Last Update April 22, 2024 12:16pm ET
Former President Trump’s hush money payments trial entered its second week on Monday as lawyers on both sides prepared to deliver their opening statements. The court concluded its jury selection process over the course of four days last week.
Trump goes on social media tirade ahead of opening statements in NY vs Trump trial
Donald Trump (Getty Images)
Former President Trump complained about his Manhattan trial on social media as he headed to the courthouse to begin the second week of proceedings Monday.
Trump once again dismissed the NY vs. Trump trial as an attempt to kneecap his 2024 presidential campaign.
“Make no mistake about it, this is a Biden Trial, they all are. It’s all about Election Interference. Sad!” he wrote on Truth Social, following up with several other posts.
“WITCH HUNT!” one said. “ELECTION INTERFERENCE!!” read another.
He went on to complain about the lack of a crowd outside the Manhattan courtroom.
“Unlike at Columbia University where the Radical Left Palestinian Protesters sat on the Front Lawn, practically took over the School, and screamed, “Death to the Jews, Death to Israel, Death to America,” and nothing happened to them, Lower Manhattan surrounding the Courthouse, where I am heading now, is completely CLOSED DOWN. SO UNFAIR!” he wrote.
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26 min(s) ago
NYAG’s bid to invalidate Trump’s $175M bond fails in court
Former President Trump’s $175 million bond judgment stemming from his non-jury civil trial will stand, a New York judge ruled Monday after New York Attorney General Letitia James attempted to invalidate it.
Lawyers for James on Monday argued that the court should void Trump’s slashed judgment of $175 million in his non-jury civil fraud trial. James questioned whether the company that posted the massive bond, Knight Specialty Insurance, could actually pay the bond if needed.
The court, however, ruled against James, deciding that the bond will stand.
The court decided the $175 million needs to be in cash — not in mutual funds or securities where the value can fluctuate. The court said Knight Insurance cannot trade or move the money, but said they will retain control of the account.
The court also ruled that Knight Insurance must provide a monthly financial statement to James showing the $175 million in cash, and decided that the agreement cannot change without approval from the court.
The hearing Monday lasted for approximately an hour.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News’ Brook Singman
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33 min(s) ago
Here’s the evidence prosecutors can present if former president testifies
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg can bring up information from cases brought against former President Trump by New York Attorney General Letitia James and E. Jean Carroll in the cross-examination of the 2024 GOP presumptive nominee should he testify in his own defense, the judge presiding over the trial ruled Monday.
Bragg and prosecutors in the district attorney’s office filed a motion last week saying they intend to use Trump’s alleged “prior misconduct and criminal acts” to discredit him after he testifies in the criminal trial.
Trump has never been convicted of a crime.
Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the criminal trial, decided Monday that Bragg’s officecan bring up information from James’ lawsuit against the former president — including New York Judge Arthur Engoron’s decision that found him liable of fraud.
Trump was required to post a $454 million bond in that case, but an appeals court slashed that judgment in half to $175 million while the former president and his legal team appeal the ruling.
Engoron made the decision after a monthslong, non-jury civil fraud trial.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News’ Brooke Singman
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1 hour(s) ago
Judge Merchan delivers jury instructions in in NY vs. Trump case
Donald Trump (Getty images)
Judge Juan Merchan instructed jurors on how to handle the case as proceedings got underway in former President Trump’s NY criminal case on Monday.
Merchan spoke with the jurors just before prosecutors made their opening statement. He explained the nature of evidence and how it will be presented to the court, and he emphasized that the indictment against Trump is not evidence of guilt.
He told jurors they are not allowed to ask questions, but they are allowed to take notes throughout the trial.
He also went on to instruct the jurors not to discuss the case with anyone, visit any places where the crime was alleged to have been committed, or read about and research the case outside of the courtroom.
Prosecutors are seeking to establish that Trump’s hush money payment to pornography actress Stormy Daniels was in fact a campaign contribution that went unreported. Trump argues the payment was not directly related to his 2016 campaign.
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1 hour(s) ago
Trump claims NY criminal trial is meant to hurt him in November election
Former President Trump blasted President Biden on Monday ahead of opening statements in his New York criminal trial and said he wants the American people to “understand” that his criminal trial is taking place “for the purposes of hurting the opponent of the worst president in the history of our country.”
Trump arrived in court in Manhattan Monday morning before prosecutors for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office and his defense attorneys deliver their opening statements in the trial.
Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has been charged by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. The charges are related to alleged hush money payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to all counts. He has blasted the trial as pure politics, a “political persecution” and maintains his innocence. The former president, and the first ever to be a defendant in a criminal trial, vowed to “tell the truth” if he takes the stand.
“I just want to say before we begin — these are all Biden trials,” Trump said before opening statements were delivered Monday. “This is done as election interference. Everybody knows it.”
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2 hour(s) ago
Trial proceedings to end early due to jury member’s toothache, judge says
Judge Juan Merchan announced that proceedings in former President Trump’s NY vs Trump trial will end early on Monday due to a jury member complaining of a toothache.
The proceedings will now end at 12:30 ET rather than 2 p.m., Merchan said. The juror in question, number 6, told the judge that they have a dentist appointment at 1:20.
Another juror, number 9, expressed concern about media attention surrounding the trial and said they were unsure about continuing to serve. Judge Merchan spoke with the juror a separate room along with lawyers for the prosecution and defense before announcing that the person would remain on the jury.
Jury selection concluded late last week after two confirmed jurors were dismissed. They both expressed concern about being identified by the public via press reports.
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2 hour(s) ago
Trump before opening statements: ‘These are all Biden trials’
Donald Trump (Getty Images)
Former President Trump spoke with the press as he entered the Manhattan courtroom to continue his hush money payments trial on Monday.
Trump once again argued that the case against him is a “witch hunt” put together by President Biden’s administration. Monday marks the beginning of the second week of Trump’s trial, and lawyers for the defense and prosecution will offer their opening statements.
“These are all Biden trials,” Trump said of the four indictments against him.
Trump also reacted to a new effort by New York Attorney General Letitia James to void his $175 million bond payment made in relation to the civil fraud case brought against him earlier this year.
Trump put up the $175 million required in the ruling against him, but James now argues the insurance company involved in the payment may not have enough money to uphold the payment.
Trump argued that the civil fraud case will hurt New York’s economy as well.
“Businesses will be fleeing because people are treated so badly. It’s got to be the most unfriendly place for business, and that’s why businesses are leaving,” he said.
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3 hour(s) ago
Why were two jurors dismissed from Trump’s trial last week?
Two jurors who were initially selected and sworn in on the second day of jury selection in Former President Trump’s trial were excused from their duties late last week.
One female juror, initially known as juror #2, an oncology nurse, said upon returning to court on Thursday that after “sleeping on” the responsibility and giving it further thought, she realized she could no longer be a fair and impartial juror.
She also indicated that her friends and members of her family had guessed her identity as a juror based on media reports, impacting her ability to remain unbiased.
The other juror, initially known as juror #4, a male, was also dismissed Thursday after it was revealed that he had been arrested in Westchester, N.Y., for tearing down right-leaning political posters.
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3 hour(s) ago
Supreme Court prepares to debate Trump immunity claim in election interference case
In what may be the most closely watched case this term at the Supreme Court – involving the highest-profile appellant – former President Donald Trump has offered a sweeping argument for why he should not face trial for alleged election interference.
The high court will hold arguments Thursday morning in what could determine the former president’s personal and political future. As the presumptive GOP nominee to retake the White House, Trump is betting that his constitutional assertions will lead to a legal reprieve from the court’s 6-3 conservative majority – with three of its members appointed to the bench by the defendant himself.
The official question the justices will consider: Whether, and if so, to what extent does a former president enjoy presidential immunity from criminal prosecution for conduct alleged to involve official acts during his tenure in office?
This is new territory for the Supreme Court and the nation. No current or former president has ever been criminally indicted.
The stakes could not be higher – both for the immediate election prospects, and the long-term effect on the presidency itself and the rule of law. But it will be the second time this term the high court will hear a case directly involving the former president.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News’ Shannon Bream and Bill Mears
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4 hour(s) ago
What did Judge Juan Merchan say regarding Trump being in court no matter what?
Donald Trump (Getty Images)
Judge Juan Merchan has said former President Trump must attend every day of his criminal trial in New York City. If he does not attend, he could be arrested.
Merchan, who is presiding over the historic and unprecedented criminal trial stemming from charges brought against Trump by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, has said court will take place Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Court will not convene on Wednesdays.
Trump attorneys argued that the former president should be granted an exemption on April 25 – a Thursday – the same day the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on presidential immunity in relation to charges brought against him by Special Counsel Jack Smith after his months-long investigation into election interference.
Trump pleaded not guilty to those charges. The high court has agreed to expedite the appeal. A decision on the matter is expected by mid-June.
But Merchan rejected Trump’s request.
“Arguing before the Supreme Court is a big deal, and I can certainly appreciate why your client would want to be there, but a trial in New York Supreme Court … is also a big deal,” Merchan said during the first week of the trial. “I will see him here next week.”
Trump also requested to miss court on May 17, the day his youngest son, Barron, graduates from high school.
Merchan has not yet made a decision on whether Trump can go to his son’s graduation next month, and said he needs to see how the trial will play out.
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4 hour(s) ago
Michael Avenatti defends Trump as ‘victim’ in hush money case, says he’s being targete
Michael Avenatti, the one-time “most dangerous enemy” of Donald Trump who liberals hoped would bring down his presidency, thinks the hush money case against him in New York is flawed, politically motivated and part of a wider anti-democratic effort to take 2024 out of the voters’ hands.
And to prove his point, consider the source, Avenatti told Fox News Digital in a phone interview from federal prison.
“I certainly see him as a victim of the system,” he said. “And that’s something that I never thought I would say. So if Michael Avenatti is coming to his defense, and I was one of his staunchest opponents for a very significant period of time, that should tell people something.”
The disgraced former attorney for Stormy Daniels, who once flirted with a White House run himself before his multiple criminal convictions, thinks the four separate criminal cases Trump is facing as he runs for president in 2024 are “absolute overkill” and an effort to keep the American people from having their say between him and President Biden.
“You’ve got a group of individuals in the United States who have decided that they know better as to who should be the next president, and they’ve decided that they don’t want to leave it to quote, the little guy, close quote,” he said of the various cases against Trump. “So they’re going to take matters into their own hands to prevent those people from being heard, and I am deeply disturbed and disgusted by it.”
If you believe in democracy, he says, “this should be settled at the ballot box.” Trump is also facing charges on Georgia election interference, federal election interference and mishandling of classified documents.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News’ David Rutz
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5 hour(s) ago
Did Trump actually fall asleep in court?
Reports surfaced last week that former President Trump dozed off at the outset of his high-profile trial in New York City related to charges he illegally suppressed information about himself in 2016.
In a surprising report, New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman wrote that Trump “appeared to nod off a few times, his mouth going slack and his head drooping onto his chest.”
Following the report, the hashtag #SleepyDonald briefly trended on X, formerly Twitter, while the Biden campaign and several pundits, like “The View” host Whoopi Goldberg, took the opportunity to mock the former president.
Trump’s campaign has denied the report, noting the court’s sketch artist, who was present. The campaign said Trump closed his eyes “momentarily.”
“This is fake news from a reporter who wasn’t even in the courtroom,” the campaign told Fox News Digital.
“I’ve heard that report. It’s unlikely. I know him. I sat through trial after trial with him. That never happens. So, President Trump is incredibly focused,” Trump legal spokesperson Alina Habba told Fox News on Tuesday.
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5 hour(s) ago
Opening statements to begin as Trump flouts gag order and attorney previews defense
Donald Trump (Getty Images)
Opening statements 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 even more difficult for the former president.
The full jury of 12, plus six alternate jurors, were selected and sworn in on Friday after four days of jury selection.
Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the trial, instructed jurors on Friday not to discuss or to research anything relating to the former president’s case over the weekend or while serving on the panel.
Merchan said opening arguments will be delivered by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s team and Trump defense attorneys.
Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has been charged by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. The charges are related to alleged hush money payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to all counts. He has blasted the trial as pure politics, a “political persecution” and maintains his innocence. The former president, and the first ever to be a defendant in a criminal trial, vowed to “tell the truth” if he takes the stand.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News’ Brooke Singman
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6 hour(s) ago
What is a gag order and did Trump violate it during this trial?
Judge Juan Merchan imposed a gag order on former President Trump, due to his “prior extrajudicial statements.” Merchan said they established “a sufficient risk to the administration of justice.”
Merchan ordered that Trump cannot make or direct others to make public statements about witnesses concerning their potential participation or about counsel in the case – other than District Attorney Alvin Bragg – or about court staff, DA staff or family members of staff.
Merchan also ordered that Trump cannot make or direct others to make public statements about any prospective juror or chosen juror.
Last week, Bragg filed a motion alleging that Trump had violated that gag order three times by posting about possible witnesses on social media. Bragg is urging the judge to hold Trump in contempt and fine him $1,000 per violation.
By Thursday, Bragg had said that Trump has now allegedly violated the gag order seven times. Bragg has urged the judge to warn the former president that future violations could not only result in additional fines, but possible jail time of up to 30 days.
The judge is expected to rule on Bragg’s motion this week.
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