In a word, it is “unprecedented”.
As he begins his campaign for a second term in the White House, former President Donald Trump, the Republican frontrunner for the nomination, will be forced to deal with no less than two criminal cases and two civil cases, and possibly more to come. As Trump claims the unprecedented number of lawsuits against him is evidence of an endless ‘witch hunt’ by Democrats, his critics counter that a former president’s pattern of law-breaking is this which is so unusual.
Although Trump is unlikely to appear in court in the civil cases, he was legally obligated to appear on his two criminal indictments. In Miami on Tuesday, it was an unprecedented day of television coverage in which Trump’s arrival and departure from federal district court was immediately followed by a campaign stop at the Versailles restaurant in Little Havana.
Trump also merged a speech denouncing special counsel Jack Smith with a fundraising campaign at his New Jersey golf club.
As the calendar fills with court dates, many of which will coincide with the primary season, Trump’s 2024 run promises to provide a split-screen spectacle between campaign and legal dramas that, yes, cannot be described. that as unprecedented.
Here is an overview of the upcoming program:
Case of classified documents
Trump was arraigned Tuesday on 37 felony charges stemming from his handling of classified documents after leaving the White House, but the next court appearance in the case has yet to be scheduled. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon on Thursday ordered Trump’s lawyers to contact the Justice Department to expedite the process of obtaining security clearances so they can see the documents their client is accused of hiding. to the government. There is no clear word on how quickly these permissions can be processed.
As The New York Times reported, Trump “is expected to continue with a fairly steady stream of political events in the months ahead, although the needs of the court calendar in the Florida case will in some ways dictate his actions.” .
Silence fee
Acting New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan has set March 25, 2024 as the start date for Trump’s trial on 34 felony charges alleging he falsified business records to hide a silent start-up payment Stormy Daniels porn. Trump and his attorneys have until August 29 of this year to file motions to dismiss the indictment. Merchan will decide the merits of these motions at a hearing on January 4, 2024.
Regarding the trial, Merchan ordered the parties to clear their schedules before and after March 25.
“All parties, including Mr. Trump, are urged not to engage or make any personal, professional or other commitments,” Merchan said.
E. Jean Carroll defamation case
In May, writer E. Jean Carroll won a $5 million verdict against Trump in his civil lawsuit for sexual abuse and defamation. Trump quickly appeared on CNN and defamed her once again, Carroll claims in a second amended lawsuit. On Thursday, U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Kaplan signed an order setting the new trial to begin Jan. 15 “unless this matter has been fully disposed of beforehand.” In this new case, Carroll is asking Trump for an additional $10 million.
Commercial fraud case in New York
New York State Attorney General Letitia James’ $250 million civil lawsuit against Trump is set to begin Oct. 2 in Manhattan. In April, Trump sat down for deposition in the case, in which prosecutors accuse him, his three eldest children and other members of the Trump Organization of regularly exaggerating the value of real estate and other assets for the banks to avoid paying taxes and to obtain advantageous loan conditions.
Fulton County Probable Indictment
Following a grand jury investigation into Trump’s efforts to overturn Georgia’s results of the 2020 presidential election, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis alerted Chief Justice of the Superior Court Ural Glanville and county court employees not to schedule in-person trials or court proceedings. for the first half of August. Court watchers said it was a signal that Willis was preparing to indict Trump and possibly some of his political allies.
Possible indictment in the investigation of January 6
Special Counsel Smith, who filed Trump’s indictment in the classified documents case, continues to call witnesses before a Washington grand jury to investigate the former president’s role in the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol and attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
Light point
On Trump’s good side, the Westchester County, New York, district attorney’s office announced Thursday that it is closing its two-year investigation into Trump’s alleged overvaluation of his golf club in the county without filing any criminal charges. This news, at least, gave Trump something to celebrate.
“IT WAS THE HONORABLE THING TO DO AS I DID NOTHING WRONG, BUT WHERE AND WHEN CAN I RECOVER MY REPUTATION?” Trump wrote on Truth Social.