Former President Donald Trump’s Historic Criminal Trial Kicks Off

The long-awaited trial of former President Donald Trump began on Monday, April 15, 2024, with jury selection at the Manhattan Criminal Court.

Key Players

The prosecution will be led by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, in what is the first-ever prosecution of a former president. Trump faces a total of 34 criminal charges. The case will be presided over by Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan.

The Prosecutor’s Case

To win at trial, the prosecution will not need to prove that Trump had a tryst with adult film star Stormy Daniels. Rather, they will only need to demonstrate that the former president broke the law in the methods used to cover up her account.

Under the terms of the trial judge’s order earlier this year, the jury will be able to hear three theories of the case from prosecutors:

Trump falsified business records to commit a violation of federal election law
Trump falsified business records to commit a violation of state election law
Trump falsified business records to commit a violation of New York tax law

The Background of the Case

In his 1200-word opinion editorial, “Visualizing ‘Hush Money’: How Trump’s Complex Payoffs Sparked 34 Election-Related Criminal Charges,” Just Security Journalism Fellow Adam Klasfeld provides an in-depth look at the case against the former president.

Violation of Federal Election Law

One of the theories of the case put forth by prosecutors is that Trump falsified business records to violate federal election law. The prosecution contends that the former president directed his lawyer, Michael Cohen, to pay off Stormy Daniels in order to avoid negative publicity during the 2016 presidential campaign. By hiding the payment from public view, prosecutors argue that Trump violated campaign contribution limits and failed to disclose the expenditure on mandatory financial disclosures.

Violation of State Election Law

Similar to the federal election law charge, prosecutors allege that Trump directed Michael Cohen to pay off Stormy Daniels to avoid negative publicity during the New York State Republican primary. By hiding the payment, prosecutors argue that Trump violated state election law.

Violation of New York Tax Law

The third theory put forth by prosecutors is that Trump falsified business records to avoid paying taxes on the payment to Stormy Daniels. Specifically, prosecutors allege that the money received by Daniels was funneled through a shell corporation to disguise it as a business expense, thereby minimizing the amount of taxes owed by the Trump Organization. Prosecutors contend that this violates New York tax law.

Overall, the case against former President Donald Trump is complex and multi-faceted, with far-reaching implications for campaign finance and the conduct of public officials. Only time will tell how the trial will unfold, and what impact it will have on the future of American politics.

Originally Post From https://www.justsecurity.org/daily-courtroom-trump-trial-new-york/

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