It’s no secret that former United States president, Donald Trump, has had ongoing legal issues and trials for a long while now. In particular, a trial concerning his alleged falsification of his business records is very relevant as of now due to it beginning on April 15th of this year in Manhattan. If Trump is found guilty of falsification or of continually violating his gag order, he has potential to become  the first ex-president to be imprisoned.

The prosecution, The People of the State of New York (The State Government), alleges that during 34 various occasions in 2017, Donald Trump deliberately made false entries in the business records of the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust which is owned by the Trump Organization. They allege that this was done to conceal payments made to Michael Cohen in an attempt to reimburse him for earlier payments made to pornographic film star Stormy Daniels to buy her silence on an earlier alleged affair with  Trump. They also allege that this money was used to illegally violate campaign finance laws, illegally influence the 2016 Presidential Election, and commit tax fraud. Trump is currently being charged  with 34 counts of Falsification of Business Records in the First Degree.

The defense, Trump and his lawyers, argue that these entries were nothing but legitimate legal expenses paid to Michael Cohen for his work as a lawyer. They also claim that Michael Cohen’s proven legal wrongdoing was completely unrelated to Trump or to their business partnership. 

The defense is also attacking the motivation of the charges by claiming that the trial’s judge, Juan M. Merchan is biased. Merchan is being accused of unfairly imposing a gag order on Trump concerning his attacks on the proceedings. The defense is also saying that the entire case is improperly based on a political bias against Trump’s views and his 2024 presidential campaign.

Another factor is Donald Trump’s violation of his gag order and the subsequent fine of $9,000 which happened early in the trial. The judge threatened prison time if Trump further violates his gag order. There have been major attacks on the credibility of witnesses and opposing lawyers within the case thus far. This isn’t unexpected given the charged nature of the accusations and the trial’s importance to the upcoming 2024 presidential election.

By Rui Wang