Donald Trump has denounced a criminal case brought against him by a Democratic New York prosecutor as an “assault on America,” as he became the first ex-U.S. President on Monday, April 15th, to stand criminal trial. The case is just one of many court cases initiated by the Democrats, who are fearful of a Trump victory over current President Joe Biden in the November elections.
“This is political persecution, this is a persecution like never before, nobody has ever seen anything like it and again it’s a case that should have never been brought, it’s an assault on America,” Donald Trump said as he appeared in a New York courthouse on Monday.
Trump was charged last year by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg with 34 counts of business fraud for allegedly falsifying records to hide the reimbursement of hush money payments made to pornographic actress Stormy Daniels. According to prosecutors, Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen paid Daniels $130,000 in 2016—during the presidential campaign— to quiet her claims of an alleged extramarital affair she had with Trump in 2006. The Trump organisation allegedly reimbursed Cohen and fraudulently logged the payments as legal expenses.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges and has called this case, alongside all the others he is involved with, a witch hunt. As we previously reported, the former president is facing a myriad of court cases, launched by his political opponents, but the ‘hush money affair’ could be the only one that comes to a conclusion before the presidential election on November 5th where Republican Trump will face off against Democrat Biden in a rematch of the 2020 election. Trump’s other three criminal cases—centred around alleged attempts by Trump to overturn the results of the 2020 elections and illegally keeping classified national security information from his time as president in his Florida resort—are facing delays.
The trial is expected to last through May, and under New York law, Trump is required to be in the courtroom throughout court proceedings. If convicted, he would be able to appeal and would not be barred from continuing to run, or even being elected president. Legal experts believe it is unlikely Trump would face a long prison sentence. While the cases brought against Trump have only incited his supporters to stand even more firmly behind him, a conviction could have a negative effect on his campaign.
“Lawyers have been scouring the civil and criminal codes for any basis to sue or prosecute Trump before the upcoming 2024 election. … They’ve charged him with everything short of ripping a label off a mattress,” the conservative daily New York Post said in a commentary.
Trump and his allies have accused Democrats of trying to undermine his presidential campaign as he leads Biden in opinion polls. Trump has unsuccessfully sought to force the presiding judge, Juan Merchan, to step aside, arguing that he faces a conflict of interest because the judge’s daughter has worked for Democratic Party politicians. These attempts were dismissed.
“This isn’t the pursuit of justice, it’s a political persecution that is tearing our country apart,” Vivek Ramaswamy, former presidential candidate in the Republican race tweeted.
