Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox
Get our free Inside Washington email
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has asked the judge overseeing the criminal case against Donald Trump for an utmost of 30-day delay in trial – just two weeks before it is set to occur.
On Thursday, Mr Bragg asked a judge to push back the trial so prosecutors could review approximately 31,000 pages of records that were submitted by the United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) on Wednesday.
Those records, which Mr Bragg said were requested more than a year ago, are related to a federal investigation into Michael Cohen – whose testimony Mr Bragg used to build the case in which he is accusing Mr Trump of falsifying business records.
Mr Bragg said that while most of the filings are unrelated to the case, he noted approximately 172 pages of witness statements could be relevant. He added that prosecutors are prepared to go to trial as expected on 25 March and find no merit for dismissal but “do not oppose a brief adjournment of up to 30 days”.
The former president’s team sought to delay the case earlier this week when they asked Judge Juan Merchan to pause the trial until the US Supreme Court rules on his “presidential immunity” claim.
(REUTERS)
The Manhattan criminal case against Mr Trump, who is the Republican frontrunner, was set to be the first of his trials to occur before Election Day.
So far, Mr Trump’s team has successfully delayed his criminal trial in Washington DC and Florida through various motions to dismiss and appeals. The criminal trial against him in Georgia was slated to go to trial in August, though it’s highly questionable whether that proposed date will remain firm.
Delaying trials is part of the former president’s legal strategy in his effort to seek re-election this year.
This is a breaking news story, more follows…
