In a recent survey, 44% of respondents indicated that a conviction in the New York hush-money case against former President Donald Trump would not influence their vote.
What Happened: The survey, conducted by Politico Magazine/Ipsos, revealed that nearly half of the participants believe Trump is guilty in the Manhattan District Attorney’s hush-money case. However, 44% of them stated that a conviction would not impact their voting decision.
Meanwhile, 32% of the respondents said that a conviction would affect their vote.
The survey also found that a conviction could weaken Trump’s support among independents, with 36% of them expressing less likelihood to support him.
Despite this, 9% of Republicans said they would be less likely to support Trump if he is convicted, while 48% said it would have no impact, and 34% said it would make them more likely to support him.
Why It Matters: The hush-money case has been delayed to mid-April after new evidence was submitted to both parties. The trial was initially set to begin on March 25, but Judge Juan Merchan will now hold a hearing on that day to discuss the schedule and the new documents.
The delay in the trial comes after the revelation of new evidence, which has been attributed to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. The trial, which is Trump’s first criminal trial, is now seen as a strategic move by the former President to buy more time for his legal team.
Trump plans to argue that he didn’t commit any wrongdoing in his impending hush money trial, pointing to the involvement of his lawyers in the incident as the basis for his defense. His legal team stated in a New York criminal court filing that part of their strategic defense “will be that President Trump lacked the requisite intent to commit the conduct charged in the Indictment because of his awareness that various lawyers were involved in the underlying conduct giving rise to the charges.”
According to Real Clear Politics, at the national level, Trump held 47.2% support among voters, While Biden trailed with 45.5% support.
Meanwhile, a documentary on adult film star Stormy Daniels, who is at the center of the hush money case, is set to stream on Comcast's Peacock.
Photo by Jonah Elkowitz on Shutterstock
This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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