Former President Trump’s legal issues are becoming entangled with his potential 2024 campaign, as Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg seeks a delay to the start of Trump’s New York hush-money criminal trial. The DA’s office has expressed willingness to adjourn the trial for up to 30 days to allow Trump’s legal team to review recently turned over evidence. On the other hand, Trump’s lawyers are requesting a 90-day delay or the dismissal of charges, citing alleged violations of the “discovery process.”
The newly obtained records come from the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan, which previously investigated the hush-money arrangement central to Trump’s case. Meanwhile, Trump’s legal team is also pushing for a trial delay until after the Supreme Court rules on his presidential immunity claim, with oral arguments scheduled for late April.
Judge Juan Manual Merchan, presiding over the hush-money case, has yet to rule on either request. Nonetheless, jury selection for the trial is set to commence on March 25. Trump’s lawyers have received approximately 84,000 pages of records from the federal prosecutor’s office in Manhattan since March 4, including a recent batch of 31,000 pages.
These records pertain to a federal investigation that touched on the hush-money matter and resulted in former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen serving prison time. Cohen, who pleaded guilty and blamed Trump for his legal troubles, has become a key prosecution witness in the Manhattan district attorney’s case. However, Trump and his legal team have consistently portrayed Cohen as wholly untrustworthy.
It remains to be seen how these legal challenges will impact Trump’s potential 2024 campaign. As the situation develops, it is clear that Trump’s legal issues continue to be a significant factor in his political future.
