The subject matter of the cases couldn’t be more different. In New York, former President Donald Trump is accused of paying hush money to a porn star. In Georgia, he’s charged with conspiring to overturn President Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election.
But when Trump goes on trial in New York beginning Monday, it could have implications for the Georgia election interference case. Here’s what you need to know:
The charges: Last year Manhattan prosecutors charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records. The charges stem from payments Trump made to attorney Michael Cohen during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Among other things, Cohen said he used the money to pay $130,000 to porn actor Stormy Daniels and $150,000 to Playboy model Karen McDougal to suppress their claims of extramarital sexual encounters with Trump. Prosecutors say Trump falsified his company’s records to hide the nature of the payments.
Trump’s response: The former president has denied having sexual encounters with the women and pleaded not guilty to the charges. His lawyers sought to have the charges dismissed, arguing the payments to Cohen were legitimate legal expenses and no crime was committed.
New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan rejected Trump’s request to dismiss the charges as legally insufficient. But convincing a jury that a crime was committed may be another matter.
The trial is expected to last about six weeks.
Impact on Georgia case: In Georgia, Trump and 14 other remaining defendants are charged in an alleged scheme to overturn Biden’s victory. The case has not yet been set for trial.
Experts differ on whether the New York trial could affect the Georgia case.
If Trump is acquitted in New York or if there’s a hung jury, there likely would be minimal impact on the Georgia case, according to Denise de La Rue, a jury and trial consultant based in Decatur. But if there’s a conviction?
“Heaven only knows, because of all the events that might follow that conviction, right?” de La Rue said.
“There are so many different scenarios there,” she said. “Would former President Trump be sentenced to do time? Would people protest that decision? Would we have another, you know, major event or major events based on that?”
De La Rue said a conviction and subsequent developments could have a “profound effect” on potential jurors in any of the other Trump criminal cases. She said jurors who already believe Trump is a “bad dude” could be more inclined to convict him. Likewise, ardent Trump supporters might become more determined to get on a jury to see that he’s not convicted again, she said.
Nick Akerman, a New York lawyer who served as an assistant special prosecutor with the Watergate Special Prosecution Force, doesn’t believe the New York trial will affect the other cases. He said the facts of the cases are too different.
Akerman said judges will take extra care to ensure they have fair and impartial juries. And he said most people just don’t pay attention even to high-profile cases like the ones involving Trump.
“You’ll be shocked about how many people are clueless about what’s going on,” Akerman said. “It never ceases to amaze me how you can come up with people who can be fair and impartial.”
If Trump is acquitted in New York, Akerman said Trump “obviously will try to use that to undermine the other cases. But there’s only so much he can do.”
What’s at stake: If convicted, Trump’s sentence could range from probation to up to four years in prison for each count. But the stakes go beyond his personal liberty.
Trump is the first former president to face criminal charges. He’s also the presumptive Republican nominee for president this year.
Most polls show him with a lead over Biden. But polls also show many voters would not vote for a candidate who had been convicted of a felony.
Trump has been charged in four separate criminal cases. In addition to the Georgia and New York cases, he faces charges in two federal cases – one stemming from his actions to overturn Biden’s victory and the other from his handling of classified government documents.
With the other cases proceeding slowly, the New York trial may be the only one to conclude before the November election.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
