Manhattan prosecutors will not face penalties for a document dump that caused a delay in former President Donald Trump’s hush money criminal trial, a judge ruled. The defense had requested sanctions for the late release of nearly 200,000 pages of evidence from a previous federal investigation. The trial, which was originally scheduled to start on March 25, was delayed until April 15 to allow Trump’s lawyers to review the material. While the defense claimed prosecutorial misconduct and requested further delays, the judge denied these motions, stating that Trump had been given a reasonable amount of time to prepare.
After hearing testimony from 22 witnesses, including key witnesses Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels, the first criminal trial of a former president is expected to move to closing arguments next Tuesday, with jury deliberations to follow soon after. Trump’s lawyers had accused the Manhattan District Attorney’s office of failing to pursue evidence from the 2018 federal investigation intentionally, in an attempt to gain an advantage in the case and harm Trump’s election chances. However, the judge stated that there was no obligation for the DA’s office to collect evidence from the federal investigation, and the blame was placed on Trump’s lawyers for waiting until just nine weeks before the trial to subpoena the records.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to charges of falsifying business records related to payments to Cohen, his former lawyer, that were logged as legal fees but were reimbursements for a hush money payment to Daniels. Prosecutors claim that Trump did this to protect his 2016 campaign by covering up allegations of extramarital affairs. Trump’s defense argues that the payments to Cohen were legitimate legal expenses and not cover-up checks. Cohen, who pleaded guilty to federal campaign finance violations in 2018, claimed that Trump directed him to make the payment to Daniels, but Trump was never charged in relation to this incident.
Despite the delays and allegations of misconduct, the judge ruled that Trump did not suffer any prejudice from the document dump, as he had enough time to review and respond to the material. While the Manhattan District Attorney’s office declined to comment on the ruling, Trump’s lawyers have not responded yet. The trial is set to proceed with closing arguments next week, marking a significant moment as the first criminal trial of a former president. With the involvement of key witnesses like Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels, the case continues to garner significant attention and scrutiny.
The trial has been a highly anticipated event, with the former president facing charges related to his involvement in hush money payments made to Stormy Daniels. Despite the twists and turns leading up to the trial, including delays and allegations of misconduct, the judge’s ruling has confirmed that the trial will proceed as planned. Trump’s defense maintains his innocence, while prosecutors argue that he orchestrated the payments to protect his campaign. As the trial moves into its final phase with closing arguments and jury deliberations on the horizon, the outcome of this historic case remains uncertain.
