A New York judge has ruled that Manhattan prosecutors are allowed to discuss multiple civil lawsuits related to former President Trump if he decides to testify in his current criminal trial.
Prosecutors have been given the green light to interrogate Trump regarding two verdicts that found him guilty of defaming advice columnist E. Jean Carroll by dismissing her allegations of sexual assault.
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The judge ruled that prosecutors have the authority to bring up the previous decision in Trump’s civil fraud trial, where he was found to have fraudulently manipulated property values. They can also reference the rulings that found Trump in violation of the gag order in that case. Additionally, Trump may be questioned about a 2018 ruling in a lawsuit involving his foundation.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) has been barred from mentioning the sanctions imposed on Trump in a lawsuit he filed against Hillary Clinton in Florida, as well as other “bad acts” that prosecutors wanted to question Trump about, according to a judge’s ruling.
In order to provide Trump’s legal team with a well-informed perspective, Judge Merchan’s ruling aims to assist them in considering whether or not the former president should testify in his defense.
Trump has made multiple statements indicating his willingness to testify, although it is uncommon for a defendant in a criminal case to do so. It is important to note that Trump is not obligated to take the stand, and the jury is prohibited from using his decision not to testify against him.
During the Friday arguments, Emil Bove, the attorney representing Trump, argued that bringing up Carroll’s case would be too scandalous and advised the judge against allowing prosecutors to mention it.
According to Bove, the case “takes the salaciousness to a whole new level. It revolves around the documents.”
Former President Trump is currently facing 34 charges of falsifying business records in his ongoing New York criminal case. This case is centered around a hush money agreement made with an adult film actress prior to the 2016 election. Trump has maintained his plea of not guilty.
