Washington — With the official indictment unveiled on Tuesday, the case for the trial of former US President Donald Trump begins to take its legal dimensions seriously, which could culminate in a criminal trial.

Trump pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to 34 criminal charges related to his alleged role in secretly paying a pornographic actress on the eve of the 2016 election, marking the first criminal charges against a former U.S. president.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing, arguing that the investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office for the New York District of New York Democrat Alvin Bragg is politically motivated and aims to obstruct his candidacy for the 2024 election.


What's next?

At some point in the coming months, a trial date will be set, as Assistant District Attorney Catherine Macau said yesterday that prosecutors intend to demand that the trial begin in January 2024, 10 months before the next presidential election, noting that the trial could be preceded by a hearing on December <>.

However, such a date could be postponed depending on the pace of activity of the prosecution, the defence and the rest of the parties before the trial, and lawyers and legal specialists have said the trial could be postponed for a year or more, putting it at the heart of the upcoming presidential campaign season.

According to US due process, shortly after the indictment, the prosecution is legally obligated to hand over the evidence gathered as part of its preliminary investigation to the defense team, as the evidence includes information consisting of grand jury deliberations, transcripts of witness testimony and evidence that will give the defense team a clear and complete picture so that it can properly prepare its case.


Expected scenarios

After the defense team receives the evidence, the Trump team is likely to better assess the legal dimensions of the case and prepare pretrial requests.

Trump's lawyers could move to dismiss the indictment on a range of grounds, including that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg filed the case too late, or that the legal theory on which the call is based is not well founded.

Trump, who has already attacked the judge overseeing the case, could make a host of other proposals as well, including a request to move the case out of Manhattan, especially since Trump has publicly complained that he is unlikely to be treated fairly in Manhattan court and suggested moving the case to another New York City area, Staten Island, which leans more Republicans than the rest of New York.

In addition, in the run-up to the trial, Trump's lawyers are likely to file legal briefs that will stir controversy over what evidence jurors will be allowed to hear.

Whether the court will ultimately rule on the case, legally this does not necessarily happen, as Judge Juan Mercán can legally quash the case before trial, on the basis of the absence of convincing evidence or procedural errors.

In addition, Trump could change his plea from not guilty to guilty at some point, which would significantly shorten the life of the case and possibly end it immediately.

Many questions arise about whether Trump would spend any time in prison if convicted in the case, which most legal experts rule out, given that the charges he faces are relatively small crimes, meaning that even if convicted, he is unlikely to face jail time as a first-time criminal.