Trump’s trial on charges of falsifying business documents has begun

Donald J. Trump is accused of falsifying business documents to cover up a sex scandal that threatened to derail his 2016 campaign. Lawyers for both sides have begun making their opening presentations to jurors. Among them is a former federal prosecutor who left a major law firm to defend Trump in the case.

Today, April 22, 2024, prosecutors in the first criminal trial of an American president began making their case to a jury of 12 New Yorkers, alleging that Donald J. Trump lied “over and over and over again” to cover up a sex scandal as part of a conspiracy to be elected president in 2016.

Matthew Colangelo, prosecuting the case on behalf of the Manhattan district attorney’s office, told the jury of a meeting involving Mr. Trump, his longtime adviser Michael D. Cohen and the tabloid publisher David Packer in which the three “conspired” to covering up compromising stories – including the account of a porn star who claimed she once had sex with Mr Trump.

He told jurors that Mr. Cohen paid porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 and the amount was reimbursed by Mr. Trump, who is accused of falsifying business documents related to the reimbursement.

“The defendant falsified these business records because he wanted to cover up his and others’ criminal conduct,” Mr. Colangelo told the jury.

Mr. Cohen, who was an executive vice president of the Trump Organization and an adviser to Mr. Trump, and Mr. Packer are expected to be key witnesses.

The defense will address the jury after the indictment and try to find holes in the narrative offered by the district attorney’s office. Mr. Trump has long denied that he and Ms. Daniels had sex, but his lawyers are likely to focus on Mr. Cohen, calling him a serial liar with an ax to grind against Mr. Trump.

They are also expected to argue that Mr Trump was not personally involved in the falsification of documents at his company. And they could argue that Mr. Trump’s motive for pursuing the “hush money” deals was not political, and that he was trying to protect his family from negative publicity.

The Manhattan criminal case against Mr. Trump was brought a year ago by District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg. Mr Trump has been charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business documents and could face up to four years in prison if convicted. This is the first criminal trial against the former president – he was accused three more times in three other cities. With those other cases tied up in appeals and other delays, the Manhattan case could be the only one he faces before the 2024 presidential election. The trial is expected to last six weeks.

Ahead of opening statements, the judge overseeing the case issued a landmark ruling that dictates what prosecutors can question Mr. Trump about if he chooses to take the stand. The ruling — a significant victory for prosecutors that could lead Mr. Trump to decide not to testify — allows them to question him about several recent losses he has suffered in unrelated civil trials, including a fraud case this year in which the former president was found responsible for conspiring to manipulate his net worth and was fined $454 million.

Jurors were drawn from residents of Manhattan, where Mr. Trump is deeply unpopular; during jury selection, dozens of potential jurors were removed because they said they could not be impartial. But each of the jurors chosen promised to decide the case based on the facts alone.

The case will receive huge media attention, but the trial will not be televised.

*The article is translated from the New York Times, 22.04.2024, 17:30 Bulgarian time.

Source: Offnews