Trump faces a crucial day in his hush-money trial, and a deadline to post bond

Former President Donald Trump is approaching a critical moment in his legal battles on Monday in New York. A judge in a criminal court may determine the date for his trial in the hush-money case, while he also faces a deadline to post a $454 million bond in a separate civil fraud case, or risk asset seizure.

Central to Monday’s proceedings is the accusation against Trump of falsifying business records to conceal an alleged affair with adult film actor Stormy Daniels during the 2016 campaign. This case, brought by New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg, highlights payments made through Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen to prevent Daniels from going public with the affair. Trump, pleading not guilty, criticized the recent release of over 100,000 documents by federal prosecutors as malfeasance, though Bragg argues these documents support the case.

Additionally, Trump is contending with a civil fraud judgment requiring him to post a substantial bond by Monday. Failure to do so could enable New York Attorney General Letitia James to begin seizing his properties. Trump has expressed to an appeals court that fulfilling the bond requirement is an impracticality due to his current financial liquidity. This legal confrontation comes on top of a previous $100 million judgment against Trump in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case, which he has also appealed.

Source: NPR