Panicked Trump Makes Last-Ditch Effort to Delay First Criminal Trial
In a move we should all have seen coming, Donald Trump asked Monday to delay his hush-money trial until the Supreme Court rules on whether he has presidential immunity.
Trump is currently set to face trial in New York on March 25 for his role in hush-money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election. He faces 34 felony charges for business fraud and has pleaded not guilty to all of them.
Although the payments took place before Trump became president, his lawyers argued in court documents Monday that prosecutors intend to introduce evidence at trial that “implicate the concept of official acts” and therefore should be protected by presidential immunity.
Trump’s lawyers argued that the trial should be delayed until the Supreme Court issues its decision, which would in turn determine whether prosecutors in the hush-money trial would be barred from introducing certain evidence.
“President Trump respectfully submits that an adjournment of the trial is appropriate to await further guidance from the Supreme Court, which should facilitate the appropriate application of the presidential immunity doctrine in this case to the evidence the People intend to offer at trial,” the court filing said.
Prosecutors are expected to respond later this week. It is unclear if Trump will be successful. His lawyers had requested in February to delay the trial, arguing that Trump was being sued too many times and couldn’t keep up with the workload. Presiding Judge Juan Manuel Merchan denied the motion.
The Supreme Court handed Trump a major win two weeks ago when it agreed to hear his case on whether he is immune from prosecution over his role in trying to overturn the 2020 election. That trial was supposed to start on March 4 but has now been indefinitely postponed.
Last week, the Supreme Court announced the case’s arguments will begin on April 25. A ruling will not come until several weeks later, potentially as late as June or July. Whether or not the justices rule in favor of Trump, he has essentially already won.
Trump’s main strategy in his myriad legal battles has been to delay them as long as possible. If he is reelected in November, he could instruct the Department of Justice to drop the two federal cases against him, or even try to pardon himself and avoid ever facing accountability for his actions.
This story has been updated.