5 takeaways from the second week of Trump’s hush money trial testimony

NEW YORK — Former President Trump’s second week of testimony in his New York criminal trial was defined by a sordid celebrity scandal peppered with groundwork evidence.

Witnesses this week revealed everything from bank records and non-disclosure agreements to text messages suggesting efforts by the Manhattan district attorney to silence negative stories about Trump to aid his 2016 campaign. I started digging into the details of the incident.

But the credibility of key witnesses has also come into question, setting the stage for defense attorneys to zero in on key future testimony.

Here are five takeaways from the second week of testimony in the hush money trial.

Celebrity scandals make cameo appearances

Keith Davidson, a lawyer for two women who were paid to keep their alleged affairs with Trump secret, is trying to enforce an agreement with the National Enquirer and former Trump fixer Michael Cohen. He talked about the behind-the-scenes of his efforts.

But Davidson’s testimony under cross-examination by Trump’s lawyers unearthed a graveyard of celebrity scandals in which he also seems implicated.

Lindsay Lohan, Charlie Sheen, Hulk Hogan, and Tila Tequila are among the names listed as clients and victims of Davidson’s work, and defense attorneys have used this to detract from Davidson’s celebrity status. He suggested that he had a habit of extortion.

At one point, Trump’s lawyers tried to paint Davidson as a blackmailer in stories involving everything from sex tapes to rehab facilities.

Mr. Davidson’s testimony comes as Mr. Trump begins his first presidential campaign, when allegations of an affair between porn actress Stormy Daniels, whom Mr. Davidson represented, and former Playboy model Karen McDougal became public. He began to expose his relationship with Dylan Howard, the editor of the National Enquirer magazine, who was working to prevent him from becoming an American.

But by election night in 2016, with Trump steadily surprising the nation as president-elect, Davidson expressed remorse in a text message to Howard.

“What have we done?” Davidson wrote.

Hope Hicks: 2016 Damage Control

Trump may run for president in 2024, but when former political adviser Hope Hicks took the stand Friday, the case centered on the turmoil of his 2016 campaign. was.

Hicks testified for hours about how he played a central role in mitigating the fallout from a series of scandals just before Election Day.

The first “crisis” occurred when a Washington Post reporter contacted the campaign about the “Access Hollywood” tape. The tape was a 2005 recording of President Trump bragging about grabbing women inappropriately and without their consent.

“I was worried,” Hicks said of her initial reaction when she learned of the tape’s existence and that news outlets were planning to publish it with stories. “I was very worried.”

When faced with a request for comment from the Post, Trump told Hicks, “It doesn’t sound like what he would say,” she testified. But he later told her that he believed her comment was “a typical conversation between two men.” When Trump first saw the tape, she said, she was upset, and described her own reaction as “just a little stunned.”

Mr. Hicks also testified that Mr. Cohen denied a Wall Street Journal article that exposed Mr. McDougal’s hush-money deals just four days before the 2016 election. Cohen didn’t believe the story would get much attention, she said.

“It’s kind of ironic,” she said, recounting the story on the witness stand nearly eight years later.

Cohen’s credibility war is underway

Mr. Cohen was already in the spotlight this week even before he took the stand, with witnesses taking turns firing shots at the former president’s former fixer and the controversial figure’s impending testimony. issues have become clear.

Davidson testified that he and those around him hated Cohen so much that they took active steps to avoid him. Text messages between the National Enquirer’s top editor and Daniels’ manager revealed him describing Cohen as a “shithole” and “that son of a bitch.”

In his testimony, Davidson described Cohen as “a very excitable guy, the type of guy who could set his pants on fire.”

“He’s had a lot going on,” the lawyer said.

Even Gary Fallo, Mr. Cohen’s former banker, said the one-time fixer became Mr. Cohen’s client because Mr. Cohen maintained his reputation as someone who could handle customers who “may be a little difficult.” He revealed that it was because he was

Cohen’s testimony that he coordinated payments to the Trump Tower doorman and McDougal, in addition to payments to Daniels himself, is expected to provide prosecutors with a key link to Trump. Mr. Cohen said his own actions were carried out at the behest of his then-superior.

But this week’s testimony will give defense lawyers critical material to undermine the credibility of a soon-to-be star witness whose own testimony is expected to mark the climax of the trial.

Trump’s court aides increase

Early in the trial, some observers noted that the former president’s family was not in court with him.

But this week, Trump’s inner circle expanded to include a wider range of aides and family members.

The former president’s son Eric Trump was also in attendance Tuesday, sitting in the courtroom gallery alongside Trump campaign adviser Susie Wiles.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) and Club for Growth President David McIntosh also participated.

Trump himself sometimes turned his body toward witness testimony, but there were also moments when the former president turned straight ahead to read texts, emails, and other exhibits displayed on the monitor in front of him. Ta.

Throughout the week, Trump often whispered to his lawyers (sometimes appearing irritated) and read press clippings provided by aides. The former president has denied sleeping in court, but he did close his eyes for several minutes on multiple occasions.

“Contrary to the fake news media, I will not sleep during the witch hunt of unscrupulous prosecutors, especially today. I will just close my beautiful blue eyes, listen intently at times, and take it all in!!!” Trump posted on Truth Social on Thursday.

The trial schedule is now available

Trial schedules are constantly being adjusted, and the latest changes make one thing clear. That means it will take many weeks to come.

The current trial is scheduled to be held next week on its regular weekday schedule, with the exception of Wednesday, when the judge attends to other ongoing cases.

But then the schedule gets interrupted regularly.

Judge Juan Marchan agreed to skip the trial on Friday, May 17, so President Trump could attend his son Barron’s high school graduation.

There will be no court next Friday because the jury is scheduled to be out of town over Memorial Day weekend. And the court will not open on that Monday holiday.

A week after that? Another day was skipped. If the jury has not yet begun deliberating, the judge has indicated he would skip the June 3 trial so that one of Trump’s lawyers can attend the graduation ceremony.