Staff Reports
Former President Donald Trump is set to return to New York for a hearing in his criminal hush money case, which has transitioned from being perceived as the weakest of four indictments he faces to potentially being the first to head to trial next month. Trump was indicted in late March 2023 over an alleged "catch-and-kill" scheme during the 2016 presidential campaign, where he purportedly created false business records to conceal an alleged affair with porn star Stormy Daniels.
Let's be clear: this indictment is viewed by many as a weak attempt by liberal prosecutors to thwart the aspirations of Donald J. Trump. Justice Juan Merchan, presiding over the case, will determine whether to proceed with the scheduled March 25 trial start, delay the trial, or dismiss the case altogether as he considers five key arguments presented by Trump's defense team.
New: Alvin Bragg's case against Donald Trump is full of weaknesses, from the statute of limitations to the weak evidence of criminal intent.
Here are the top five weaknesses in the hush money case, via @KaelanDC https://t.co/a06r3fLkbJ— Sarah Bedford (@sarahcbedford) February 15, 2024
Many argue that this case is a waste of time and taxpayer money, as judges seldom sentence first-time offenders to prison for felony falsification of business records. Some legal observers perceive it as a politically motivated move, with Trump's attorneys accusing Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg of resurrecting a "zombie case" to hinder Trump's potential presidential bid in 2024, especially considering Bragg's predecessor, Cyrus Vance Jr., declined to pursue similar charges.
The indictment alleges that Trump falsified business records to unlawfully influence the 2016 election by orchestrating payments totaling $130,000 to silence potentially damaging claims. Trump's lawyers plan to challenge the delay in filing charges, arguing that the Manhattan District Attorney's Office waited over six years after Daniels made her allegations public. They also contest the connection between the hush money payments and federal election laws, suggesting these falsifications would only constitute a misdemeanor under New York law.
Trump's defense team asserts that he is being selectively prosecuted, branding the indictment as "extraordinary and unprecedented." Trump himself has vocally criticized prosecutors, denouncing the cases as politically motivated attempts to thwart his potential return to the White House in 2025.
Ultimately, many view this case as a sham. While Trump is expected to attend the Manhattan court hearing, it's unlikely he will speak out of turn due to the criminal nature of the case. Nonetheless, he has previously condemned the indictments as partisan attacks orchestrated by Democratic prosecutors and President Joe Biden.
