Trump Seeks to Postpone or Dismiss Stormy Daniels’ Hush Money Case in Court

Former President Donald Trump is requesting a judge to postpone or dismiss his trial related to hush money paid to a porn star. This comes as a result of prosecutors handing over thousands of pages of potential evidence involving witness Michael Cohen only weeks ago.

Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, Cohen, made a $130,000 payment to keep adult film actress Stormy Daniels silent about a sexual encounter she claimed to have had with Trump a decade earlier – an encounter Trump denies.

Trump’s legal team alleges that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office, which brought the charges, is attempting to bury documents that could help challenge Cohen’s credibility.

The documents were provided by the U.S. Attorney’s office in Manhattan, which previously investigated the payment but did not charge Trump. Cohen, who testified that Trump instructed him to make the payment, went to prison after pleading guilty to violating campaign finance laws.

Originally set to begin on Monday, Trump’s trial was delayed by 30 days for him to review the new documents. Now, Trump’s defense is seeking another extension or for the charges to be dismissed due to the delayed disclosure.

Justice Juan Merchan’s ruling will determine the next steps in what could be the first criminal trial involving a former president. Trump, who is the Republican candidate challenging Democratic President Joe Biden, maintains his innocence and deems the case as a politically motivated “witch hunt.”

Aside from this trial, Trump faces other legal challenges as he prepares for the 2024 election. He has until Monday to settle a $454 million civil fraud judgment or risk having his New York properties seized for manipulating real estate values to deceive lenders.

He is involved in three other criminal cases, focusing on his attempts to reverse his 2020 election loss to Biden and his handling of government documents post-presidency. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Trump has delayed most cases and successfully postponed his federal trial in Washington, D.C., concerning the 2020 election efforts. An appeal based on presidential immunity grounds is pending before the U.S. Supreme Court on April 25.

Utilizing his legal battles, Trump has also sought donations from supporters as he falls behind Biden in fundraising efforts.

Prosecutors argue that the payment to Daniels, also known as Stephanie Clifford, was part of a larger scheme to silence individuals with damaging information to benefit Trump’s campaign.

Trump’s defense maintains that the payment was made to prevent embarrassment to himself and his family, not for campaign purposes.

In January, defense lawyers subpoenaed federal prosecutors for Cohen’s financial records and communication records after Merchan denied their request to obtain the materials directly from Cohen.

Trump’s legal team accuses state prosecutors of trying to impede their evidence collection for the trial defense, while prosecutors argue that the new documents are mostly irrelevant or duplicates of what Trump already possessed.

Bragg’s office states that they requested information from federal prosecutors regarding their case against Cohen and provided those materials to the defense the previous year.

“Defendant has made every effort to avoid accountability in this case,” prosecutors from Bragg’s office stated in a March 21 court filing. “It’s time to put a stop to these tactics by the defendant and defense counsel.”