Donald Trump has become the first American president in history to go on trial on criminal charges, after his hush money case got under way in New York.
Mr Trump denies the affair and any wrongdoing in the case after being hit with 34 felony charges by Mr Bragg a little over a year ago.
Ms Daniels, former Playboy model Karen McDougal, Mr Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen, National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, ex-campaign aide Hope Hicks and perhaps even Mr Trump himself could all be compelled to appear as witnesses in what promises to be a sensational multi-week trial.
Should Mr Trump ultimately be found guilty, he could theoretically face more than a decade in prison, according to CNN chief legal analyst Laura Coates, who points out that the felony counts against Mr Trump are classified as Class E crimes in New York, which are the lowest level felonies in the state.
Given that Mr Trump also has no prior criminal record and the crimes of which he stands accused are non-violent in nature, Judge Juan Merchan could ultimately incline towards leniency and only sentence him to a fraction of the maximum jail time allowed.
Alternatively, the justice could simply choose to place him on probation, with the threat of imprisonment hanging over the defendant in the event that he does not abide by any conditions that are ultimately imposed upon him.
The hush money trial finally got under way in Manhattan on 15 April.
Now, opening statements are expected in the case on Monday 22 April.
After his hush money case began in New York, Donald Trump became the first president of the United States in history to go on trial for criminal charges.
In order to allegedly hide a covert payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign to guarantee her silence over an alleged extramarital affair a decade earlier, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg accuses the presumed Republican nominee for president in 2024 of falsifying his business records, a felony in the state of New York.
A little more than a year ago, Mr. Bragg filed 34 felony charges against Mr. Trump. Since then, he has denied both the affair and any wrongdoing.
Former Playboy model Karen McDougal, National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, Ms. Daniels, former campaign aide Hope Hicks, Michael Cohen, the former personal attorney of Mr. Trump, and possibly even Mr. Trump himself may be forced to testify in what looks to be an exciting multi-week trial.
CNN chief legal analyst Laura Coates notes that the felony counts against Mr. Trump are classified as Class E crimes in New York, which are the lowest level felonies in the state, meaning that if he is ultimately found guilty, he could potentially spend more than ten years in prison.
Although New York sets a 20-year sentencing cap for this kind of offense, as Ms. Coates explains, the judge decides whether the sentences run concurrently or consecutively. The maximum sentence for each count is four years in prison, which would total 136 years behind bars.
Judge Juan Merchan may ultimately lean towards leniency and only sentence Mr. Trump to a small portion of the maximum jail time permitted because he has no prior criminal record and the crimes of which he is accused are non-violent in nature.
Or, the judge might decide to just put him on probation, threatening to put him behind bars should he fail to follow any final orders.
What kind of protection—if any—would former President Trump receive from the Secret Service while he is incarcerated and what would happen if he were found guilty of a crime but went on to win the presidency in November are the more important questions surrounding the hypothetical imprisonment of Mr. Trump.
The 45th President is not only fighting three additional criminal indictments in Florida, Georgia, and Washington, DC, but he is also appealing two more judgments against him in New York that recently required him to post multi-million dollar bonds. All of this is on top of his late bid for a second term in office.
On April 15, the Manhattan hush money trial finally began. On Monday, April 22, opening statements in the case are now anticipated.
