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A New York judge denied former President Donald Trump's request to dismiss charges related to hush-money payments ahead of the 2016 presidential election, and announced the trial will begin next month.
The trial is now scheduled to begin with jury selection on March 25, and Judge Juan Merchan said the trial is expected to last 6 weeks.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg indicted Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree in April. Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Trump and his attorneys sought to have the case dismissed altogether, but Judge Merchan on Thursday denied the request.
Before entering court, Trump blasted Bragg for rising crime in New York City, and the case.
"I'm here for something, it's not a crime, it's election interference and it's being run by Joe Biden's White House," Trump said, calling it a "terrible time for our country. A real dark period."
He added: "This is just a way of hurting me and the election because I'm leading by a lot…If I hadn't run, they would have been extremely happy."