Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg pleads not guilty to all charges against Trump
Opening arguments in former President Trump’s historic and unprecedented criminal trial are set to begin Monday morning, and the judge is also expected to rule on several motions that could make the trial more difficult for the former president.
The full jury of 12, plus six alternate jurors, was selected and sworn in Friday after four days of jury selection.
Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the trial, ordered jurors on Friday not to discuss or research anything related to the former president’s case over the weekend or while serving on the panel.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s team and Trump’s defense attorneys will present opening arguments, Merchan said.
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Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, was charged by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. There are allegations of hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges. He blasted the trial as pure politics, a “political purge” and maintained his innocence. The former president, and the first person to be a defendant in a criminal trial, has vowed to “tell the truth” if he takes the stand.
Trump’s attorney, Will Scharf, told US Newzs Channel on Sunday that the case never needed to be brought and that the facts were on his client’s side.
“While the prosecution and the media are hell-bent on sensationalizing this case, we’re focusing on the facts because the facts show that President Trump has done nothing wrong,” Scharf said. “This is a business records case, and those business records accurately reflect payments as legal retainer fees to one of President Trump’s lawyers. Additionally, those records were not filed by President Trump. He’s busy running the country from the White House. It’s happening in Trump Tower in New York.”
The former president was subject to a gag order placed on him by Marchan last month before the trial began. Merchan ordered that Trump not order others to make public statements regarding the potential participation of witnesses or about an attorney in the case — other than Bragg — or court staff, DA staff or staff family members.
Merchan also ordered that Trump not order others to make public statements about prospective jurors or jury selection. But on Saturday, he let loose with an all-caps rant on his social media platform.
“This scam “rushed” trial taking on a 95% Democrat area, which may have been brought on 8 years ago, but ever so socially, is a planned and coordinated witch hunt,” Trump wrote. “They waited instead for my presidential campaign against the worst and most incompetent president ever and brought it on. This is so wrong Udge in judicial history, who should be fired from this sham I did nothing wrong!”
Bragg argued in the first week of the trial that Trump had violated his gag order seven times and was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine. Bragg, in his motion, asked the judge to warn the former president that another violation would be punishable by up to 30 days in jail.
Trump and his defense attorneys argued that the former president and Republican presidential nominee should not comply with the gag order and said it would violate his First Amendment rights as well as the First Amendment rights of his supporters.
A judge is expected to rule on whether Trump violated the order as early as next week.
Also on Monday, Merchan said he will decide what evidence Bragg’s team can use to “discredit” the former president if he testifies in his defense.
Bragg, in a filing last week, said he intends to use the alleged “misconduct and criminal acts” before impeaching Trump.
But Trump has never been found guilty.
Bragg’s office said it plans to refer to information from New York Attorney General Letitia James’ case against the former president and from New York Judge Arthur Engoron’s decision after a months-long non-jury civil fraud trial against Trump and his family.
Engoron ruled that Trump was liable for fraud and “falsifying business records,” “issuing false financial statements,” “conspiracy to falsify financial statements,” “insurance fraud” and “conspiracy to commit insurance fraud.”
Trump had to post a $175 million reduced judgment bond as he appealed the ruling.
That trial was held without a jury. Trump’s defense attorneys on Friday objected to cross-examining the former president in connection with the James case and contested Engoran’s ruling because the Appellate Division decided to put the ruling on hold during an appeal.
But prosecutor Matthew Colangelo said the findings from Engoran showed “persistent and repeated fraud and illegality.” Although the Appellate Division paused the ruling, Colangelo said it said nothing about the merits of the case.
At the same time, Bragg’s office is also e-mailing Trump. Jean Carroll intends to use information from the defamation case and more.
Trump’s defense attorneys said Friday that every piece of “evidence” Bragg’s team intends to use is “just a distraction.”
Trump said he would testify in his defense at trial, telling reporters last week: “I’m telling the truth.”
Merchan said he would reserve his decision on what information prosecutors will cross-examine the president with until Monday morning.