded not guilty.