On Wednesday, Donald Trump suffered another setback in his New York hush money trial as his eleventh attempt to delay it was rejected. The trial is now set to proceed with jury selection starting on Monday. The judge, Associate Justice Ellen Gesmer, did not provide a specific reason for the denial of Trump’s request for a delay.
Trump’s legal team had argued that there were unresolved defense issues, including a motion for the judge to recuse himself and other unspecified matters, that needed to be addressed before proceeding with jury selection. However, the appellate judge’s decision means that the trial will likely move forward. This will be Trump’s first of four pending felony trials in state court in Manhattan.
The trial centers around allegations that Trump falsified business documents to conceal a $130,000 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Prosecutors claim that this illegal payment influenced the outcome of the 2016 election by keeping Daniels silent just days before voters went to the polls. This latest legal battle comes after several failed attempts by Trump to delay the trial.
Trump’s attorney argued that jury selection should not proceed until unresolved defense motions, including a request for the judge to step down and a challenge to a recent courtroom rule, were addressed. The prosecutor countered that the defense’s efforts were too late and that Trump’s legal team had inundated the court with belated filings. Despite multiple attempts by Trump, this latest bid marks yet another defeat in his efforts to delay the trial.
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