Judge Denies Trump’s 4th Bid to Delay Hush Money Trial

Judge Juan M. Merchan, who is overseeing the hush money case involving former President Donald Trump, has denied Trump’s fourth request to delay the trial, which is scheduled to start on Monday. This decision, as reported by the Associated Press, follows several unsuccessful attempts by Trump to postpone the trial.

Trump’s legal team argued for a delay, claiming that the jury pool had been tainted by what they deemed as biased news coverage of the case. However, Judge Merchan dismissed this argument, stating that it lacked merit and that Trump’s assertions were not in line with reality.

This latest denial comes after Associate Justice Ellen Gesmer rejected Trump’s third request for a delay just days earlier. In that instance, Trump’s defense team had raised concerns about Judge Merchan’s perceived bias.

Prior to this, Trump had also sought to delay the trial on two other occasions. His second request was made while he was appealing a gag order in the case, which his legal team argued was an unconstitutional attempt to silence him. This request was denied earlier in the week.

The initial request for a delay, which was denied on Monday, sought to change the trial venue from Manhattan. Trump’s defense had cited a survey they commissioned, which showed that a majority of Manhattan residents believed Trump was guilty in the hush money case.

Jury selection for the trial is now set to begin on Monday, with the trial expected to last approximately six weeks.

In a broader context, Trump is facing 34 felony counts related to allegedly falsifying business records. Prosecutors allege that these records were used to reimburse his former attorney, Michael Cohen, who had paid adult film actress Stormy Daniels $130,000 to keep quiet about an alleged affair with Trump. Trump is accused of mischaracterizing these payments as legal fees. If convicted on all counts, Trump could potentially face a maximum sentence of 136 years in prison and a $170,000 fine, although such a severe penalty is considered unlikely.