Manhattan Prosecutors Respond to Trump’s Allegations of Hidden Information in Criminal Case
The Manhattan District Attorney’s office has stated that fewer than 270 documents recently handed over to Donald Trump by federal authorities are new and pertinent to the ongoing criminal case regarding hush money payments. No further postponement of the trial is deemed necessary due to this development, according to the prosecutors.
In a filing with Judge Juan Merchan on March 23, Manhattan prosecutors denied Trump’s request to dismiss the indictment and delay the trial for 90 days. The trial had been scheduled to commence on March 25, but was postponed until at least April 15 due to the dispute surrounding the disclosure of information.
The prosecutors emphasized that only a small number, estimated to be fewer than 270 documents, of the 33,000 records produced on March 13 contain new material that has not been shared with Trump. They explained that most of these documents are incriminating and serve to corroborate existing evidence against the former president.
Trump’s accusations of prosecutorial misconduct were deemed “wholly unfounded” by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, with circumstances not approaching those warranting the severe sanctions Trump had sought.
Prosecutors pointed out that they took decisive measures to secure records from federal prosecutors, including requesting and subsequently sharing with Trump extensive evidence related to Michael Cohen’s campaign finance convictions. They also noted that the tardy delivery of records from the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York was directly attributable to Trump’s lawyers’ unexplained and strategic delay in identifying perceived deficiencies in the People’s disclosures and taking independent actions to obtain that evidence.
The prosecutors concluded their filing by advocating that the trial should no longer be delayed, emphasizing that they are prepared to proceed and have taken measures to ensure a fair and expeditious trial. Judge Merchan is scheduled to hold a hearing on March 25 to discuss the matter further.
In summary, Manhattan prosecutors asserted that they have acted diligently in disclosing all relevant information and that only a small number of new documents, which are primarily incriminating, have been handed over to Trump. They deny any allegations of misconduct and argue that the trial should not be postponed further. The judge is set to discuss the matter in detail at the upcoming hearing on March 25.
