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Donald Trump: It is the first time in US history that a former president has to answer in a criminal case
Photo: Mike Stewart / AP
Donald Trump has gained time.
The start of the New York trial regarding allegedly covered-up hush money payments to a porn actress, originally expected for the week after next, has been postponed.
The judge in charge postponed the first trial date by 30 days.
The reason: The federal prosecutor's office in New York, which had been investigating the case in parallel, recently handed over more than 100,000 pages of evidence and announced tens of thousands more.
According to the former president's lawyers, that's not enough: the late disclosure of evidence is affecting their preparation, which is why they even asked for a 90-day postponement.
It is the first time in the history of the United States that a former president has to face criminal charges.
At the center of the proceedings is the porn actress Stormy Daniels.
Trump is accused of falsifying business documents in connection with a hush money payment to her.
Daniels said he had sex with Trump in 2006, who was married at the time and had had a son just months earlier.
According to his own statements, Trump's lawyer at the time, Michael Cohen, who has since moved on from him, paid hush money to Daniels on Trump's behalf in 2016.
While Trump has denied having a sexual encounter with Daniels, he acknowledged reimbursing Cohen for his payment to her.
The judge's decision to postpone the criminal trial can be seen as another victory for the ex-president.
There are several cases underway against the Republican, in which he rejects all allegations without exception.
Trump's lawyers have recently repeatedly tried to delay the trials against him until after the presidential election in November with new court applications, objections and other legal moves.
spr/Reuters