5 things you didn't know about the Trump trial
1. Former President Trump missed his wife, former First Lady Melania Trump’s birthday, due to the requirement for him to attend each day of his criminal trial. Trump also may not be able to attend his youngest son Barron Trump’s high school graduation, on May 17, due to the trial. The judge says he will consider that request as the date approaches and based on how the trial is going.
2. Federal prosecutors in 2018 and 2019 investigated the alleged hush money payments, but opted against charging Trump. The Federal Election Commission also investigated the matter but tossed its probe.
3. Prosecutors intend to call Trump’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, to the stand to testify on the alleged payments. He has been considered a star witness. But Cohen, in 2018, pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations, making false statements to Congress and tax evasion. He was sentenced to three years in prison.
4. The daughter of Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the trial, works for a firm that services primarily Democratic politicians. Loren Merchan has worked on campaigns for Trump foe Rep. Adam Schiff, who pushed the debunked Trump-Russia collusion investigation during his presidency; as well as Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign.
5. The criminal trial in New York is based on charges of falsifying business records in the first degree, which is typically considered a misdemeanor. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has brought the charges against Trump on a separate legal theory – that the alleged falsification of records was done “in furtherance of another crime.” Prosecutors say that crime was an attempt to promote or prevent election –referring to the 2016 election.
Posted by Anders Hagstrom
Fox News
