What’s next for Trump after arraignment?
December 4 is the next big date to watch for in the Donald Trump indictment saga. That is when the former President is due back in court for a hearing, but there’s a whole lot that could happen between now and then. FOX 5 NY’s Sharon Crowley takes a look at the moves both sides are expected to makeover the summer.
Former President Donald Trump's historic appearance as a criminal defendant inside a courtroom in lower Manhattan may not repeat itself until his next court date now scheduled for December.
"What's going to happen between now and basically through the summer is a lot of legal maneuvering," high-profile criminal defense attorney Arthur Aidala told FOX 5 New York.
"Trump's defense team will likely pick apart the 34 felony count indictment looking for ways to discredit witnesses or evidence with the aim of getting the case dismissed," Aidala added.
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"They'll make their arguments that there's not enough evidence to support these crimes that'll be one motion that's done. I'm anticipating a motion for a change of venue to get out of the island of Manhattan. They'll use the election results to show that so many people in that borough are so against him that it's impossible to get a fair trial," Aidala said.
Trump's lawyers may also argue the alleged crimes happened too long ago beyond the statute of limitations.
Former US President Donald Trump Jr. arrives to the New York criminal court to face indictment brought by a grand jury assembled by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, on April 04, 2023, in New York, United States. (Lev Radin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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"The first step as a defense attorney for Donald Trump is to look at the indictment analyze the charges and start thinking about how are we going to attack these charges even before trial the only way you are going to do that is with motions to dismiss and with motions to attack the evidence that support these grand jury charges," said Imran Ansari, a former prosecutor and criminal defense attorney.
The judge did not issue a gag order however he warned the former president to not make statements that could incite violence.
"I spoke to the defense team afterwards, you know, I asked how he's doing, and they're like, he's fine but nobody wants to go through what he just went through and he's obviously frustrated because he's now in a forum where he can't speak and putting Donald Trump in a situation where he can't voice his opinion must be very frustrating for him," Aidala said.