A New York judge on Thursday dismissed Donald Trump's plea to have criminal charges linked to hush money payments made to a porn star thrown out, thus marking the potential commencement of the inaugural criminal trial involving a former US president.
Justice Juan Merchan scheduled the trial to commence on March 25, adding another layer to the four criminal litigations Trump faces as he vies for the Republican nomination to contest Democratic President Joe Biden in the upcoming November 5 US election.
Trump, aged 77, had petitioned Merchan to dismiss the 34-count indictment, which accuses him of falsifying business records to conceal a $130,000 payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.
However, Merchan swiftly denied Trump's request, affirming the trial's March 25 start date within a mere 10 minutes. Before the hearing, Trump reiterated his assertions that the case is politically motivated.
"They wouldn't have brought this except for the fact - no way - except for the fact that I'm running for president and doing well," Trump expressed outside the courtroom in a hallway.
The trial is slated to commence before the three other criminal cases confronting Trump. By that time, Trump could have effectively secured the Republican nomination, having triumphed in the initial four state nominating contests and maintaining a substantial lead over his sole competitor, Nikki Haley, according to opinion polls.
Trump has leveraged his frequent court appearances to aid fundraising for his presidential campaign, although the efficacy of this strategy appears to be waning following the substantial returns garnered during his initial appearances last year.
Trump, represented by his lawyers, has pleaded not guilty to the charges brought forth by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat.
Outside the courthouse, a small group of protesters brandished signs denouncing Trump while chanting "No dictators in the U.S.A."
Trump's political and legal calendars are increasingly converging as he anticipates a rematch with Biden, who ousted him in the 2020 election.
In a separate court session on Thursday, Trump's legal team will request a Georgia judge to disqualify prosecutor Fani Willis, who charged Trump and several allies with offenses related to their attempts to overturn his 2020 election defeat in the state. Willis admitted to engaging in a romantic relationship with a lawyer on her team.
Trump also faces federal charges in Washington for his endeavors to overturn his election loss and in Florida for his handling of classified documents. In all cases, Trump has pleaded not guilty.
During a contentious exchange, Trump's attorney Todd Blanche urged Merchan to reconsider the March 25 trial date, citing scheduling conflicts with other cases.
"It is completely election interference to say that you are going to sit in this courtroom in Manhattan when there's no reason for it," Blanche argued.
"He's not going to be at more than one criminal trial at the same time," Merchan retorted. "Stop interrupting me, please."
The Manhattan case revolves around former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen's $130,000 payment to Daniels - also known as Stephanie Clifford - to prevent her from publicly discussing a sexual encounter she alleges occurred with Trump a decade earlier, just before the 2016 election. Trump has refuted this claim.
Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to contravening federal campaign finance laws.
Prosecutors assert that Trump's family real estate firm in New York documented Trump's 2017 reimbursements to Cohen as legal expenses, violating state laws against falsifying business records to obscure another offense.
According to prosecutors, Trump attempted to conceal breaches of federal campaign finance laws as well as infractions of state laws prohibiting the promotion of a candidacy through illicit means.
Trump's attorneys argue that he has been singled out for "selective prosecution." Bragg's office contends that anyone else engaging in similar conduct would face prosecution, citing Cohen's guilty plea.
Furthermore, Trump's legal team contends that state prosecutors cannot utilize Trump's purported concealment of federal election law violations to justify the charges of falsifying records. They also argue that the state law does not encompass federal elections.
Bragg's office, however, asserts that the law against falsifying business records is not limited to cases involving state-level crimes and that it applies to both federal and state elections.
