By Aaron Miller-
New York: President Donald Trump(pictured) faces the first criminal trial involving a former sitting president on criminal charges, a she stands accused of attempting to interfere with the 2016 presidential election.
The trial, unfolding at the 100 Centre Street courthouse in Downtown Manhattan, has drawn attention from across the nation, as prosecutors aim to hold a former commander-in-chief accountable for his actions.
The charges against Trump stem from allegations that he orchestrated hush-money payments to conceal extramarital affairs from the American public in the lead-up to the 2016 election.
Specifically, prosecutors assert that Trump directed his attorney, Michael Cohen, to pay $130,000 to adult film star Stephanie Clifford, known as Stormy Daniels, in exchange for her silence regarding their affair.
Additionally, Trump is accused of participating in a “catch and kill” scheme with the National Enquirer to suppress another affair story involving Playboy model Karen McDougal.
Central to the prosecution’s case are 34 counts of falsifying business records, as Trump allegedly repaid Cohen for the hush-money payments but falsely categorized them as legal fees.
Prosecutors argue that this violated campaign finance laws by concealing crucial information from voters.
Former President Donald Trump arrives at Manhattan criminal court with his legal team on Monday, 15 April 2024 (AP)
On his way to court, a post on the former president’s truth social read: ‘Attorney General Merrick Garland, Head of Crooked Joe Biden’s Department of “Justice,” in a highly inappropriate, unseemly, and unethical Interview with Fake News CNN, corruptly said that he wants to “speed up” the Witch Hunt against me in Washington, D.C. IF HE WANTED TO RESOLVE THAT HOAX SO QUICKLY, WHY DID GARLAND AND HIS UNDERLINGS WAIT 3 YEARS TO BRING THE SHAM “CASE”? ‘Everyone knows the answer—It is because they know that I did nothing wrong (I also have Full Immunity, because I was investigating the Rigged and Stolen 2020 Presidential Election, which was my duty as President), and are desperately trying to save Crooked Joe by interfering in the 2024 Presidential Election. Make America Great Again!
Speaking as he arrived at the Manhattan court, Trump said: “Nothing like this has ever happened before. It should never been brought.
“It’s an assault on America. An assault on our country. A country that’s failing.
“It’s an attack on a political opponent, that’s all it is. So I’m very proud to be here.”
Trump faces two other criminal trials accusing him of trying to subvert his 2020 election loss to Mr Biden, and another that accuses him of mishandling classified information after he left the White House in 2021.
He has continued to campaign for a second term in office as part of the 2024 presidential race while topping polls, hoping to beat incumbent President Joe Biden and return to the White House.
Alvin Bragg, has already started trying to frame the case as a matter of election interference, casting the hush-money payments and efforts to hide them as part of a scheme to conceal information from voters ahead of the 2016 election.
When Bragg first filed the charges, the biggest issue in the case was whether the crimes amounted to a felony.
In New York, falsification of business records is a misdemeanoor, but can be charged as a felony when it is done with the intent to commit another crime.
Bragg has said Trump falsified the business records with the intent to violate federal and New York state election.
The timing of these alleged actions is significant, coinciding with the release of the infamous Access Hollywood tape in which Trump made derogatory remarks about women.
Judge Juan Merchan is now considering instructions for the jury and said he would ask the jury two questions.
One is whether jurors unable to serve because of conflicts, and then secondly, asking if they do not believe they can serve in an impartial way.
Merchan said this is “already by far the most exhaustive questionnaire this court has ever used” and said he will not make additional changes.
Capitol Riot
Other trials engulfing the former president includes his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, his handling of classified documents, and alleged election interference in Georgia – are in various stages of delay, and it is unlikely that a verdict in any of them will come before the election.
A decision in the New York criminal case is expected by summer this year.
At the same time, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments later this month on whether Trump enjoys blanket immunity for his actions as president, and what it decides could have ramifications for the presidency.
The district attorney says he is seeking to include evidence about Trump’s Access Hollywood tape.
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass asked to include campaign emails in response to the story about damage control, saying the emails are “powerful evidence” of the campaign’s reaction to the incendiary reaction to the video.
Steinglass says that they understand not playing the Access Hollywood video to the jury because it would be prejudicial. But he wants to include exhibits, including the transcript of Trump’s E. Jean Carroll deposition where he’s asked about the tape, to ensure that jurors understand “what that tape was about and why it had such a dramatic impact on the campaign.”
Trump attorney Todd Blanche says that reading the words from the tape in an email or in Trump’s deposition is effectively the same thing as not playing the tape itself.