It will be an unprecedented event in US history – The first criminal trial of a former president
It was the kind of cheesy story that the Donald Trump might have enjoyed before politics: a porn star who claimed they had sex. But on the eve of the 2016 presidential election, Trump feared the story, which he says is false, would cost him votes. So, prosecutors say, he arranged to pay Stormy Daniels not to talk.
Now, after years of turmoil before his indictment last year, Trump is set to stand trial on Monday, April 15, 2024, in New York for the very scandal he and his aides tried to cover up.
Barring a last-minute delay, it will be the first of Trump’s four criminal cases to go to trial. It will be an unprecedented event in US history – the first criminal trial of a former president.
It is arguably the least dangerous of the charges facing the former US president. However, it is almost certain to be the most “spicy”, with expected filings of alleged marital infidelity, over payments orchestrated by a former Trump loyalist who is now among the ex-president’s enemies.
Many details of the case have been made public since 2018, when federal prosecutors charged former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen with campaign finance crimes in connection with a scheme to “bury” not only Daniels’ allegations, but other potentially damaging stories from the “playboy” past… Trump.
Despite the fact that the case was initially dismissed by the authorities, the prosecutor Alvin Bragg asked for a review of the case. The grand jury was convened in January 2023. It heard from Cohen, now an outspoken critic of his former boss, and other witnesses, including the former editor of the National Enquirer tabloid. The grand jury voted to indict on March 30, 2023.
The charges are felonies punishable by up to four years in prison, although there is no guarantee that a conviction will result in a prison sentence. Trump denies the allegations, saying prosecutors are the ones engaging in “election meddling” and a “witch hunt.” He has pleaded not guilty.
Before paying Daniels, according to prosecutors, Cohen arranged for the National Enquirer to pay $150,000 to former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who claimed she had a months-long affair with Trump. The tabloid also paid $30,000 to a Trump Tower janitor who claimed he had a story about a child Trump fathered out of wedlock.
Source :Skai
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