A New York judge has denied former President Donald Trump’s request to delay his trial on charges related to hush money paid to Stormy Daniels.
Trump had sought to postpone the trial until the U.S. Supreme Court reviews his claim to presidential immunity in a separate case.
However, the judge ruled that the request was untimely and that Trump’s lawyers had ample opportunities to raise the immunity issue earlier.
The trial in question pertains to a “hush money” payment made by Trump’s attorney to adult film star Stormy Daniels just before the 2016 presidential election.
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The payment was allegedly made to prevent Daniels from publicly discussing her alleged affair with Trump. The former president is facing 34 felony counts of falsification of business records, as the payments were reimbursed to his attorney.
Trump has consistently maintained his innocence and pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Trump’s legal team has argued that he is immune from prosecution for conduct that occurred during his tenure in office. They contend that some of the evidence and alleged acts in the hush money case overlap with his time in the White House and therefore constitute official acts.
This claim of presidential immunity is crucial to Trump’s defense strategy, as it could potentially shield him from criminal prosecution.
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The trial was scheduled to begin on April 15, but Trump’s legal team sought a delay until the Supreme Court rules on his claim of presidential immunity.
In a separate development, Judge Merchan recently expanded a gag order against Trump. This order prohibits the former president from making inflammatory comments about the judge’s family members, following personal attacks from Trump.
While the order still allows Trump to criticize the judge and the Manhattan district attorney, it explicitly prohibits him from targeting the family members of lawyers or court staff involved in the case.
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