New York hearing: DA Bragg is in the courtroom
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has entered the courtroom. He is seated in the public gallery with his team.
New York hearing: Trump is at the courthouse
Trump has arrived at the courthouse in lower Manhattan and entered the building a few minutes ago, an official outside of the court said.
New York hearing: Security is tight at the courthouse
Reporters lined up overnight in frigid temperatures to get a seat in the courtroom for this historic event, the first criminal prosecution of a former president.
Trump will enter the courthouse at the same entrance, the district attorney’s office on Hogan Place, that he arrived at last April for his arraignment.
Security is extremely tight both outside and inside the courthouse, with everyone going through two sets of magnetometers before they enter the courtroom on the 15th floor of Manhattan criminal court.
Trump did not have to be here today after Judge Juan Merchan had waived his appearance, but the former president chose to show up.
The case involves Trump’s payoff to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election, allegedly to cover up an extramarital affair, which prosecutors say amounted to an illegal campaign contribution. Trump’s attorneys say there was nothing illegal about the payment.
New York hearing: Trump is en route to the courthouse
Trump just left Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan and is expected to head to the courthouse in lower Manhattan, witnesses told NBC News.
Georgia hearing: Judge says it’s 'possible' D.A. Fani Willis could be disqualified
ATLANTA — The Georgia judge presiding over the election interference case against former President Donald Trump gave the green light Monday for a hearing this week involving misconduct allegations against Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and said her disqualification from the case is “possible.”
Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee made the remarks at a hearing where he denied Willis’ bid to toss out a subpoena for her testimony at the hearing Thursday, at least for now.
“Disqualification can occur if evidence is produced demonstrating an actual conflict or the appearance of one,” he said. One of Trump’s co-defendants in the election case, Michael Roman, alleged that Willis and prosecutor Nathan Wade had “a personal relationship” that was “improper.”
“That is no longer a matter of complete speculation,” McAfee said. “The state has admitted a relationship existed, and so what remains to be proven is the existence and extent of any financial benefit, if there even was one.
“Because I think it’s possible that the facts alleged by the defendant could result in disqualification, I think an evidentiary hearing must occur to establish the record on those core allegations,” he added.
With a little more than a week until South Carolina’s Republican primary, Donald Trump is expected back in Manhattan as a judge is set to decide if the former president must go to trial next month. Prosecutors are accusing him of doctoring his company’s books to bury evidence of an alleged affair ahead of the 2016 election. NBC’s Laura Jarrett reports for "TODAY."
New York hearing: Hush money case marks the first time a former president has faced criminal charges
A grand jury in New York City voted in March 2023 to indict Donald Trump — the first time a former U.S. president has faced criminal charges.
The historic indictment comes in a case centered on $130,000 in payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the closing days of the 2016 presidential campaign. Daniels claimed she slept with the married Trump in 2006, a claim he has denied. Trump had classified his reimbursement of the payout as a legal expense.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to all 34 charges.
New York hearing: Trump to attend New York hush money case hearing Thursday
Former President Donald Trump will attend a hearing Thursday that is expected to determine a timetable for the trial in the New York hush money case against him, his lawyer said Tuesday.New York Judge Juan Merchan’s hearing on Thursday, where he will also address Trump’s motions to dismiss the case, will likely shape the first felony trial against the former president. Last year, the judge decided that the trial would begin on March 25, though that date seemed to be up in the air because of charges facing Trump in the federal election interference case.
In New York, Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential bid. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.