Trump Gets Major Legal News

The Manhattan District Attorney's investigation into the alleged "hush money" payments has taken a significant turn against former President Donald Trump. On Tuesday, a New York appeals court judge rejected Trump's request to delay his trial concerning these payments.

Justice Cynthia Kern dismissed Trump's motion, which sought to postpone the trial until a full panel of judges could review an appeal regarding the gag order in the case. Although Trump has the option to appeal to the entire panel of five appellate court judges, it's unlikely that the court will act before the trial begins on Monday. If the trial proceeds as scheduled, Trump will become the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges.

The Manhattan District Attorney's Office argued for maintaining the gag order, which prohibits Trump from disparaging the prosecution, the judge's family, and the witnesses involved in the case.

Trump's efforts to claim presidential immunity as a defense were also denied by Judge Juan Merchan last week. Merchan described Trump's motion as "untimely" and questioned its sincerity, noting that Trump had multiple opportunities to raise the issue earlier in the legal proceedings.

The case centers on allegations that Trump falsified financial documents related to hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels. These payments, including a reported $130,000 made by Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen, were intended to silence Daniels regarding an alleged encounter before the 2016 election.

The trial's focus on hush money payments to women who claimed affairs with Trump brings campaign finance laws into question. Trump has denied the relationships and any wrongdoing regarding the payments, which were investigated in connection with Russian meddling in the 2016 election but did not result in charges against Trump.

This trial is part of a broader legal landscape that Trump has faced since leaving office, including inquiries into his finances, administration policies, and activities during the 2020 election.