Judge Juan Merchan ruled Wednesday that former president Donald Trump’s hush money trial will not be delayed because the current GOP frontrunner for the nomination waited too long to make the request.
The ruling means that barring unforeseen developments, the first criminal trial against Trump will commence on April 15.
Trump argued that the judge should wait until the Supreme Court decides on an immunity case:
Unlike his other three criminal indictments, Trump had not argued he was immune from his 34 charges in the hush money case, which stems from payments made before he was president.
But the former president in recent weeks began insisting that some of prosecutors’ desired trial evidence would be precluded if the Supreme Court agrees with his immunity claims in another case. Trump had hoped to delay the trial until after the Supreme Court decides his immunity case on merits; oral arguments are scheduled for April 25.
The judge slapped him down, writing:
“Defendant’s motion is DENIED in its entirety as untimely. The Court declines to consider whether the doctrine of presidential immunity precludes the introduction of evidence of purported official presidential acts in a criminal proceeding.”
Trump loses again. Judge Merchan has denied his motion to dismiss the hush money/election interference prosecution in Manhattan based on presidential immunity. pic.twitter.com/CRU14LCvmo
— Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) April 3, 2024
Trump has been vociferously arguing that Merchan should recuse himself because his daughter is a Democrat political operative. In response, the judge slapped him with gag orders:
See:
Judge's Daughter Linked to Democrats Raising 93 Million, as Trump Trial Recusal Calls Intensify
Trump Gets Gagged Even Harder by Ridiculous NY Judge After Controversial Attacks
Recusal Redux: Trump's Lawyers Renew Effort to Remove Judge in Hush Money Case Before Trial
Trump writes, “I just was informed that another corrupt New York Judge, Juan Merchan, GAGGED me so that I can not talk about the corruption and conflicts taking place in his courtroom with respect to a case that everyone, including the D.A., felt should never have been brought.… pic.twitter.com/uwyGLj8ExY
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) April 2, 2024
This ruling will likely be portrayed by most of the media as a “blow” to Trump’s presidential campaign—but is it really? His poll numbers have risen steadily since the many legal actions against him by state and federal prosecutors ramped up, and he currently leads incumbent Joe Biden in six out of seven swing states.
This trial is almost certainly to be a clown show, with lowbrow personalities like Stormy Daniels and former Trump fixer but now frothing-at-the-mouth Never Trumper Michael Cohen in the news again (thankfully, Michael Avenatti's behind bars), and it’s unlikely that anybody other than the folks at MSNBC will care very much about the revelations that might come out of the proceedings. Trump may or may not have had an affair, he paid her off—this is of national importance? Oh, the left will scream that he put the world in peril with these hush money payments and "endangered democracy," but most voters already know that Trump isn’t perfect, and this trial is unlikely to move that needle.
If anything, it may just cause Trump’s poll numbers to rise even more as viewers witness what will likely be another show trial along the lines of New York Attorney General Letitia James’ ridiculous real estate fraud case, where an obviously biased Judge Arthur Engoron fined the former president $445 million (although an appeals court later lowered the required bond for Trump to appeal to $175 million) even though there were no victims to the "crime." It will remind folks of the duplicitous J6 Committee, as well as the outrageous $83.3 million fine Trump got hit with in the E. Jean Carroll travesty.
Over the last several years, we have seen our justice system run amok, and for now, at least, it looks like later this April we’re going to see more insanity. I’m betting more and more Americans are waking up to what’s happening, and this Alvin Bragg crusade may just further cement that trend.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify that the bond required for Trump to appeal the verdict in the New York civil fraud trial was lowered by an appeals court, not the actual fine itself.
More justice system gone mad:
AP Admits It: No Other Case in NY History Like Crusading Prosecutor Letitia James' Pursuit of Trump
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