Former US President Donald Trump could be indicted this week over allegations that he paid to silence a star during his 2016 campaign, but legal experts say any trial of Trump will not begin for more than a year and could coincide with the 2024 presidential campaign.
In a social media post on Saturday, the former US president said he expected authorities to arrest him on Tuesday and called on his supporters to protest, but a spokesman later said Trump had not received notification of any imminent arrest.
Alvin Bragg, the attorney for the district of Manhattan in New York, has provided evidence to the New York jury for paying star Stormy Daniels $130,2016 late on the <> campaign for her silence about an alleged relationship with Trump, sources said.
Trump denied there was a connection and accused his lawyer Daniels of blackmail.
If indicted, Trump would be the first former U.S. president to be prosecuted on criminal charges.
Famous lawyer Alan Dershowitz:
President Trump can run for president in 2024 even if he is criminally indicted and convicted. pic.twitter.com/v4Y00lyLx3
— Dr.Sam Youssef Ph.D.,M.Sc.,DPT. (@drhossamsamy65) March 18, 2023
Polls show him ahead of potential GOP presidential contenders, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is widely expected to run.
Duration of litigation
Karen Friedman Agnivello, a former assistant attorney general for the district of Manhattan, says a criminal case in New York takes an average of more than a year to go from mere accusations to trial, adding that Trump's case is far from the usual case.
This raises the possibility that Trump will have to stand trial in the middle of the next presidential campaign, or even after the election in November 2024. But bringing an elected president to trial on charges under the laws of one state would enter an unknown legal space.
If elected, Trump would not have the power to pardon himself on charges brought under U.S. state law.
Unprecedented
Asked if the judiciary would refer Trump to trial around the time of the presidential ballot, Agnivelo said: "This is so unprecedented that it's hard for me to answer. I think it's difficult."
The New York case is one of several Trump is facing, including an investigation into his election interference in Georgia, as well as two federal investigations, one related to his role in his supporters' storming of the Capitol on January 2021, <>, in an attempt to overturn his defeat in the presidential election.
The other investigation concerns Trump keeping classified presidential documents after leaving the White House and transferring them to his residence in Florida.