A New York court just announced his trial in the hush payment case against an adult film actress will begin on March 25, so it would mark the first time a former president would face the real possibility of being tried.
Trump reiterated to reporters his presumption of innocence and that he committed no crime.
Judge Juan Merchán reported Thursday that everything is moving forward in the case filed by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, centered on how he bought Stormy Daniels’ silence during his 2016 campaign.
Merchan denied the former president’s motion to dismiss the case brought against him and instead announced that jury selection in the trial will begin on March 25.
Perhaps Trump would have a significant amount of delegates out of the 1,215 he needs at the Republican National Convention to be held from July 15 to 18 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and to achieve the presidential candidacy.
Trump has another key hearing on Thursday: in Georgia, the District Attorney of Fulton County, Fani Willis, will testify in response to the accusations that he and one of his co-defendants made against her.
The co-defendant is former Trump campaign and White House aide Michael Roman, who is represented by attorney Ashleigh Merchant.
Willis admitted that he has a personal relationship with prosecutor Nathan Wade, but insists that no wrongdoing occurred.
The Georgia hearing could have major implications for Trump after the judge overseeing the case said Monday that it is “possible” Willis could be disqualified from trying the case.
Willis conducted a wide-ranging investigation that led to the first criminal booking of a former president in U.S. history. Along with Trump, 18 others were indicted in a plot to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia.
The indictment detailed dozens of acts by Trump and his allies to undo his defeat in the battleground state and the charges relate to how they instigated maneuvers to stay in power.
The defendants refused to accept that Trump lost, and knowingly and willingly joined in the conspiracy to illegally change the election tallies in the mogul’s favor.
The eventual disqualification of Willis for this “affair” would undoubtedly give Trump, who seeks to overturn the case against him, a victory.
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