Former President Donald Trump is on trial in Manhattan for his alleged role in a hush money scheme to hush an alleged mistress before the 2016 election. He faces 34 charges related to “falsifying New York business records to conceal harmful information or illegal activities from American voters before and after the 2016 election.”
Prosecutors need to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump falsified business records to commit or conceal another crime, but they do not need to prove that Trump committed that crime. do not have. Prosecutors’ theory is that the second crime may violate federal and state election laws or state tax laws regarding how reimbursements to Michael Cohen are handled.
Mr. Trump’s lawyers, who have kept their defense close to home, have attacked the credibility of Mr. Cohen and Stormy Daniels in court filings, calling them liars motivated by grudges and money. It shows the plan to draw as.
Mr. Trump’s legal team is led by former New York federal prosecutors Todd Blanche and Emile Bove, and veteran criminal defense attorney Susan Necheres, who has extensive experience in New York before Judge Juan Marchand. Mr. Necheres represented Mr. Trump’s business in a 2022 tax evasion trial in which the company was found guilty.
Outside lawyers closely monitoring the case say Trump’s hush money payments are legal and could keep the former president away from repayment plans and bookkeeping handled by trusted employees. states that it is highly likely. They could also argue that the payments were made to avoid embarrassment for Trump’s family, not to influence the election. Trump may also testify in his own defense. He regrets not taking the stand in the previous civil trial and has testified in the last two civil trials, but the stakes are higher in a criminal case.
