Trump to face hush money trial in New York, while Supreme Court hears his immunity case in Washington – Times of India

New York: Reluctant Donald trump card He is due back in court in New York City on Thursday Shut up money Restored at the same time as the United States Supreme Court Washington hears arguments about whether he should be acquitted for actions he took while president. Jurors will hear more witness testimony from veteran tabloid publishers as Trump faces a growing decision on whether to violate a judge-imposed gag order. But he asked to skip the day’s criminal trial so he could observe a special session of the high court where judges will decide whether he can be prosecuted for his efforts to overturn his loss to President Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
That request was denied by New York State Supreme Court Justice Juan Marchan, who is overseeing the trial. Bribes paid for mouthpieces The plan was designed to prevent damaging stories about Trump from surfacing in the final days of the 2016 campaign.
“Arguing in front of the Supreme Court is a big deal, and I certainly understand why your client would want to go there, but a trial in the New York Supreme Court is also a big deal,” Murcha told Trump last week. Attorney Todd Branch. He dismissed the idea.
Although 200 miles apart and the cases completely different, Thursday’s proceedings combined to create a huge legal and political puzzle that has important implications not only for the Republican presidential nominee but for the US presidency.
In both cases, Trump is trying to distance himself from legal jeopardy by running for the White House again. But the outcome of the Supreme Court case will have lasting consequences for future presidents, as the justices will answer a question that has never been asked: “Do former presidents enjoy presidential immunity from criminal prosecution for their actions?” Alleged involvement in official misconduct during his tenure. “
The high court’s ruling likely won’t affect the New York City case, which hinges largely on Trump’s conduct as a 2016 presidential candidate rather than as president. He faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to hush-money payments intended to prevent embarrassing stories from coming to light. This is the first of four criminal cases against Trump to go to a jury.
The trial in New York continued after a scheduled break with more testimony from the Manhattan district attorney’s first witness, former publisher of The New York Times, David Packer. National Investigator He is also a longtime friend of Trump, promising to be his “eyes and ears” during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Earlier this week, Pekar explained how he and tabloids used disinformation to discredit high-profile stories about Trump’s opponents and his connections to suppress stories about Trump’s alleged extramarital sexual encounters with porn actors years ago.
Peck traced their relationship to a meeting in the 1980s at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, and said that with the success of the real estate developer’s TV show “The Apprentice” and subsequent celebrity versions of the show, a friendship developed. .
Pekar described how he promised then-candidate Trump that he would help suppress damaging stories and even arranged to buy gatekeepers’ silence.
“I decided to buy the story because it could be an embarrassment to the campaign and Mr. Trump,” Peck said of the concierge story, which his publication later determined was untrue.
The silent judge could also decide whether to find Trump in contempt of court and fine him for preventing the Republican leader from speaking to witnesses, judges and others related to the case.
Some of Trump’s recent online posts that have been questioned include one describing prosecution witnesses Michael Cohen (his former lawyer) and porn actress Stormy Daniels as “dirt bags,” and another article falsely claiming that liberal activists were trying to infiltrate the jury.
Murcha criticized Branch this week for defending the posts because Trump was simply responding to political attacks and comments about his experience with the criminal justice system.
“When your client violates a gag order, I expect more than one word,” Merchant said.
A jury conviction in the hush-money investigation won’t prevent Trump from being re-elected as president, but since it’s a state case, he can’t pardon himself if convicted. The charge carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison, but it is unclear whether the judge will send him to prison.
The Supreme Court’s reasoning, meanwhile, is tied to allegations in federal court in Washington that Trump is accused of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election. The case stems from Trump’s efforts to have the charges against him dismissed. A lower court found that prosecutors said he could not assert immunity for illegal attempts to interfere in the election results.
The high court is taking the case more quickly than usual, though not as quickly as special prosecutor Jack Smith would have liked, raising questions about whether the justices could proceed before the November election if they agreed with the lower court that Trump could be indicted.

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