The first criminal trial against a president (in office or after completing their term) begins in New York. Donald Trump confirmed through social networks and a press conference at Mar-a-Lago his presence before the court who will judge him for the Stormy Daniels case at the request of the progressive district attorney Alvin Bragg after all his defense resources to postpone or suspend the procedure have failed. The magnate once again insisted that "there is no case" against him and denounced that it is an "electoral interference" in which "the henchmen of corrupt Joe Biden are 'rigging the System' against his political opponent, ME!"
Soros Prosecutor Alvin Bragg Leads Case Against Trump
And, to make the case even more special, in addition to his status as former president, Trump is also the Republican candidate in pectore (in the absence of the official nomination, he has more than enough delegates to guarantee it) for the next elections. Since the announcement, in November 2022, that he would fight again to occupy the Oval Office have not ceased attempts to put him on the bench of those accused in criminal, civil and business cases at the hands of progressive prosecutors and the approval - even the blessing - of the White House.
Manhattan District Attorney Bragg, one of those backed by George Soros, was the first to formally charge the former president with more than 30 charges. A movement that caused discomfort in the highest democratic circles who consider that he was hasty by launching a milder case in the face of accusations of electoral interference or retention of classified documentation that the Department of Justice was preparing and for which Merrick Garland had appointed a fully trusted special prosecutor, Jack Smith. However, and after the maneuvers of Trump and his team, it would not be surprising if this was the only case of these characteristics that the candidate would have to face before the elections, giving a 180-degree turn to its importance for the interests of Biden and members of the Blue Party.
The only criminal case against Trump before the election?
While the rest of cases are in limbo until the Supreme Court rules on "presidential immunity" put forward by Trump - the first hearing is scheduled for April 25 - the judge Juan Merchan has rejected the numerous attempts by the former president's legal team to cancel or postpone the appointment. In fact, the defense has called for his dismissal, accusing him of being biased and claiming that he must step aside since his daughter worked for the Democratic Party, which creates a conflict of interest.
Beyond the criticism of the magnate and numerous Republicans that it is an instrumentalization of Justice to stop Trump before the elections, either by avoiding their participation or by damaging their image and accounts as much as possible, what is being judged from today is the alleged payment to the Former porn actress Stormy Daniels to buy her silence for an alleged extramarital affair with the conservative candidate in 2016, something he has always denied. The former actress denounced that the former president's then-lawyer Michael Cohen paid her $130,000 that was later reimbursed by the magnate, something that he also rejects.
The prosecutor requests up to 136 years for the former president
In Bragg's view, Trump broke the law by falsifying business records to conceal his attempt to silence Stormy Daniels with money. The Manhattan district attorney presented more than thirty charges for which he requests up to 136 years in prison for the former president :
During the election, TRUMP and others employed a ‘catch and kill’ scheme to identify, purchase, and bury negative information about him and boost his electoral prospects. TRUMP then went to great lengths to hide this conduct, causing dozens of false entries in business records to conceal criminal activity, including attempts to violate state and federal election laws.
The main protagonist of the case, in addition to the accused, is his former collaborator and now sworn enemy Michael Cohen. The former lawyer and main witness promised in an interview with Politico that there will be surprises during the trial. However, his situation is complex and his testimony is a double-edged sword for the prosecution. Cohen claimed to have committed perjury while under oath to deny that Trump had asked him to pay Stormy or return the money. However, numerous evidence, such as a letter, confirms its initial version against the current twist. In fact, the lack of credibility of the "serial liar" - as Trump calls him - is one of the defense's main assets.
