State prosecutors in New York are determined to proceed with the trial of former President Donald Trump, despite only finding fewer than 300 potentially relevant documents out of the over 170,000 documents recently turned over by federal prosecutors. The Manhattan District Attorney’s office claims that the majority of the evidence provided originated from Robert Mueller’s investigation into Trump’s lawyer, Michael Cohen, and has no direct bearing on the allegations against Trump.
The prosecution has expressed frustration with what they perceive as delay tactics by Trump and his defense team. They argue that Trump’s attempts to further postpone or derail the trial should be stopped. Trump’s lawyers, on the other hand, have accused the DA’s office of negligence in obtaining the records earlier and have called for the charges to be dismissed as a form of punishment.
In response to Trump’s demands for dismissal of charges and other extreme sanctions, the DA’s office has labeled the accusations of misconduct and malfeasance as unfounded. They argue that the evidence provided, although limited, is corroborative of existing evidence and contains witness statements that shed light on Cohen’s interactions with the Special Counsel investigating Russian interference.
At the center of the case against Trump are the hush money payments made by Michael Cohen to women who claimed to have had affairs with the former president. The allegations include falsification of business records related to a $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign. Trump has pleaded not guilty to these charges.
The DA’s office has placed blame on Trump for the late disclosures of evidence, accusing his legal team of not raising concerns about missing items earlier. They claim that it was only in January of this year that Trump’s team requested additional documents, leading to the last-minute disclosure of the evidence.
Despite the ongoing disagreements and delays, the DA’s office is pushing for the trial to move forward on April 15. They cite the agreed-upon delay to allow Trump’s team time to review the evidence and argue that the trial should not be postponed further. Trump’s lawyers, however, are seeking a 90-day delay, setting up a hearing on the matter scheduled for Monday.
The legal battle between former President Trump and the state prosecutors in New York continues to unfold with accusations, delays, and pushbacks from both sides. The outcome of the trial remains uncertain as the two parties engage in a legal tug-of-war over the evidence and the timeline of the proceedings.
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