Trump fails in third attempt to delay hush-money criminal trial

NEW YORK — Attorneys for Donald Trump failed in a third bid on Wednesday to delay the former president’s hush-money criminal trial in New York.

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An appellate court judge rejected Trump’s civil action against Juan Merchan, who is overseeing the trial that begins on with jury selection on Monday in a Manhattan court, The New York Times reported.

Trump’s attorneys had filed a motion to delay the trial while a New York appeals court reconsidered several of Merchan’s rulings, according to the newspaper.

Judge Ellen Gesmer rejected the request, but the former president can have his action heard by a full panel of five appellate judges, the Times reported.

During an earlier hearing, Trump attorney Emil Bove said the trial should be delayed because Merchan has not yet ruled on the defense request to recuse himself.

On Monday, New York appeals Judge Lizbeth Gonzalez denied a motion for the trial to be postponed while defense attorneys seek a change of venue to move it out of Manhattan, a heavily Democratic area, The Associated Press reported.

The former president’s attorneys had argued at an emergency hearing that the trial should be postponed while they sought a change of venue to move it out of Manhattan, a heavily Democratic area, according to the news organization.

Barry Kamins, a former New York judge who is now a defense lawyer, told the Times that attempting to delay the trial three times was unusual.

“I’ll ask you: Has a former president ever been prosecuted before?” Kamins told the newspaper. “Everything about this case is a first.”

The filing on Wednesday also included a request for the appeals court to pause the case while it considers whether to remove Merchan from the case.

Trump’s attorneys have argued that the judge has a conflict of interest because of his daughter’s work as a Democratic political consultant, the Times reported.

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