Former president Donald Trump He is expected to appear in court on Monday The hush money case in New York against him.
The referee was Juan Merchan adjourned the trial, was originally scheduled to start on Monday, at least until mid-April. The adjournment came after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who filed a hush-hush case against the former president, said. supports a 30-day delay in testing In response to a request for an adjournment to review documents that federal prosecutors have begun to turn over in connection with the trial of longtime Trump lawyer Michael Cohen.
Brag’s office warned Merchan against further adjournment of the trialHe said that it should continue on April 15 because it is less than 300 170,000 documents Documents turned over by federal prosecutors are potentially relevant to Trump’s criminal defense.
Trump’s lawyers have pointed the finger at the district attorney’s office for failing to obtain the records sooner and have asked Merchand to drop the charges. The DA’s office assessed the arguments of Trump’s lawyer as a “red herring”.
Merchan scheduled Monday’s hearing after Trump’s attorney filed a motion to produce documents in the case, and said he would set a new trial date “if necessary” after ruling on the motion.
Bragg alleged that Trump fraudulently altered business records related to hush money payments he signed. Cohen claimed that Trump ordered him to pay the adult movie star $130,000 Stormy Daniels On the eve of the 2016 presidential elections. Daniels claims he was Relationship with Trump in 2006After his marriage to Melania Trump.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to allegations of silence and continues to deny having sex with Daniels. But the former president admitted paying Cohen, who is expected to be a key witness in the trial.
Merchan last week He rejected Trump’s request Barring Cohen and Daniels from testifying in the case. Trump’s lawyers, who filed a lawsuit last month, argued that Cohen and Daniels should not testify because they are “liars.”
In 2018, Cohen pleaded guiltyo multiple criminal charges, including making secret payments to women who claimed to have ties to Trump, making false claims to Congress about the then-president’s business ties to Russia, and failing to report millions of dollars in income.
Monday’s hush money hearing coincides with Trump’s deadline to pay more than $450 million in bond in the New York civil fraud case against him. Trump appealed this decision and promised to challenge it “Up to the US Supreme Court if necessary.”
Adam Reiss, Dareh Gregorian, Tom Winter, Lisa Rubin and Cat Corrigan contributed.