A New York judge has scheduled an April 15 trial date for Donald Trump in what will be the first criminal case involving an ex-president, involving allegations that he falsified business records during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Judge Juan M. Merchan made the ruling Monday, but not before scolding the former president’s lawyers as he weighed when to reschedule the trial, after a last-minute document dump caused a postponement of the original date. Merchan had bristled at what he suggested were baseless defence claims of “prosecutorial misconduct.”
Trump’s defence team, which subpoenaed for the records in January, didn’t bring up concerns about potentially missing documents weeks earlier.
“Why did you wait until two months before trial? Why didn’t you do it in June or July [2023]?” Merchan asked Todd Blanche, a Trump lawyer.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to charges that he falsified business records. Manhattan prosecutors say Trump…
