This will make Trump the first former president in U.S. history to stand trial.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump’s historic criminal trial is set to kick off in a Manhattan courtroom Monday.
This will make Trump the first former president in U.S. history to stand trial.
The former president arrived at the New York court on Monday for the start of jury selection in his hush money trial, CBS News reports.
The proceedings before Judge Juan Merchan are set to move forward after Trump made multiple attempts to delay them, resulting in a string of losses that failed to derail the trial's start.
The prosecution by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg stems from allegations Trump made a "hush money" payment to an adult film star in an effort to conceal damaging information about him during the 2016 election.
This is the first of four criminal cases involving Trump to go to trial and comes as the former president pushes to return to the White House for a second term.
He has pleaded not guilty to all charges he faces and claims the prosecutions are politically motivated.
At the heart of this case is a payment made days before Trump was elected president in 2016. His attorney at the time, Michael Cohen, paid $130,000 to adult film star Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, in exchange for her silence about an alleged affair, which Trump denies.
Prosecutors say Cohen was then reimbursed by Trump in a series of 12 monthly payments from the Trump Organization that were logged and characterized as checks for ongoing legal services, as opposed to repayments for the hush money. Trump is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records and has pleaded not guilty.
Justice Juan Merchan will explain the case to potential jurors with these words, according to a court filing:
"The allegations are, in substance, that Donald Trump falsified business records to conceal an agreement with others to unlawfully influence the 2016 presidential election. Specifically, it is alleged that Donald Trump made or caused false business records to hide the true nature of payments made to Michael Cohen, by characterizing them as payment for legal services rendered pursuant to a retainer agreement. The People allege that in fact, the payments were intended to reimburse Michael Cohen for money he paid to Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels, in the weeks before the presidential election to prevent her from publicly revealing details about a past sexual encounter with Donald Trump."
Last Wednesday, SaharaReporters reported that former Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg had been sentenced to five months imprisonment after pleading guilty in March to perjury charges.
He admitted to lying to investigators and a judge about Trump's finances.
Judge Laurie Peterson handed down the sentence at a hearing in Manhattan criminal court.
Weisselberg was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs.