(AFP) – Donald Trump arrived in court in New York on Monday seeking to further delay his criminal trial for paying hush money to a porn star and separately facing the possible seizure of his storied properties for business fraud.
The 77-year-old Republican presidential candidate began his day of twin legal crises in a Manhattan courtroom at a hearing to set a new date for his trial over payments he made on the eve of the 2016 presidential election to make sure porn star Stormy Daniels did not publicize a sexual encounter.
“This is a witch hunt,” Trump told reporters before walking into court.
The hush money trial had been scheduled to begin on Monday but was delayed at the last minute because tens of thousands of pages of potential evidence were belatedly produced by prosecutors.
The Manhattan district attorney has told Judge Juan Merchan he would accept a delay of up to 30 days for the start of the trial while lawyers for Trump have asked for at least three months.
In the separate civil business fraud case, also in New York, Trump’s attorneys must either prove on Monday that he can guarantee payment of a $454 million fine or face the possible seizure of his buildings or other assets.
Trump lashed out on Monday at Judge Arthur Engoron who imposed the fine after finding Trump and his two adult sons guilty in a non-jury trial.
“There should be no FINE,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “Did nothing wrong! Why should I be forced to sell my ‘babies.'”
– ‘Election interference’ –
On Truth Social, Trump denounced both cases as a politically motivated attack ahead of the November 5 presidential election when he will likely again face incumbent Democrat Joe Biden.
“These are Rigged cases, all coordinated by the White House and DOJ for purposes of Election Interference,” Trump wrote. “No crime. Our Country is CORRUPT!”
Trump regularly rails against a judicial system he says is “fixed” against him.
He has said that New York Attorney General Letitia James — who is Black — is “racist,” and accused Engoron of being a “crooked judge” controlled by Democrats.
Despite Trump’s apparent inability to secure a bond, he bragged online on Friday that due to “hard work, talent, and luck” he had almost $500 million in cash, which he said he had planned to spend on his election campaign against Biden.
The judge, he said, “knew this (and) wanted to take it away from me.”
Trump got some positive financial news last week when it was announced that Truth Social would finally go public through a merger, a transaction that could net him billions of dollars.
He cannot tap into the funds for six months, but it potentially could help him secure a bond.
However, James could still order a freeze on his bank accounts, or move to seize some of his New York properties.
– Seeking more delays –
Trump’s lawyers have pursued every avenue to delay his many trials — if possible until after the presidential vote.
In the trial involving Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, Trump is accused of illegally using campaign funds to secure her silence about an alleged sexual encounter back in 2006.
If she’d spoken out, the fallout could have been ruinous for Trump’s presidential hopes, coming right on the heels of another scandal over the married businessman’s boasting, caught on tape, that as a celebrity he was freely able to “grab” women by their genitals.
Trump is accused of making the hush money payments in an illegal manner involving falsification of business records.
The former president potentially could face a prison sentence of up to four years if convicted. – Maggy Donaldson and Nicolas Revise
© 2024 AFP
