Judge delays Trump’s hush-money criminal trial until mid-April, citing last-minute evidence dump

FILE - Former President Donald Trump leaves Manhattan criminal court, Feb. 15, 2024, in New York. Judge Juan Manuel Merchan agreed Friday, March 16, to delay former President Donald Trumps hush-money criminal trial in New York until mid-April after his lawyers said they needed more time to sift through new evidence.

In a letter Friday, Merchan told Manhattan prosecutors and Trump's defense team that he wanted to assess “who, if anyone, is at fault for the late production of the documents,” whether it hurt either side and whether any sanctions are warranted. Trump’s lawyers raised the evidence issue last week, though their court filing wasn't made public until Thursday. In their motion, they made multiple requests. Among them, they asked for, which would push the start of the trial into the early summer; that certain witness testimony be precluded; and that Trump's charges be dismissed.“Trial on this matter is adjourned for 30 days from the date of this letter on consent of the People,” Merchan wrote, referring to the prosecution.

The evidence includes records about former Trump lawyer-turned-prosecution witness Michael Cohen that are “exculpatory and favorable to the defense,” Trump’s lawyers said. Prosecutors said most of the newly turned over material is “largely irrelevant to the subject matter of this case,” though some records are pertinent.

District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office said it requested the full file last year but the U.S. attorney’s office only turned over a subset of records. Trump’s lawyers received that material last June and had ample time to seek additional evidence from the federal probe, the district attorney’s office said.

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