Despite attempts to delay, Trump's hush money affair goes to court on Monday. A process that could become private for Trump - and also for his wife Melania.
Washington DC – It starts on Monday (April 15th). The trial against former US President Donald Trump over the Stormy Daniels hush money affair begins. The trial is just one of four criminal trials with a total of 91 charges that are underway against Trump. Former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham now told
CNN
about the "very personal charges" in the trial for Trump - and Trump's alleged concern for his wife and former first lady Melania Trump,
Newsweek
reported .
The trial against Trump in New York begins on Monday and revolves around the alleged relationship between Trump and the erotic actress Stormy Daniels. In 2016, Trump is said to have paid hush money to Daniels, who, according to her own account, had an affair with the married Trump in 2006. Grisham told CNN that she was there when the alleged affair became public and experienced Melania Trump's reaction.
Former press secretary about Melania and allegations against Trump: “It’s humiliating for her”
When Daniels first made the allegations public, Trump's wife "did not take the allegations lightly," Grisham said. She therefore refused to accompany her husband Trump to the State of the Union address. Grisham speculated that Melania could pressure Trump to take the stand and defend himself. "It's humiliating for them, and I can guarantee you that," Grisham told
CNN
.
Grisham is increasingly critical of the former president. After the storming of the Capitol in 2021, she resigned as chief of staff for Melania Trump. Trump's former White House press secretary is sure that he is "worried" about Melania Trump before the trial, she said in an interview with
CNN
.
Trump tried to postpone the trial three times in one week
The accused ex-president is also apparently worried about the upcoming trial itself. For the third time in a week, Trump failed in his attempts to postpone the trial before the New York Court of Appeals on Thursday. A verdict in this case could therefore be expected even before the US election. In November, Trump will most likely enter the Republican presidential race again.
Allegations in the Trump trial: Covering up the hush money payment to an erotic actress
In the case surrounding the hush money affair, Trump is accused of trying to cover up the payment of $130,000 to the erotic actress by using fake business documents. This is the first time in US history that a former US president has been criminally charged in court. Trump has to answer for 34 criminal offenses in this trial.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg accuses Trump of manipulating his companies' financial records and orchestrating a plot to influence the 2016 presidential election. The trial could be the only one in which a verdict could be reached before the presidential election in November.
The process is expected to last six weeks. If convicted, Trump could face up to four years in prison on each of the 34 charges, according to
Time magazine
. The maximum possible prison sentence is 136 years.
Unsure whether Trump would face prison time after the verdict
According to legal experts, there is no guarantee that a conviction in Trump's trial would actually result in a prison sentence,
Time magazine
reported . This assessment comes about because Trump has no criminal record and is in an unprecedented position due to his likely candidacy for president. No matter what the verdict is, Trump would not be prevented from running for the next US presidency anyway.
After Trump's numerous attempts to delay the trial on Monday, it still seems unclear how many more attempts the former president will make to delay the trial. So far no chance of success. Stormy Daniels should also be able to testify in the trial. So far, Trump's lawyers have always tried to prevent Daniels from speaking in court.
(pav)