Achi news desk-
Donald Trump’s legal battles pinballed from victory to defeat on Monday as he was offered a reprieve in his fight to stop a half-billion-dollar fraud verdict while a New York judge rejected efforts to delay a separate criminal case.
A New York state appeals court cut a potentially crippling $454 million bond payment due Monday to $175 million and gave the former president an extra 10 days to pay it.
The Republican presidential candidate got the unexpected positive news about his civil fraud case in New York while he was sitting in court for another case – a hearing in his upcoming criminal case regarding hush money payments to a porn star.
Judge Juan Merchan rejected calls from Trump’s lawyers to delay the former president’s first-ever criminal trial for at least 90 days and ordered jury selection to begin on April 15.
Trump is facing charges of falsifying business records for payments made on the eve of the 2016 presidential election to ensure porn star Stormy Daniels did not publicize a sexual encounter.
“You’re literally accusing the Manhattan (District Attorney) office and the people assigned to this case of prosecutorial misconduct and trying to make me part of the case,” said Merchan who was visibly angry at Trump’s attorneys during the hearing in a Manhattan courtroom.
Trump had also been facing a Monday deadline to pay the huge original bond pending an appeal against a judge’s decision that he is liable for conspiring to fraudulently inflate his net worth.
Trump made it clear that he could not find the $454 million and was at risk of seeing the state of New York seize parts of his property empire if he failed to come up with the bond.
– ‘Rigging cases’ –
Trump, 77, welcomed the appellate panel’s ruling while denouncing the hush money case as “election interference” and a “witch hunt.”
“I very much respect the decision of the appellate division and I will post $175 million in cash and bonds or guarantee or whatever is necessary, very quickly, within the 10 days,” he told reporters.
The hush money trial was due to start on Monday but was delayed due to the late production of thousands of pages of potential evidence by prosecutors.
On Truth Social, Trump denied both cases as politically motivated attacks ahead of the November 5 presidential election when he will likely face incumbent Democrat Joe Biden again.
“These are Rigged cases, all coordinated by the White House and DOJ for purposes of Election Interference,” Trump wrote. “No crime. Our Country is CORRUPT!”
Trump regularly rails against a judicial system he claims is “fixated” against him.
He has said that New York Attorney General Letitia James – who is Black – is “racist,” and has accused Judge Arthur Engeron in the civil fraud case of being “crooked.”
Trump got some positive financial news last week when it was announced that Truth Social would finally go public through a merger, a transaction that could net him billions of dollars.
He can’t take advantage of the money for six months, but it could possibly help him secure the bond.
However, in case he did not pay, James could still order the freezing of his bank accounts, or move to seize some of his properties in New York.
– Trying to delay more –
Trump’s lawyers have pursued every avenue to delay his many trials – if possible until after the presidential vote.
In the case involving Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, Trump has been accused of illegally using campaign funds to ensure his silence about an alleged sexual encounter back in 2006.
If she had spoken out, the result could have been ruinous for Trump’s presidential hopes, coming hot on the heels of another scandal over the married businessman’s boast, caught on tape, that as a celebrity he could “capturing” women free. their genitals.
Trump also faces charges of attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election and of holding onto classified documents after leaving the White House.
pur/cl/sms
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Published: 26 Mar 2024, 12:01 AM IST
