Former President Donald Trump’s lawyer said Tuesday that he will attend an expected scheduling hearing in New York on Thursday in the hush money case against him.
“President Trump will appear in court in New York on Thursday,” Steve Sadow, one of Trump’s lawyers, said in a statement.
Sadow is representing Trump in an election interference case in Fulton County, Georgia, and made the statement after being asked whether Trump would attend Thursday’s key hearing in the Georgia case.
Thursday’s hearing by New York Judge Juan Merca, who will also hear Trump’s motions to recuse himself from the case, is likely to constitute the first felony trial against the former president. Last year, the judge decided that the trial would begin on March 25 that date seemed in the air because of the charges Trump faces in the federal election meddling case.
In New York, Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to hush money paid to adult film star Stormi Daniels during his 2016 presidential bid. He pleaded not guilty to the announced charge.
Thursday is also a crucial day for one of Trump’s criminal cases. A judge in the Fulton County election meddling case will hear allegations of wrongdoing brought by Trump and one of his co-defendants against District Attorney Fannie Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade.
This was stated by Judge Scott McAfee at the court hearing held on Monday it’s “possible” Willis could be disqualified from trying the case if he finds that Willis has benefited financially from their relationship. Willis admitted earlier this month that the two had a personal relationshipbut denied that their relationship was improper.
“District Attorney Willis has no financial conflict of interest that constitutes a legal basis for disqualification,” his office said. “District Attorney Willis has no personal conflict of interest that would justify disqualifying him or the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office.”
Dareh Gregorian contributed.