There are probably no harder working people in America right now than the lawyers who are representing Donald Trump.
The former president is currently involved in a litany of legal cases that include everything from defamation to business fraud. All in all, the former Apprentice host is facing 91 felony counts in two different states and two separate federal districts. Any of these could technically land him a prison sentence, from his fraud trial in New York to the Bluthesque light treason he’s accused of, related to the classified documents he kept at his Florida residence. And then there’s the election subversion in Fulton County.
Despite the crushing weight of this tsunami of legal issues, Trump has seen some successes. For one, the amount he had to pay for a bond in the New York trial has dropped from nearly half a billion to around a quarter of that (which Trump has yet to pay, and he’s allegedly been denied the cash from lenders). He might catch another break soon, as his attorneys have asked the judge presiding over his Manhattan fraud case for a “significant” delay of the start date. The trial pertains to hush money that Trump allegedly paid the adult movie actress Stormy Daniels after he had an affair with her. His former lawyer Michael Cohen was the conduit for the payments, and has confirmed numerous times that events went down in an incriminating way for the current Republican presidential frontrunner.
His lawyers asked for a delay in March, but were denied. However, they are once again putting the request forward, this time arguing that Trump won’t be able to get a fair jury due to “prejudicial pretrial publicity.” Much of that publicity has come from Trump himself, who continues to attack the judge and relatives of the justice online in a truly chilling display of disdain for the rule of law. In a filing to the New York Supreme Court, Trump’s lawyers requested adjourning the trial until press coverage about the failed casino owner “abates.” Considering that he’s currently running for president and endlessly tweeting out nonsense from that garbled brain of his, it’s uncertain exactly when that might happen.
Trump has continued to heap trouble on himself thanks to his toddler-like impulses. Even though Judge Juan Merchan has imposed a gag order on the notorious golf cheat, Trump continues to skirt the edges of the law, attacking Merchan’s daughter but able to control himself long enough to not badmouth potential witnesses and those involved in the case, who are under the protection of the order. Despite the fact that it’s Trump spewing his rancid opinions via his failing social media site, Truth Social, his lawyers continue to argue the press are the ones in the wrong. They cited a survey of New Yorkers to claim that, “It is clear that potential jurors in Manhattan have been exposed to huge amounts of biased and unfair media coverage relating to this case,” (as per CNN). They then added, without a hint of irony, “Many of the potential jurors already wrongfully believe that President Trump is guilty.” Well, when the shoe full of evidence fits…
Trump’s lawyers have also taken umbrage at the fact their client is being reported as a rapist in the news, even though a civil trial last year found the former Republican president liable for sexually abusing the writer E. Jean Carroll three decades ago before horrifically defaming her when the story came out in the late 2010s. Additionally, there were accusations of the Manhattan D.A. office using “strategic leaks” to further target Trump, as well as unfounded claims that the sentencing of former Trump Org exec Allen Weisselberg was scheduled at a time that would specifically damage Trump’s chances in the fraud trial. Weisselberg was one of Trump’s top executives and last month pleaded guilty to perjury. He is set to be sentenced on April 10, which is just five days before the jury selection in the Stormy Daniels hush money case (assuming this attempt to move the start date fails).
Legal experts who spoke to CNN reported that a push back of the trial date was “unlikely.” This loss only adds to yet another bad week for Trump, which saw Trump Media stock plummet by a fifth as the company reported a huge loss for the last year. His personal net worth has also dropped massively.
Trump Media & Technology Group owns Truth Social among other platforms and products. According to a filing by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company expects to incur “losses for the foreseeable future.” Hopefully the same will be true of their crime-loving namesake.