One of worst presidents in this nationโs history is making history again: Trump is now the first former leader to undergo a criminal trial.
Suggested Reading
On Monday, the jury selection for his highly anticipated hush money trial began. He is currently facing four criminal indictments as well as a civil lawsuit.
Could this be the trial of the century? Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, is one of the caseโs most prominent figures. Bragg has charged Trump with 34 felonies, accusing him of falsifying documents to hide a sex scandal involving porn star Stormy Daniels. Due to the nature of the case, salacious details of Trumpโs personal life will be revealed.
The trialโs biggest players also consist of former publisher of The National Enquirer David Pecker, former editor of The National Enquirer Dylan Howard, former Playboy model Karen McDougal (who alleged she had an affair with Trump), Danielsโ attorney Keith Davidson and former Trump spokesperson Hope Hicks, who is believed to have information about the hush money payment.
According to Hon. Juan M. Merchan, one of the biggest challenges will be finding jury members who can be impartial during the proceedings. โThe ultimate issue is whether the prospective jurors can assure us that they will set aside any personal feelings or biases and render a decision that is based on the evidence and the law,โ Merchan stated in a filing from April 8.
Of course, Trump pleaded not guilty to all 34 counts of falsifying records to keep details of his sexual escapades from coming out during his 2016 election campaign. This trial in particular focuses on $130,000 in payments that Trumpโs company made to his former lawyer Michael Cohen.
Prosecutors believe the money that was given to Cohen was falsely identified as legal fees to cover up what it was really for. However, Trumpโs attorneys insist that the cash was indeed for legal fees โ not part of some elaborate cover-up.
If Trump is found guilty, he could receive up to four years in prison. There is also the possibility that he receives a no-jail time sentence as well. Trumpโs legal team tried their best to get the hush money case dismissed as well as delay it, with several last-minute appeals court hearing occurring last week.
Trumpโs legacy includes mishandling COVID-19, being impeached twice, insisting that the 2020 election was stolen and inciting the Jan. 6 2021 attack on the Capitol. Somehow, he remains the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination โ which shouldnโt even be a reality for the disgraced mogul.
Straight From
Sign up for our free daily newsletter.