Donald Trump's Criminal Trial in New York: Hush Money Allegations and Potential Consequences for the 2024 Election
Former US President Donald Trump is set to go on trial on Monday, March 28, 2023, in New York over allegations of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels to conceal an alleged sexual encounter.
This is the first criminal trial for a US ex-president and comes less than seven months before Americans decide on his potential return to the White House.
The hush money case is one of four criminal investigations against Trump, but it is considered the least serious.
A potential criminal trial for former President Donald Trump, who is facing charges related to business dealings in New York, adds an unexpected element to the ongoing election between him and President Joe Biden.
The trial process, which includes selecting jurors from a pool of over 100 citizens, could be lengthy and contentious.
Potential jurors will be asked about their political affiliations, including membership in far-right groups like the Proud Boys, who were involved in the Capitol assault in 2021.
In March 2023, a New York grand jury indicted Donald Trump for allegedly covering up payments made to Michael Cohen to silence Stormy Daniels during the final weeks of the 2016 presidential election.
Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records.
The payments were intended to conceal an alleged sexual encounter between Trump and Daniels.