Former President Trump’s criminal trial is set to begin with opening arguments on Monday. The judge is also expected to rule on several motions that could make the trial more difficult for Trump. The jury of 12, plus six alternates, were selected and sworn in after four days of selection. Trump has been charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments to Stormy Daniels. He has pleaded not guilty and called the trial pure politics and political persecution.
Trump’s defense attorney, Will Scharf, claims the case should never have been brought and that the facts are on Trump’s side. He argues that the case is a business records case and the records reflect payments to Trump’s lawyer as legal fees. Trump maintains his innocence and vows to tell the truth if he takes the stand. Trump is under a gag order prohibiting him from making public statements about witnesses, jurors, or court staff. However, Trump took to social media to criticize the trial and the judge overseeing it.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has argued in court that Trump has violated the gag order several times and is seeking a $1,000 fine. Trump and his defense team argue that the gag order violates his First Amendment rights. The judge is expected to rule on whether Trump violated the order. Bragg also plans to use Trump’s alleged prior misconduct and criminal acts to discredit him if he testifies in his own defense. This includes information from other cases against Trump, despite him never having been convicted of a crime.
Prosecutors intend to refer to information from a civil fraud trial against Trump and his family, where he was found liable for fraud and other charges. Trump’s defense team has objected to this cross-examination related to the civil case. Trump has said he will testify in his defense, stating that he will tell the truth. The judge will make a decision on what information prosecutors can use to cross-examine Trump on Monday. The trial is set to be historic and unprecedented as Trump becomes the first former president to be a defendant in a criminal trial.
Overall, Trump’s trial is expected to be highly contentious, with the former president maintaining his innocence and calling the trial a political persecution. The case involves hush money payments and allegations of falsifying business records. The judge has imposed a gag order on Trump, who has criticized the trial on social media. Prosecutors plan to use information from other cases to discredit Trump, who intends to testify in his own defense. The judge will rule on several key motions that could impact the trial’s outcome.
