Trump’s historic hush-money trial is underway

The first-ever criminal trial of a former US president officially kicked off yesterday, with Donald Trump appearing in a New York City courtroom for the start of jury selection.

More details… The case centers around allegations that Trump broke the law by covering up a $130,000 hush-money payment made months before the 2016 election to a woman who said she had an affair with Trump one decade prior.

• Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal lawyer, pleaded guilty in 2018 to campaign finance violations for initially making the hush-money payment, and later receiving reimbursement from Trump after he was elected president.
• Trump is facing 34 Class E felony counts – the lowest level of felony – over accusations that 34 separate business records were falsified to cover up the alleged hush-money payment, which itself isn’t illegal.

Trump’s defense: The former president has pleaded not guilty to all charges and denied having an affair with the woman. Trump has also acknowledged reimbursing Cohen, but said he didn’t know details about what Cohen was doing with the money. Trump’s lawyers are expected to portray Cohen as someone who strongly dislikes the former president, and whose testimony shouldn’t be trusted.

👀 Looking ahead… Jury selection in the case could take a week or more, while the overall trial is expected to take six to eight weeks. Trump is technically facing a maximum of 136 years in prison if convicted on all counts – though first-time offenders typically avoid any jail time.

• When it comes to the November election, experts say the New York criminal case won’t have any legal impact on his presidential campaign, even if Trump is convicted. But whether the case will impact Trump politically is still unclear.