In New York, the criminal cases against Donald Trump are facing delays, raising the possibility that the American public might not learn the outcome of these cases until well into the presidential election season. The delays are due to various reasons across different cases, including a pause in the Washington, D.C., election interference case as the Supreme Court reviews Trump’s immunity claims. Similarly, the trial in Florida concerning classified documents and the election subversion trial in Georgia are experiencing postponements, with no schedule set for the latter.
The New York hush-money criminal trial, initially expected to proceed promptly, is now in a state of uncertainty, with its start delayed until at least mid-April. This delay stems from a significant amount of evidence, previously part of a 2018 federal investigation, being introduced at the last minute. Trump’s legal team has voiced concerns over this late evidence submission, leading to a request for a 90-day delay to review the material, although they are open to a 30-day delay. A hearing was set for March 25 to address these issues, coinciding with what was supposed to be the start of jury selection.
The hush-money case revolves around allegations that Trump orchestrated payments to silence potentially damaging stories about his personal life during his 2016 presidential campaign. Trump is accused of falsifying records within his company to conceal the nature of payments made to his then-lawyer, Michael Cohen, who paid porn actor Stormy Daniels $130,000. Trump has denied the allegations, pleading not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, while his lawyers argue the payments were legitimate legal expenses.
Trump’s legal team has requested delays in the trial, citing an overwhelming amount of late-arriving evidence from a separate federal probe into Cohen, which concluded years ago. They argue that they need more time to review the roughly 119,000 pages of documents, including bank records and witness statements. The defense claims some of this evidence could be favorable to Trump, although prosecutors deem most of it irrelevant.
The delay in obtaining these records has been attributed to various factors, including accusations against the Manhattan District Attorney’s office of attempting to gain an unfair advantage by withholding evidence. However, the D.A.’s office has countered, stating that Trump’s lawyers delayed subpoenaing the necessary documents from the U.S. attorney’s office.
The federal investigation into Cohen covered various issues, including tax matters related to his taxi business and potential illegal profiteering from his association with Trump. Cohen ultimately pleaded guilty to federal campaign finance violations and other charges, but federal prosecutors did not directly accuse Trump of a crime.
As for the next steps in the New York case, a hearing on March 25 will explore the implications of the delays in evidence sharing. Trump’s lawyers have also suggested postponing the trial until the Supreme Court rules on Trump’s immunity claims, which could potentially affect the evidence used in the hush-money case.
Trump’s strategy of seeking delays in his trials appears to be working, with no immediate trial dates set for his federal prosecutions in Florida and Washington, D.C., nor for his Georgia election interference case. These delays could potentially allow Trump to avoid trial before the election, with the added possibility of influencing the federal cases if he were to become president again. However, presidential pardons would not apply to the state charges in the hush-money or Georgia cases.
As the situation unfolds, Trump’s legal team continues to navigate the complexities of these cases, with the judge in the hush-money case assuring that Trump will not face simultaneous trials.