Former President Donald Trump is attending a high-stakes court hearing in Manhattan on Monday, less than three weeks until his scheduled inauguration. criminal trial —This will be the first such procedure in U.S. history.
The trial in the case was originally scheduled to begin on Monday. The case centers on what Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said were false business records related to “hush money” payments to adult film stars.The plan is Derailed in early March When new materials related to the case are turned over to both sides by the Department of Justice.Mr Trump is pleaded not guilty To the crime.
A grim-looking President Trump entered the courtroom Monday morning, calling prosecutors a “witch hunt” and a “hoax.”
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His defense has accused Bragg's office of deliberately inadequate efforts to obtain the documents and is seeking either a lengthy trial (up to three months) or a full dismissal. There is. Prosecutors requested the documents last year, but the Justice Department initially refused, but said it changed its mind in response to a subpoena from the defense.
The Justice Department declined to comment on the matter.
More than 100,000 pages of documents submitted in early March related to, among other things, bank records and related emails related to the Justice Department investigation. michael coen, Trump's former “fixer” and lawyer, according to court filings. Cohen is guilty plea to tax evasion He testified in a federal case in 2018 and is now a key witness against Trump in a New York state case.
During Monday's hearing, Judge Juan Melchan ordered the lawyers to discuss “material factual issues” related to prosecutors' efforts to obtain relevant documents to provide them to Trump's lawyers. (a process known as pretrial discovery).
In the order, Marchan set a trial date for April 15, but added that “the court will set a new trial date, if necessary, upon ruling on the defendant's motion after the hearing.”
