Judge delays Trump trial until mid-April

NEW YORK >> A New York judge Friday delayed Donald Trump's criminal trial in Manhattan until at least mid-April, postponing the only one of Trump's four criminal cases that appeared set to begin.

The delay — lasting 30 days from the judge's Friday decision — stems from the recent disclosure of more than 100,000 pages of records that may have some bearing on the case. Citing the records, Trump's lawyers sought a 90-day delay of the trial, while the Manhattan prosecutors that brought the case proposed a postponement of up to 30 days.

The prosecutors from the Manhattan district attorney's office, who accused the former president of covering up a sex scandal during and after his 2016 campaign, had said the extra time would allow Trump's lawyers to review the records that recently emerged.

Trump, who recently clinched the Republican presidential nomination for the third time, was initially set to go on trial March 25. Now, the judge in the case, Juan Merchan, will hold a hearing that day to determine whether the trial should be delayed further, and if so, for how long.

“There are significant questions of fact which this court must resolve,” Merchan wrote, indicating that he wanted to clarify why it took so long for the records to emerge. Merchan said he would “set the new trial date, if necessary,” after that hearing.

In a three-page letter order, he directed both sides to produce a “detailed timeline of the events” leading up to the recent disclosure of the records. He also sought their correspondence with the federal prosecutors who recently turned over the records, including letters, subpoenas, emails, notes and messages.