Will a mountain of evidence be enough to convict Trump?

NY: In the official file, the case is known as “The People of the State of New York v. Donald J. Trump” and, for now, the people have the stronger hand: they have internal witnesses, a favorable jury and a set of shocking facts about a presidential candidate, a bribe and a porn actor.

On Tuesday (AEST), prosecutors will formally present the case to 12 key jurors, beginning the first prosecution of a US president. The trial, which could brand Trump a criminal as he prepares for another run for the White House, will reverberate across the country and test the durability of the justice system Trump is attacking in a way no other defendant has. would allow it to be done.

Although New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg has assembled a mountain of evidence, a conviction is hardly assured. Over the next six weeks, Trump’s lawyers will exploit three apparent weaknesses: the credibility of a key witness, the guilt of a president and the legal complexity of the case.

Prosecutors will try to navigate those vulnerabilities, dazzling jurors with a story that mixes politics and sex, while confronting a cunning defendant with a decades-long history of avoiding legal consequences. They will also seek to bolster the credibility of that key witness, Michael Cohen, a former Trump fixer who previously pleaded guilty to federal crimes for paying porn star Stormy Daniels.