Trump criminal trial set for primary season
New York judge says the hush money case will begin in March.
NEW YORK — Donald Trump threw his hands up in frustration Tuesday as a judge scheduled his criminal trial for March 25, 2024, which will put the former president and current presidential candidate in a Manhattan courtroom in the heat of the primary season.
Trump, appearing by videoconference at a pretrial hearing in the hush money case,gloweredatthecamera as Judge Juan Manuel Merchan, an acting justice of New York state’s Supreme Court, advised him to cancel all other obligations for the duration of the trial, which could last several weeks.
Trump, wearing a blue suit against a backdrop of American flags at his Florida estate, then turned to a lawyer by his side — their brief discussion inaudible on the video feed — before sitting with his arms folded for the remainder of the hearing.
Trump had pleaded not guilty last month to 34 felony counts of falsifying records for his family company, the Trump Organization.
He has made the New York case and the long list of other investigations he faces central to his campaign to reclaim the White House, portraying himself as the victim of a coordinated effort to hurt his chances.
Trump often discusses the cases at his rallies and in other speeches, and has repeatedly attacked prosecutors and judges by name.
At Tuesday’s hearing, Merchan reviewed an order barring Trump from publicly disseminating certain evidence turned over by prosecutors.
Trump was spared a personal appearance at the courthouse this time, avoiding the mammoth security and logistical challenges for his arraignment last month. Instead, the Republican’s face was beamed onto courtroom TV monitors.
Trump is allowed to speak publicly about the case,accordingtoMerchan’s order, but risks being held in contempt if he targets witnesses or others in the case using evidence that prosecutors turned over in the pretrial discovery process.
Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to payments his company made to his former lawyer Michael Cohen. Prosecutors say the payments were intended to reimburse and compensate Cohen for orchestrating hush money payments during the 2016 presidential campaign to bury allegations of extramarital sexual encounters. Trump denies having had extramarital flings and says the prosecution is politically motivated.
Merchan’s order bars Trump and his lawyers from disseminating evidence to third parties or posting it to social media, and requires that certain sensitive material shared by prosecutors be kept only by Trump’s lawyers, not Trump himself.
Prosecutors sought the order shortly after Trump was arrested, citing what they called his history of making “harassing, embarrassing, and threatening statements” about people he’s tangled with in legal disputes.
The judge, noting Trump’s “special” status as a former president and current candidate, has made clear that the protective order shouldn’t be construed as a gag order and that Trump has a right to publicly defend himself.
Trump’s lawyers are seeking to have his criminal case moved to federal court, but it will continue in state court while that request plays out.