Judge in New York refuses to dismiss case against Trump
Victoria Bekiempis
Judge Juan Merchan got right to the point when proceedings kicked off, informing the court that Trumpâs case will move forward next month.
âDefendantâs motions to dismiss have been denied,â Merchan said, indicating that a written decision is now available.
Merchan said shortly thereafter: âWeâre moving ahead to jury selection on March 25.â
Key events
Victoria Bekiempis
Donald Trumpâs legal team is continuing to argue in court in New York that itâs not fair to expect the former president to stand trial in March because itâs still in the thick of the 2024 presidential election.
Trump is ahead of rival Nikki Haley in his pursuit of the Republican nomination for the White House in November.
Trumpâs lawyer Todd Blanche has been pushing in court to delay the trial, scheduled for March 25.
âAs the court is aware, we are in the middle of primary season,â Blanche said, explaining, there are two key time periods in any election, especially one for president of the United States.
One is primary season and the other is general election season; he noted there are 27 primaries in March.
âIt is completely election interference to say: âYou are going to sit in this courtroom in Manhattan when there is no reason for itâ,â Blanche said. âWhat about his rights?â
The hearing in New York that Trump is attending, in the hush money case, is cracking along. There is no live feed to the outside world so we rely on reporters in the court room, who are disseminating highlights.
Meanwhile, the hearing in the election interference case in Georgia is expected to last two days and has rows of lawyers attending and will call multiple witnesses, so is getting underway at what the general public would consider a snailâs pace.
For the Guardian in New York, Victoria Bekiempis sends this dispatch from the court room:
While the trial date [March 25} seemed open and shut for Judge Juan Merchan, Trumpâs team nevertheless fought his scheduling decision, claiming it violated Trumpâs rights.
Trump attorney Todd Blanche pointed to the ex-presidentâs classified documents case in Florida, which is expected to start in May. Trump couldnât possibly prepare for that trial, Blanche argued, if heâs present for the Manhattan case.
âThat is an constitutional violation in our view, judge,â Blanche said of Trump being unable to prepare for his defense, later saying, âItâs truly an impossible position for anyone to be in.â
The judge in the New York case, Juan Merchan, has issued a 30-page written decision to accompany the announcement he just made in court that he has denied Donald Trumpâs request to dismiss the hush money case.
Trump originally turned himself in last April, sparking an extraordinary scene in New York that marked the first time in American history a former US president had faced criminal charges.
Trump had earlier been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury. he has cast himself as a âcompletely innocent personâ and has repeatedly denounced the charges, as he did again today, as part of a broader conspiracy designed by Democrats to damage his political prospects. Prosecutors say the case against Trump has nothing to do with politics.
The grand jury heard evidence related to a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels, who says she had an extra-marital affair with Trump in 2006, something the former president has denied. Also to a payment to Karen McDougal.
Michael Cohen, Trumpâs former lawyer and fixer, made the payment during the 2016 presidential campaign to keep them from going public about alleged affairs. He was later reimbursed by Trump, by then the president.
The payments to Cohen were recorded by the Trump Organization as legal expenses. Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to federal tax evasion and campaign-finance violation charges. Trump denies all the charges.
The criminal case against Donald Trump in New York will now be the first of the four the former president is facing to go to trial.
The trial is due to begin in Manhattan on March 25. The federal election interference case against Trump had been slated to go first, beginning on March 4, but that has been delayed.
Trump admitted, upon arriving in court in New York today, that delaying cases was his strategy and his aim in the hush money case.
Trump is also indicted in Georgia on a state election interference case, where thereâs a hearing this morning. And in a federal case being heard in Florida related to accusations that he illegally retained classified documents after leaving the office of the presidency and obstructing justice in trying to hide some of the material after the government had asked for it back.
Judge in New York refuses to dismiss case against Trump
Victoria Bekiempis
Judge Juan Merchan got right to the point when proceedings kicked off, informing the court that Trumpâs case will move forward next month.
âDefendantâs motions to dismiss have been denied,â Merchan said, indicating that a written decision is now available.
Merchan said shortly thereafter: âWeâre moving ahead to jury selection on March 25.â
The hearing in Atlanta, Georgia, is underway. The lawyers for the multiple defendants remaining in the election interference case are introducing themselves.
In New York Trump has walked into the court room in person to listen to the hearing there.
The Guardian has reporters in court for the hearings in both cases and, as well as this live blog, weâll be bringing you stories with news highlights and analysis as the day unfolds.
Trump is saying he should be out on the election campaign trail, not in a court room in New York.
He said he should be doing an event in South Carolina instead, where the Republican primary is being held on Saturday, February 24.
But Trump is not obliged to be in court today, heâs turned up for the hearing voluntarily. He could be in South Carolina if he so chose.
âThis is not a crime,â Donald Trump just said as he arrived for the court hearing in New York, about his hush money criminal case.
The former US president says: âThis is a terrible time for this country, itâs a dark time.â
He says the streets are where the crime is. âThe streets are so different from when I left New York, itâs dirty and itâs crime riddenâ¦[but the criminal case] is just a way of hurting me in the election.â
Trump says heâs talk more later. âWe want delays, obviously.â
Donald Trump has reportedly arrived at the court house in Manhattan for the hearing in his criminal case there. There will be no audio or video feed for the public from the court room during the proceedings.
But there is a camera stream from a corridor near the court. Journalists and security officials are waiting there to watch Trump arrive for the hearing and, possibly, offer remarks.
The former president is not obliged to attend this hearing but, as with various other proceedings in his various criminal and civil cases lately, he has chosen to turn up.
Crucial hearings in two Trump criminal cases, in New York and Georgia
There are potentially pivotal court hearings in two of Donald Trumpâs criminal cases today, with the former US president expected to turn up to the proceedings in New York.
That is the so-called hush money case, where he has been charged by the Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg with 34 counts related to the alleged falsification of business records as part of a purported scheme to cover up extramarital affairs. This conspiracy, in turn, was meant to influence the 2016 election, prosecutors said.
Trumpâs indictment in this case marked the first time in US history that a former president was charged with a crime. He has pleaded not guilty. The hearing could be quite quick, with decisions coming from Judge Juan Merchan this morning on several issues, including Trumpâs motion to throw out the case.
In Atlanta, Georgia, Judge Scott McAffee will examine whether Fulton county prosecutors charging Trump and his allies over efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia had improper romantic relations that merit being disqualified from bringing the case.
One of Trumpâs co-defendant that case, Michael Roman, is seeking to have the Fulton county district attorney Fani Willis and her top deputy, Nathan Wade, saying their relationship and related financial matters constitute a conflict of interest.
Victoria Bekiempis
In New York City, the state courthouse in downtown Manhattan at 100 Centre Street is abuzz with activity in anticipation of Donald Trumpâs arrival for the proceeding in his hush money case.
Dozens of journalists lined up across the street very early this morning, standing in the sub-freezing temperatures under blue skies and sunshine.
They are all waiting to secure a seat inside the courtroom or overflow viewing room.
Trump is charged in Manhattan Supreme Court with falsifying business records related to his alleged payoffs to cover up extramarital affairs in advance of the 2016 election, including to adult film star Stormy Daniels. Trump denies the charges and denies he had sex with Daniels in the past, while he was married to Melania Trump.
The judge in this case, Juan Merchan, is expected to issue decisions during todayâs proceeding, including on Trumpâs push to dismiss the case.
Trump to attend NY hush money court case as hearing takes place in Georgia election case to assess prosecutors’ integrity
Good morning, US politics live blog readers, itâs chiefly a tale of two Trump court cases today. There are hearings in the non-federal criminal cases â the New York hush money case and the Georgia election interference case. Donald Trump, the former US president and Republican frontrunner for the 2024 nomination, is expected to exercise his option to appear in court in Manhattan.
Joe Biden, current US president and Democratic Party frontrunner for the 2024 nomination as he seeks a second term, has no events on his public schedule and will be in Washington, DC, presumably dealing with the Middle East crisis and domestic matters.
The Senate is out today, the House of Representatives is in.
Hereâs whatâs coming up:
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Donald Trump is expected to appear in Manhattan state court this morning for a hearing in his hush-money criminal case involving the adult film star Stormy Daniels and the playboy model Karen McDougal. There is no live stream from the court room. He is attending voluntarily and will sit at the defendantâs table. Hearing begins 9.30am ET.
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Judge Juan Merchan is expected to announce his decision on several issues, including the former US presidentâs motion to throw out the case. Merchan is also expected to announce whether Trumpâs trial will start on 25 March. Should Trumpâs trial begin on this date, it would be the first of four criminal cases against him to go before a jury.
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Judge Scott McAfee, presiding in Atlanta, Georgia, will examine whether Fulton county prosecutors charging Donald Trump and his allies over efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia had improper romantic relations that merit being disqualified from bringing the case. We plan to bring you a live feed. The hearing is due to begin at 9.30am ET and last two days.
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The prosecutors, Fulton county district attorney Fani Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade risk being disqualified from the case as a result of their relationship because it constituted a conflict of interest, accusers say, while they say there is no conflict. Trumpâs co-defendant in the case, Michael Roman, first raised the issue of their relationship, which has prompted the pivotal hearing.
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Special Counsel Jack Smith, prosecuting Donald Trump on federal charges involving the former presidentâs efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss, last night urged the US supreme court to reject Trumpâs bid to further delay trial proceedings as he presses his claim of immunity. If the justices do not immediately reject Trumpâs request Smith asked the court to take up the case and hear it on a fast-track basis.