Donald Trump trial latest: Ex-president says it is a ‘very sad day in America’ – as court to finish early for dentist appointment | US News

Donald Trump has four criminal cases against him in the run-up to the 2024 US presidential election.

He faces 88 criminal charges in the cases – two in federal courts and two in state courts.

Here is a look at the cases:

Hush money case

Trump allegedly falsified business records to cover up hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election, following a sexual encounter.

It is the first criminal trial of a former US president.

The case stems from a $130,000 payment Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer, made to Ms Daniels.

Trump has pleaded not guilty.

Capitol riot and 2020 election

The case centers around whether Trump plotted to overturn his 2020 election defeat.

On January 6, 2021, Trump’s supporters attacked the Capitol after Trump gave a speech telling them to march there and “fight like hell” to prevent the election from being “stolen.”

Prosecutors have accused Trump of exploiting the attack and have pointed to his refusal to act for the 187 minutes between the end of his inflammatory speech at a rally urging supporters to march on the Capitol.

Georgia 2020 election

A court in Georgia charged Trump with trying to illegally overturn the 2020 election.

Among the charges is “solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer” – in other words, trying to persuade someone to betray their office.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis brought 13 counts against Trump and 18 of his associates, including forgery and racketeering.

Trump narrowly lost to Joe Biden in Georgia and his lawyers, including ex-New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, made false claims of election fraud.

Audio of a call by Trump to Georgia’s secretary of state also emerged in January 2021 in which he suggested election officials could “find” the votes he needed to win.

Classified documents

Trump is accused of mishandling classified information by taking them from the White House to his Mar-a-Lago residence after he left office.

The most serious of these are 31 counts brought under the Espionage Act, which criminalises the unauthorized possession of national defense information.

It is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.