Where do Trump’s four criminal cases stand?

(NewsNation) – Former President Donald Trump faces 91 criminal charges in four criminal cases, which move through the criminal system at different rates.

The first trial in New York will likely be the only one that ends before the November elections. All eyes are on the case, which could indicate how the other three could shape up.

Here’s a look at where each of them stands:

New York secret money case

What to know: The New York criminal case against Trump stems from allegations that he made secret payments during the 2016 presidential campaign to bury allegations of extramarital sexual encounters. Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

The charges are linked to a series of checks that were made out to his lawyer Michael Cohen to allegedly reimburse him for his role in paying porn star Stormy Daniels, who says she had sex with Trump in 2006. These payments were recorded in several records internal to the company. documents as being for a legal retainer that prosecutors say does not exist.

The hush money payments are not illegal, but the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office alleges that Trump committed a crime by improperly recording the money he reimbursed Cohen as legal expenses. They also accused him of falsifying business records to conceal a violation of state election law.

Status: Closing arguments are expected Tuesday in the five-week trial. The jury will then deliberate.

What the experts say: Former FBI Director James Comey told NewsNation on Wednesday that he expects the former president to be convicted in the silence case brought by the Manhattan district attorney.

“There is an overwhelming chance of conviction, a significant but much smaller chance of a hung jury and no chance of acquittal,” Comey said on NewsNation’s “Dan Abrams Live.”

Comey said prosecutors had built a strong circumstantial case that should resonate with jurors despite the unusual nature of the charges involving bribery to a porn star before the 2016 election.

But attorney Rachel Kugel told NewsNation the case against Trump is “weak” and “should never have been brought.” Kugel argued that there is no real crime underlying the charges and that New York prosecutors had a great deal of reach with the charges.

Trump confidential documents case

What to know: Special Counsel Jack Smith has led two federal investigations related to Trump, and his first indictment stems from the former president’s handling of several hundred confidential documents found at his Mar-a-Lago, Florida, estate.

The indictment alleges that Trump repeatedly recruited aides and lawyers to help him hide records required by investigators and also displayed a Pentagon “plan of attack” and a classified map. Some of the documents were marked “top secret.”

A superseding indictment issued in July added charges accusing Trump of asking for surveillance footage at his Mar-a-Lago estate to be deleted after FBI and Justice Department investigators visited him in June 2022 to collect confidential documents he took with you after leaving the White House.

The new indictment also accuses him of illegally retaining a document he allegedly displayed to visitors in New Jersey.

Walt Nauta, Trump’s valet, and Carlos De Oliveira, administrator of Trump’s Florida estate, were charged in the case with conspiring to hide surveillance footage from federal investigators and lying about it.

Trump, who has pleaded not guilty, faces 40 criminal charges in the classified documents case.

Status: The trial start date in the Florida confidential documents case was set for May 20, but the judge overseeing the case said on May 7 that the trial has been “postponed indefinitely.”

What the experts say: The delay in the case generated discussion among jurists. Jeffrey Swartz, a professor at Cooley Law School and a former judge in Florida, said “this case should have been over by now” instead of being postponed. “There was nothing in this very complex case” that distinguished the confidential documents case from other, more legally complex criminal cases.

“It could be that the judge is just afraid of making a mistake, but delaying it just puts it off,” said Kevin McMunigal, a law professor at Case Western Reserve University. “Eventually, she will have to make a decision on this.”

January 6 investigation into election interference

What to know: Trump was indicted in the District of Columbia on criminal charges alleging he worked to overturn the results of the 2020 election in the run-up to the violent riot by his supporters at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. This was Smith’s second investigation on Trump.

The four-count indictment includes charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States government and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, referring to Congress’ certification of President Joe Biden’s victory.

The indictment accuses Trump of repeatedly telling his supporters that he had won the election, despite knowing it was false, and describes how he tried to persuade state officials, then-Vice President Mike Pence and, ultimately, Congress to overturn the results. legitimate.

Status: The trial was originally scheduled for March 4, amid Trump’s claims of presidential immunity being evaluated by an appeals court. The Supreme Court has already addressed the issue and the trial remains suspended pending the decision.

What the experts say: NewsNation legal contributor Jesse Weber says the immunity claim is a “losing argument” for Trump, but says the Supreme Court could rule that presidents have “partial immunity” in some cases.

“The idea of ​​saying that a president has total immunity is not going to work,” he said.

Former Manhattan prosecutor Sandra Musumeci told NewsNation that if the justices rule for Trump, they will need to establish some “determining threshold” for whether an indictment is an official act, thus opening up a can of worms.

Georgia election interference case

What to know: Trump and 18 others are accused of violating the state’s anti-racketeering law by allegedly plotting to illegally overturn his 2020 election defeat.

The August indictment accuses Trump and his allies of suggesting that Georgia’s Republican secretary of state could “find” enough votes for him to win the swing state, of harassing an election worker who faced false allegations of fraud, and of trying to persuade Georgia lawmakers to Georgia ignoring the will. of electors and appoint a new slate of Electoral College electors favorable to Trump.

Status: A trial date for Trump and the others has not yet been set, but prosecutors have proposed August 5. The case will likely be delayed as it has been consumed by revelations of a personal relationship between Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, whose office brought the case, and Special Prosecutor Nathan J. Wade, whom she hired. Trump is trying to disqualify Willis.

What the experts say: Much of the discussion surrounding this case has been about whether Willis has a conflict of interest and whether Wade benefited from that relationship.

Trial lawyer Michelle Thomas told “NewsNation Now” that Trump’s defense “did not necessarily demonstrate that there was a financial benefit and, therefore, a conflict of interest that justifies the disqualification of the prosecutor or special counsel.”

“I hope the court issues a ruling that identifies weaknesses certainly with issues of credibility and testimony and on the part of Fani Willis, but do I think that rises to the level of disqualification? I didn’t do that,” she said.

Thomas said the charges against Willis have nothing to do with voter fraud and therefore she should not be removed from the case.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.