Standing trial in a criminal case. This was donald trump setting off from Central Manhattan a couple of hours ago. Hes charged with 3a counts of fraud, relating to hush money allegedly paid to the Former Adult Film Star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 president ial election. Hes now in the courthouse itself for the start ofjury selection. Prosecutors accuse him, of arranging payments to Stormy Daniels in an effort to buy her silence. Donald trump has pleaded not guilty, describing the case as a witchhunt. He spoke to the media just before heading in to the courtroom, lets have a listen. Something like this has never happened before. Theres never been anything like it. Never happened before. Every legal scholar said this case is nonsense. It should never have been brought. It doesnt deserve anything like this. There is no case and theyve said it. People that dont necessarily follow or like donald trump said this is an outrage that this case was brought. This is political persecution. Thi
the criminal accountability that governs his fellow citizens. let but those legal losses have not corrupt his legal team s efforts to escape, or at least postpone his prosecutions, at a hearing on friday his lawyers went as far as to argue that a trial in the fulton county georgia case this year would constitute election interference. can you imagine the notion of for president, not being able to campaign for the presidency because he is, in some form or fashion, incapable of defending himself? that would be the most effective election interference in the history of the united states . we re gonna let the fulton county judge make the argument on that. but those are reminders that there are still a number of complex issues to resolve as america, for the first-time, consider the prosecution of a former president who is also running to return to the white house. it has been looming large over the republican presidential primary since the very beginning, and these recent rul
it s easy to overlook, but donald trump is trying to run out the clock, the slow walk, the many cases against him, enough to win the republican primary before he can be convicted or maybe even tried of a crime. given a recent spate of legal losses for the twice impeached ex president, we re now entering a crucial time in this high stakes test of wills. last week, in appeals court, reinstated the gag order against him in new york. judges in d.c. also rejected his broad claims of presidenti immunity, which prompted tanya chutkan, the jue and jack smith s federal write, quote, defendants for your service as commander-in-chief did not bestow on him the divine right of kings to evade criminal accountability that governs his fellow citizens, and quote. those legal losses haven t curbed his legal team s efforts to escape or at least postpone his prosecutions. at a hearing on friday, his lawyers went as far as to argue a trial in the fulton county, georgia case this year, would const