NEW YORK (AP) — Stormy Daniels took the stand Tuesday. hush money trial Former President Donald Trump is prepared to testify that he had a sexual relationship with a porn actor in 2006, which made it worth keeping quiet during the presidential election a decade later.
Daniels entered the courtroom quickly before being sworn in and did not look at Trump, who stared straight ahead as he entered the room.
What you need to know about Trump's hush money trial:
In the final weeks of Trump's 2016 Republican presidential campaign, his lawyer and personal fixer at the time, Michael Cohen, said: Paid Mr. Daniels $130,000 to remain silent. She said she had an awkward and unexpected sexual encounter with Trump during a celebrity golf outing in Lake Tahoe in July 2006. Trump denies having sex with Daniels.
Daniels' testimony is by far the most anticipated in a trial that oscillates between tabloid elements and dry record-keeping details, even if sanitized and stripped of all-revealing details due to the courtroom environment. It is a sight of Her appearance on the stand will be a notable legal and political moment. The adult film performer's court testimony about his intimate encounter with the former U.S. president adds to a long line of historic firsts in the case.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys argued earlier in the day over the outline of her testimony.
Trump's attorney Susan Necheres asked that Daniels be barred from testifying about the “details” of the alleged sexual encounter. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger said such details matter to her credibility, but she reassured her it was “really fundamental.” Judge Juan M. Marchan agreed to allow limited testimony.
Testimony revealed that at the time of the payment to Daniels, Trump and his campaign were upset by the Oct. 7, 2016 publication. Unreleased 2005 “Access Hollywood” footage In it, he bragged about grabbing a woman's genitals without her permission.
According to testimony, the candidate called Cohen and campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks the next day to try to minimize the damage caused by the tape and keep the allegations from the media.
Ms. Cohen paid Ms. Daniels after she said she would go on record in the National Enquirer and on television admitting to having sexual contact with Mr. Trump. Daniels was paid by lawyer Keith Davidson. Prosecutors say National Enquirer editor Dylan Howard alerted publisher David Pecker and, at Pecker's direction, incited Daniels to publish the allegations, Cohen said. It is said that he told the Daniels previously tried to pitch her story to another celebrity gossip magazine, Life & Style, in 2011.
Mr. Pecker testified early in the trial that he was reluctant to make the Inquirer pay the “capture and kill” fee that Mr. Cohen later paid to Mr. Daniels.
The first witness Tuesday was Penguin Random House executive Sally Franklin. Penguin Random House published several of Trump's books under its imprint.
Prosecutor Becky Mangold had Franklin read excerpts from Trump: How to Get Rich, a 2004 book that sheds light on President Trump's approach to business. The measure appears designed to show that Trump is actually committed to his company and is prepared to retaliate against those he perceives to have wronged him.
Some excerpts include: “If you don't know every aspect of what you're doing, right down to the clip, you're going to run into unwanted surprises.” If someone messes with you, take it back. ”
The jury heard from two witnesses Monday, including: Former Trump Organization AdministratorHe discussed how the company recorded payments that were allegedly intended to suppress the embarrassing story from surfacing in a way that Manhattan prosecutors say violated the law. , made a mechanical but important argument.
Jeffrey McConney's testimony is a key building block for prosecutors seeking to bring closure to a case that alleges Trump covered up corporate records in a deal to protect his Republican presidential bid at a crucial time in the campaign. became. It focused on a $130,000 payment from Cohen to Daniels and the subsequent reimbursement Cohen received.
McConney and another witness testified that the refund checks were drawn from Trump's personal account. But even though jurors saw the checks and other exhibits, prosecutors on Monday did not elicit testimony showing that Trump directed the payments to be included in legal expenses. Prosecutors allege the designation was intentionally deceptive.
McConney acknowledged under cross-examination that Trump never asked him to include the money as legal costs, nor did he ever discuss the issue with Trump. Another witness, Deborah Tarasoff, an accounts payable supervisor at the Trump Organization, said under questioning that she did not have permission from Trump himself to write the checks in question.
“Was there ever any reason to believe that President Trump was hiding anything or anything like that?” asked Todd Blanche, Trump's lawyer.
“That's right,” Tarasov replied.
The testimony followed a stern warning from Mr Marchand for further violations. Gag order bans President Trump from making inflammatory statements outside of court Witnesses, jurors, and others closely connected to the case may face prison sentences.
The $1,000 fine imposed Monday is the second time President Trump has been sanctioned for violating the gag order since the trial began last month. He was fined $9,000 last week.$1,000 for each of the nine violations.
“The $1,000 fine does not appear to be acting as a deterrent. Therefore, going forward, this court will need to consider a prison term,” Marchand said before the jury was brought into court.
Mr. Trump sat at the front of his seat, glaring at the judge as he handed down the sentence. When the judge finished speaking, Trump shook his head twice and crossed his arms.
But while Mr Marchand warned of prison terms in his sharpest and bluntest advice, he also made it clear that he had reservations about what he described as a “last resort” measure.
“The last thing I want to do is put you in jail,” Marchan said. “You are a former president of the United States and perhaps the next president as well. There are many reasons why incarceration is really a last resort for me. Taking such a step would disrupt these legal proceedings. I guess.”
The violation stemmed from an April 22 interview with the TV station Real America's Voice in which President Trump criticized the speed of jury selection and claimed, without evidence, that jurors were being singled out with Democrats. is emitting.
Prosecutors are continuing to strive for star witnesses. cohenwho Pleaded guilty to federal charges related to hush money payments. He is expected to face painful cross-examination from defense lawyers seeking to undermine the jury's credibility.
Republican presidential candidate Trump has been indicted. 34 felonies for falsifying business records He admitted to charges related to hush money payments, but maintained his innocence and denied any wrongdoing.The trial is the first his four criminal cases To reach the jury.
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Mr. Tucker reported from Washington.