Donald Trump is due to return to court on December 4 after his historic arraignment in which he pleaded not guilty in a Manhattan court on Tuesday afternoon.
The former president faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to allegedly paying bribes to porn actress Stormy Daniels in 2016.
Prosecutors asked Judge Juan Merchán for a trial date of January 2024. However, the judge refused, and the actual trial date is expected to be around next spring, the New York Post reported.
The case, brought forward by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, has been criticized by Trump and his legal team, alleging that the accusation “is without facts.
“Manhattan is home to the largest commercial market in the country. We cannot allow New York companies to manipulate their records to cover up criminal conduct,” Braagg said in a recent statement on the Republican magnate’s indictment.
Meanwhile, members of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said in court on Tuesday that they plan to call Stormy Daniels as a witness in the case against Trump, according to information from CNN.
Daniels has become a focus of the case, allegedly receiving $130,000 through Trump’s attorney, Michael Cohen, which the prosecutor’s office says was facilitated through falsified business records.
Likewise, Trump is singled out for making that payment with money from the presidential campaign for the elections that he later won against Democrat and former first lady Hillary Clinton.