Donald Trump’s felony hush cash trial is now actually underway with the prosecution and defence groups having introduced their opening statements.
Tabloid mogul David Pecker, who owned The Nationwide Enquirer and was a part of the “catch-and-kill” scheme on the coronary heart of the case, has additionally begun giving testimony.
Because the day started Choose Juan Merchan dominated that prosecutors can query Mr Trump a few blockbuster fraud ruling, gag order violations and defamation verdicts if he chooses to testify.
Courtroom has now adjourned for the Passover vacation and can reconvene on Tuesday morning.
The defendant has been vociferously complaining concerning the case on Reality Social and angrily posting his presidential immunity claims — arguments about which the Supreme Courtroom will hear on Thursday.
Elsewhere among the many former president’s myriad authorized points, an settlement has been reached over Mr Trump’s $175m bond to attraction the civil fraud trial ruling and witness statements within the categorised paperwork case have been made public.
In the meantime, figures launched by the Federal Election Fee revealed authorized charges had eaten up three-quarters of the money raised by pro-Trump Save America PAC.
Alex Woodward is offering reside updates from the courthouse in Decrease Manhattan all through the trial.
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Trump gripes about not with the ability to attend Supreme Courtroom immunity arguments
Donald Trump is having to face the realities of being on trial for felony prices — he must be in courtroom day by day it’s in session. That features lacking oral arguments within the Supreme Courtroom that may enormously affect his different felony circumstances…
The previous president wrote on Reality Social this afternoon:
The Supreme Courtroom will deal with the historic query of Presidential Immunity on Thursday, however sadly, I won’t be able to attend. The Extremely Conflicted Choose within the Manhattan D.A. “case” (Soros-backed Alvin Bragg) has prohibited me from attending. With out Presidential Immunity, the President can not operate, as his Political Opponents will blackmail and extort him with the specter of wrongful prosecution at each flip. We look ahead to presenting our case to the Supreme Courtroom.
He has been eager about presidential immunity rather a lot, spending a lot of Saturday posting about it too.
Mr Trump additionally wrote the next this afternoon:
With out Immunity, the Presidency, as we all know it, will now not exist. Many actions for the advantage of our Nation is not going to be taken. That is on no account what the Founders had in thoughts. Authorized Specialists and Students have said that the President will need to have Full Presidential Immunity. A President have to be free to make correct choices. His thoughts have to be clear, and he should not be guided by concern of retribution!
With out Presidential Immunity, a President won’t be able to correctly operate, or make choices, in the most effective curiosity of america of America. Presidents will all the time be involved, and even paralyzed, by the prospect of wrongful prosecution and retaliation, after they go away workplace. This might really result in extortion and blackmail of a President. The opposite facet would say, “If you happen to don’t do one thing, simply the best way we wish it, we’re going to go after you if you go away workplace, or maybe even sooner.” A President must be free to find out what is true for our Nation, with no undue stress!
Right here’s what particular counsel Jack Smith has to say concerning the topic:
Oliver O’Connell22 April 2024 22:58
Watch Trump response as he’s quizzed on Melania whereabouts at felony trial
Donald Trump ignored questions on the whereabouts of his spouse, Melania Trump, as he appeared at a New York courthouse on Monday, 22 April, for opening statements in his felony trial to start. The previous first woman has been absent for months in her husband’s newest run for the White Home, however plans to attend a fundraiser on Saturday for an advocacy group for LGBT+ members of the GOP. Ignoring a query about his spouse, Mr Trump stated the felony trial was “election interference” in a rant repeating his claims additionally it is a “witch-hunt.”
Oliver O’Connell22 April 2024 22:30
Trump’s authorized charges eat into his marketing campaign funds
Donald Trump’s authorized charges are taking a piece out of his marketing campaign funds – with one of many teams that has underwritten a lot of these prices having spent almost $3.7m final month.
Figures launched by the Federal Election Fee (FEC) present that is what the Save America political motion committee (PAC) spent in March, amounting to almost three in each 4 {dollars} it raised throughout the identical interval.
Martha McHardy has the small print:
Oliver O’Connell22 April 2024 22:00
Inside Trump’s ‘calendar of chaos’
In a typical presidential election 12 months, candidates will spend the 11 months main as much as election day shaking fingers and kissing infants at rallies because the primaries unfold.
As a substitute, the ex-president will likely be compelled to juggle his marketing campaign for the White Home whereas additionally defending himself in federal and state courts in 4 totally different circumstances which have hearings and trial dates scattered all through 2024.
Ariana Baio takes us by Trump’s calendar of chaos:
Oliver O’Connell22 April 2024 21:30
Evaluation: Three causes Mike Johnson’s job is secure — and one cause it won’t be
And similar to that, after months of dragged out negotiations and false begins, the Home of Representatives handed laws to help Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
The vote confirmed a surprising about-face for Home Speaker Mike Johnson, who as a backbencher opposed help to Ukraine. Since then, he’s been hailed for standing as much as his occasion — despite the fact that he solely did so after he’d exhausted all different choices. (Readers of Inside Washington might bear in mind I known as Johnson a coward a couple of months in the past for refusing to place the Ukraine invoice to the ground).
However the vote means Johnson has to contemplate whether or not Consultant Marjorie Taylor Greene, the right-wing conspiracy theorist and acolyte of Donald Trump, will carry by together with her threats and truly topple him from his job.
Oliver O’Connell22 April 2024 21:00
What’s the Trump defence technique?
A member of Donald Trump’s authorized workforce divulged the defence’s plan to “deal with the information” to indicate that the previous president did nothing improper, in the future earlier than the opening arguments are set to start within the landmark hush cash trial.
Oliver O’Connell22 April 2024 20:40
Watch: Trump once more assaults key witness Cohen in defiance of gag order
With lower than 24 hours earlier than Choose Juan Merchan holds a contempt of courtroom listening to and guidelines on gag order violations by Donald Trump, the previous president was at it once more within the hallway instantly exterior the courtroom, attacking key witness Michael Cohen.
Oliver O’Connell22 April 2024 20:20
Trump assaults Biden with declare he’s making an attempt to ‘ban TikTok’ — which he repeatedly tried and didn’t do
Donald Trump is making an attempt accountable President Joe Biden for the invoice handed by the Home of Representatives on Saturday that desires the Chinese language-owned mum or dad of TikTok to promote the app.
The previous president is making an attempt to make use of the false story as a pitch to younger voters who he’s hoping received’t do not forget that he tried to ban or pressure the sale of TikTok repeatedly when he was president – together with saying a ban to reporters on Air Power One in July 2020.
John Bresnahan of Punchbowl Information notes that Mr Trump reversed his place on the app after a latest assembly with GOP mega-donor Jeff Yass, who owns a multi-billion greenback stake within the firm.
Oliver O’Connell22 April 2024 20:10
New Pearl Jam music is about Donald Trump ‘enjoying the sufferer’
“Wreckage” seems on Darkish Matter, the Seattle band’s twelfth album, which was launched on Friday (19 April).
Singer-songwriter Vedder, 59, informed The Occasions that the music represents an attraction for unity.
Oliver O’Connell22 April 2024 20:00
Watch: Biden marketing campaign and White Home ‘well-served by being hands-off’ on Trump trial
Oliver O’Connell22 April 2024 19:40