Tuesday, April 16, 2024
Year : 2, Issue : 16
The New York judge overseeing former President Trump’s hush money trial said Monday that Trump cannot attend arguments on presidential immunity at the Supreme Court next week.
It came after the judge earlier delayed a decision on allowing Trump to attend his son Barron’s high school graduation in May.
The attempts by Trump to take off certain days of his hush money trial that is expected to last weeks, if not months, came as the first day of trial was officially underway in Manhattan.
The decision to not allow Trump to be in Washington, D.C., on April 25, when the Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments on a presidential immunity claim Trump is making in his federal criminal case, came just before the New York trial adjourned Monday.
“Arguing before the Supreme Court is a big deal, and I can certainly appreciate why your client would want to be there, but a trial in New York Supreme Court … is also a big deal,” Judge Juan Merchan said to Trump lawyer Todd Blanche, rejecting his request to let the former president play hooky.
“I will see him here next week,” the judge added.
Under New York state law, Trump is required to attend the entirety of his trial unless he gets special permission from the judge to skip.
Trump is accused of 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment his ex-fixer, Michael Cohen, made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election to cover up an alleged affair. He has pleaded not guilty and denies the affair.
Source: The Hill
