Donald Trump hush money case: New York judge denies request to dismiss charges
Former US president Donald Trump arrives at the Manhattan Supreme Court for the Stormy Daniels hush money case.
Donald Trump is set to be the first former president to stand trial for a criminal case. Despite being a leading GOP presidential nominee, the former US President faces numerous criminal cases.
On February 15, he left for the Manhattan Supreme Court in New York, where Judge Juan Merchan stood his ground with the previously scheduled date for the trial, March 25. The Stormy Daniels hush money trial is expected to last six weeks.
About the Donald Trump hush money case
Trump has been accused of falsifying business records as a means to cover up the hush money payment to adult movie star Stormy Daniels aka Stephanie Clifford. Reportedly, Trump's then-lawyer, Michael Cohen, facilitated the exchange before the 2016 election, demanding Daniels' silence about her sexual rendezvous with the presidential nominee.
Clifford was allegedly entangled in an affair with Trump, about which she decided to stay mum in exchange for $130,000.
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Judge Juan Merchan has refuted Trump's request to dismiss these charges. The ex-president's lawyer, Todd Blance, claimed to have “been put in an impossible position”. Judge Merchan fired back at the legal representative for interrupting him.
Blance's argument referenced a conflict in the schedule as another trial was listed for early March in Washington, D.C (now put on hold). This particular trial addresses Trump's interference in the 2020 presidential election results against Joe Biden's win.
Holding his ground, the NY judge stuck with the same trial date. He added: " I made clear this was a date certain, you proceeded at your own peril.
In March 2023, the jury decided to indict Trump in the hush-money case. He was charged with 34 felony counts for falsifying business records. However, Trump has pleaded not guilty and denied these claims altogether. He maintains his stance and believes this case to be an “election interference”. Trump expressed these terse beliefs before the hearing.
His attempts to delay the trial's commencement to keep up with his campaign run ultimately bit the dust. Trump chose to appear in New York instead of attending another previously scheduled hearing in Georgia for the same day.
