Lawyers play for time
Trump’s trial doesn’t start until next year
4/4/2023 11:38 p.m
Donald Trump’s lawyers will have plenty of time to prepare the trial against their client: the next court date is not scheduled for early December, and the trial could start in January. The ex-president, who wants to move back into the White House, would prefer a later appointment.
After the unprecedented indictment against former US President Donald Trump has been read out, further proceedings will take a long time. At the indictment, Trump was scheduled to appear in court again on December 4th. Before that, there is, among other things, the opportunity for the defense attorneys to make applications and time for the prosecutor to react. The process could then begin in early 2024.
The lawyers asked that Trump did not have to appear in person on December 4, citing the expensive and complex security measures as the reason. “It was undoubtedly a huge undertaking for everyone involved,” said the responsible judge Juan Merchan, but rejected the request for the time being. Trump will be treated like any other defendant.
Prosecutors suggested January 2024 as a possible start date for Trump’s trial, but the defense has argued for a later date – in late spring 2024. The judge said it was prudent to proceed as soon as possible.
Candidates will be selected in February
In the processes before the start of a process, Trump’s defense attorneys could still try to prevent it and cause it to burst. The next presidential election in the USA is scheduled for November 2024. Trump announced several months ago that he was running as his party’s presidential candidate. To do this, he must assert himself in the party’s internal primaries, which are expected to begin in February 2024.
The affair revolves around a hush money payment of $ 130,000 (around 120,000 euros) to porn actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election. According to the prosecutor, there were also two other cases of hush money payments. Manhattan Chief Attorney Alvin Bragg said Trump forged business documents “to hide harmful information and illegal activity from American voters before and after the 2016 election.”
In the courtroom, Trump pleaded not guilty to all 34 charges. One of his lawyers immediately rejected the allegations against his client. “There are no facts in it,” Todd Blanche told the press outside the New York court. He accused the prosecutor of political motives. “And it’s really disappointing. It’s sad and we’re going to fight it,” Blanche continued. It’s not a good day. Regarding Trump’s state of mind, he said: “He’s frustrated, he’s upset, but I’ll tell you what, he’s motivated.”