NEW YORK, United States: A New York judge Friday ordered a 30-day delay in proceedings over Donald Trump’s trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments linked to extramarital affairs, that had been scheduled to get underway on March 25.
Judge Juan Merchan presiding over Donald Trump’s trial said in a court filing: “Trial on this matter is adjourned for 30 days from the date of this letter on consent of the People.”
“There are significant questions of fact which this Court must resolve before it may rule on Defendant’s motion,” Judge Juan Merchan wrote Friday. “Therefore, the Court agrees with Defendant that a prompt hearing is required on the pending discovery motion, the circumstances surrounding the document production by the USAO-SDNY and the scheduling of a trial date, if one is necessary,” Merchan wrote.
“Trial on this matter is adjourned for 30 days from the date of this letter on consent of the People. The court will set the new trial date, if necessary, when it rules on Defendants’ motion following the hearing,” the judge added.
The delay shows that judge Merchan is concerned about the dispute over production of the documents.
The former president is facing 34 charges of falsifying business records, stemming from reimbursements made to Trump’s former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen for hush money payments he made before the 2016 election to a porn film star Stormy Daniels alleging an affair with Trump. Trump has pleaded not guilty and denied the affair with her.
Trump’s attorneys had sought a delay of 90 days – or dismiss the case entirely – over recent records productions in the last 10 days from federal prosecutors. Trump lawyers argued that a 30-day delay was not enough.
The district attorney’s office blamed the ex-president’s team for the late production of material.
