Hush money trial: President Trump faces jail threat for hush-money violation as testimony continues

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.

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 Court testimony from an adult film performer who says he had an intimate relationship with a former U.S. president and Republican candidate marks a historic first in a lengthy case already laden with sordid allegations of sex, payoffs and cover-ups. There will be more rings.

Her testimony is central to the case, which began in the final weeks of Trump’s 2016 Republican presidential campaign when his then-lawyer and personal fixer, Michael Cohen, 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 and maintains her innocence.

Early in her testimony, Daniels told jurors under questioning by prosecutors that she met Trump because the adult film studio where she worked at the time sponsored one of the holes on the golf course. he said. When Trump’s group passed by, they talked about the adult film industry and her directing abilities. Daniels recalled the famous real estate developer remarking that she must be a “smart person” if she wanted to make a movie.

Later, in an area known as the “gift room” where celebrity golfers gathered gift bags and memorabilia, Trump remembered her as a “smart person” and asked her if she wanted to go to dinner, Daniels said. Told.

Daniels testified that she accepted Trump’s invitation because she wanted to skip a dinner she had scheduled with colleagues from an adult film company. A spokesperson at the time said in a phone call that Trump’s invitation was a good excuse to avoid a work dinner and suggested he would “keep his word.” “It’s a great story,” she said, “and it might help her career.”

“What could go wrong?” she recalled her publicist saying.

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.

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.

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.