April 23, 2024 09:58
Online desk
Donald Trump (file photo)
Former US President Donald Trump is in court again in the case of former porn star Stormy Daniels. Arguments began Monday in New York’s Manhattan court on charges of bribing the porn star.
According to media reports, Trump appeared in court before the hearing began. However, he expressed extreme anger in the court and said that the Biden administration has started a ‘witch hunt’ against him to keep him away from the election.
He also complained that the court was not conducting the trial impartially.
The complaint against Trump is that before the 2016 US presidential election, porn star Stormy Daniels was bribed by his (Trump’s) then lawyer Michael Cohen for about $130,000 not to open up about his sexual relationship with him. Government lawyers say the illegal act was done to influence the election.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s office alleged that Trump broke the law by illegally disguising payments to Cohen as legal expenses for the porn star. Trump also resorted to falsifying his business records to keep the matter a secret. A total of 34 charges have been brought against Trump. A 12-member jury has been empaneled this week to conduct the trial. After that, the presentation of the preliminary legal arguments began.
“Today is a very, very sad day for the United States,” Trump said as he entered the courtroom on Monday. He termed this trial as ‘very unfair’.
Earlier, Trump appeared in court on April 15. That day was the first day of Trump’s trial in court. On that day, an enthusiastic crowd, including protesters, gathered in front of the court. A young man set himself on fire outside the court while the trial was going on. Later he died. The judge will assess Trump’s guilt or innocence through several weeks of legal arguments.
But whether or not Trump is convicted of criminal charges or sentenced to prison will have no bearing on his eligibility for the presidency. Rather, Trump can be sworn in as president from jail or house arrest if he wins the election despite being convicted or sentenced. Source: Reuters
BD Daily/Azad
