Hush money trial begins
Trump is making history – in the dock
April 15, 2024, 7:30 a.m
Listen to article
This audio version was artificially generated. More info | Send feedback
After many failed attempts to further delay the trial, Donald Trump will stand trial in New York. He is the first former US president to be charged with a crime.
As of today, Donald Trump is the first former US president in the history of the United States to be in the dock at a criminal trial. The highly anticipated trial is set to begin with jury selection in a New York court. The 77-year-old is accused of, among other things, falsifying business documents in connection with hush money payments to a porn star. Trump has pleaded not guilty.
According to the court, the process could take up to eight weeks. If convicted, Trump could face a prison sentence of several years, which could also be suspended.
The background to the case is that Trump had $130,000 in hush money paid to porn actress Stormy Daniels in 2016, 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 inherently 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.
Delaying tactics fail
The lawyers of the Republican, who wants to be re-elected US President in November, had until recently tried to avert, postpone or delay the proceedings. The trial was actually scheduled to begin on March 25, but Judge Juan Merchan granted a postponement requested by the defense and prosecution in order to allow new evidence to be examined. However, Merchan had rejected further postponements.
Three more criminal trials against Trump are currently being prepared in the USA, including for attempted election fraud and taking secret government documents. There are also numerous civil lawsuits. The ex-president and his legal team are trying to block or delay the proceedings by all means and have already been partially successful in doing so.
The hush money trial involves less serious allegations than the other cases, but experts say it is the trial that could possibly be completed first. Trump denies all allegations against him and says he sees himself as a victim of a politically motivated justice system.