NEW YORK (AP) — An unwilling Donald Trump made his way back to a courtroom in New York City on Thursday as his trial revolving around secret payment money resumed concurrently with the hearing at the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington regarding his potential exemption from legal prosecution for actions taken during his presidential term.
The jury will listen to more testimonies from a long-standing tabloid publisher, while Trump is facing a critical decision on whether he breached a court order prohibiting him from speaking out. He wanted to skip his trial for the day to attend the Supreme Court’s special session where the judges will deliberate on whether he can be criminally charged for efforts to overturn his defeat in the 2020 election against Joe Biden.
Facts about Trump’s secret payment money trial:
“We have a significant case today,” Trump announced during an early morning campaign visit to meet construction workers in Manhattan. “The judge isn’t permitting me to attend.”
His request was turned down by New York state Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the trial on the secret payment money arrangement allegedly designed to prevent damaging reports about Trump from coming out in the final days of the 2016 campaign.
“Presenting arguments in front of the Supreme Court is significant, and I understand why your client wishes to attend, but a trial in New York Supreme Court … is also important,” Merchan informed Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche when he rejected the request.
Although 200 miles (320 kilometers) apart — and completely distinct cases — the proceedings on Thursday were intertwined in a complex legal and political puzzle that has consequences not just for the presumed Republican presidential candidate but for the American presidency in general.
In both scenarios, Trump is endeavoring to extricate himself from legal troubles as he embarks on another quest for the presidency. However, the Supreme Court ruling will have enduring ramifications for future presidents since the judges will be addressing the previously unexplored query of “whether and to what extent a former president is entitled to presidential immunity from criminal prosecution for alleged official acts during their time in office.”
The verdict from the high court may not influence the New York City trial, primarily revolving around Trump’s behavior as a presidential nominee in 2016 — not as the president. He is accused of 34 felony charges relating to falsifying business records in connection to secret payment money to prevent embarrassing stories from being revealed. This is the first of four criminal cases against Trump to go before a jury.
Trump asserts his innocence concerning all the charges against him. In New York, he claims the stories that were silenced and suppressed were unfounded.
The New York trial resumes after a break with further testimonies from the Manhattan district attorney’s key witness, David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer and a longtime ally of Trump who pledged to be his informant during his 2016 presidential campaign.
When asked during his morning campaign appearance for his thoughts on Pecker’s testimony, Trump remarked, “David has been quite kind, a good person.”
Earlier this week, Pecker elucidated to the jury how he and the tabloid transformed gossip into sensationalized stories that tarnished Trump’s adversaries and, crucially, utilized his connections to suppress unsavory stories about Trump, including an adult film actress’s allegation of an extramarital liaison years earlier.
Pecker revealed the roots of their relationship to a meeting in the 1980s at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, and pointed out how their friendship flourished alongside the triumph of the real estate tycoon’s TV show “The Apprentice” and its subsequent celebrity edition.
Pecker recounted his promise to the then-candidate Trump that he would help stifle harmful stories and even orchestrated the purchase of the silence of a doorman.
“I made the choice to acquire the story due to the potential negative impact on the campaign and Mr. Trump,” Pecker stated regarding the doorman’s story that his publication later confirmed as false.
Merchan may soon make a ruling on whether to hold Trump in contempt and impose fines for what prosecutors assert were violations of a gag order prohibiting the GOP leader from making public remarks about witnesses, jurors, and others linked to the case.
Some of Trump’s recent social media posts that stirred controversy included labeling prosecution witnesses Michael Cohen, his former lawyer, and Stormy Daniels, the adult film star, as “sleaze bags” and reiterating a false claim about liberal activists attempting to infiltrate the jury.
Trump seemed nonchalant about the impending ruling. When questioned by journalists if he would pay the $1,000 penalty for each of the 10 posts, he responded, “Oh, I have no idea.” He then continued, “They’ve restricted my constitutional right with a gag order.”
Merchan rebuked Blanche this week for excusing the posts as Trump merely responding to political attacks and sharing his experiences within the criminal justice system.
A guilty verdict in the secret payment money investigation by the jury would not prevent Trump from seeking the presidency again, but since it is a state case, he would be unable to pardon himself if found guilty. The offense carries a maximum penalty of four years in prison — although it remains uncertain if the judge would push for imprisonment.
Concurrently, the Supreme Court’s deliberations revolve around charges in federal court in Washington, where Trump is accused of colluding to overturn the 2020 election. This case emanates from Trump’s efforts to have charges against him dismissed. Lower courts have determined that he cannot claim immunity for actions that allegedly unlawfully meddled with the election results.
The high court is expediting the process by taking up the case, albeit not as swiftly as special counsel Jack Smith had anticipated. The court’s pace has generated queries about the feasibility of conducting a trial before the November election if the judges concur with lower courts that Trump is liable to prosecution.
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Long reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price contributed to this report.
Source: apnews.com