In New York, the first groundbreaking decision was made in criminal proceedings against Donald Trump over alleged hush payments.
Updated as of February 15, 6:25 pm: Donald Trump is again upset about the criminal investigation in New York, now describing the allegations as “Biden's election meddling.” “Because he hasn't accomplished anything, that's the only way he can get elected,” he was quoted as saying. CNN Republican from the courthouse in Manhattan. Moments later, the former president found himself on his smartphone as he made similar comments on his Truth social platform.
“I left the courthouse in Manhattan. Biden's DOJ people [Justizministerium, Anm. d. Red.] The case is under control. No crime, almost all legal scholars say so,” Trump wrote in his post.
Trump's legal team wants a jury to examine his political views
Updated as of February 15, 5:04 pm: The trial against Donald Trump is now about jury selection. As the ex-president's legal team is clamoring CNN– Information that political views of the jury should be checked. “This case should not be about politics,” Assistant District Attorney Josh Steinglass said. Trump defense attorney Todd Blanche responded: “What we all do [von den Geschworenen] Want to know: Do you like Donald Trump?” Steinglass responded: “We're not interested in whether someone likes or dislikes President Trump.”
Updated as of February 15, 4:10 pm: Donald Trump's next court date has been set. Judge Juan Mercon set March 25, 2024 as the trial date for the former president in New York. He will then face an indictment that charges him with 34 counts, including concealing criminal offenses and falsifying business documents. This was reported by the news channel CNN From New York.
In the presence of Donald Trump, his legal team failed in an attempt to postpone the trial in New York. Before the trial began, Trump pleaded not guilty to reporters. The former president himself described the allegations as an attempt to harm him in the US election campaign. His attorney, Todd Blanch, called the date a “gross injustice” and “unconstitutional.”
Donald Trump has threatened a historic ruling
Report from February 15: NEW YORK – Former US President Donald Trump will attend a hearing on Thursday (Feb 15, local time) to set a trial schedule in the New York hush money case against him. This was announced by his lawyer on Tuesday. “President Trump will appear in court in New York on Thursday,” Steve Sado said in a statement.
The hearing, presided over by Judge Juan Mercant, will also address Trump's requests to dismiss the case. A judge ruled last year that the trial will begin on March 25, though that date is pending because of charges against Trump in a federal election interference case.
Trump accused of paying former porn star
In New York, Trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection with payments he made to former porn star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential bid. He pleaded guilty to the charge.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg last year accused Trump of falsifying internal records of his company, the Trump Organization. This was done with the intention of concealing the true nature of the payments to her then-lawyer Michael Cohen, who helped cover up stories of extramarital sex.
The case included payments to porn star Stormy Daniels, former Playboy model Karen McDougal and Trump Tower bouncer Dino Sajudin. Trump has repeatedly claimed that he was not sexually assaulted.
Trump indicted: 34 counts of falsifying business documents
In total, Trump has been accused of falsifying 34 business documents. The charge is a Class E felony in New York, the state's lowest-level felony. It is punishable by up to four years in prison, but there is no guarantee that a conviction will lead to a prison sentence.
Since this is a state process, Trump cannot pardon himself if he becomes president again. The chances of this are not so bad. Trump has a clear lead in the polls for the 2024 US Republican primaries.
However, presidential pardons only apply to federal crimes. The payments to Daniels and McDougal violated federal restrictions on campaign contributions from corporations and individuals, prosecutors said, and helped “hide damaging information from the voting public.”
What does the New York impeachment mean for Trump?
The indictment, filed in New York on March 30, 2023, made the Republican the first former US president to face criminal charges. As a result, Trump was indicted in Georgia and Washington DC for conspiring to defeat his election, and in Florida for hoarding classified documents.
Despite the damage to Trump's reputation and the massive public backlash, the New York case is the most dangerous of Trump's four. Although a criminal conviction would give him another historic title as the first former president to be convicted of a crime, Trump is unlikely to receive a lengthy prison sentence.
In Georgia, Donald Trump has been threatened with prison
New York court records and newspaper archives show that criminals charged with falsifying business records are rarely sentenced to prison for that crime. Often this charge is related to serious crimes such as grand larceny.
By contrast, the most serious charges in Trump's election cases in Washington, DC and Georgia carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. In Florida more than 30 counts of willfully withholding classified information carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
e. $83.3 million to Donald Trump in the Jean Carroll case
Trump was recently fined heavily. Essayist E. The 77-year-old was awarded $83.3 million (76.7 million euros) in the Jean Carroll defamation trial.
A jury in a civil trial in New York awarded Carroll substantially more than the ten million dollars the author had originally sought for “defamatory statements.”
Donald Trump sued in New York for fraud
Another ruling is pending in New York. New York Attorney General Letitia James sued Trump and his eponymous family business, the Trump Organization, for fraud in September 2022. Democrats' allegation: The company's value was allegedly manipulated from 2011 to 2021. And Trump allegedly inflated his assets to get cheaper credit. James owes nearly $370 million.
According to a survey conducted by a news portal The Daily Beast However, these penalties could increase to more than $500 million due to failures. James is also calling for a freeze on Trump's business in New York: He wants the former president to get a lifetime ban from the East Coast metropolis' real estate market. (skr)
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