Former President Trump’s criminal trial will resume on Friday after Judge Juan Marchan denied his defense attorney’s request for a mistrial for the second time in the wake of Stormy Daniels’ sordid testimony.
Daniels, who claims she had sexual contact with President Trump in 2006, appeared on the cross-examination table Thursday morning after hours of questioning on Tuesday that even the judge deemed “unnecessary” and “irrelevant.” stood.
President Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 charges of first-degree falsification of business records. The charges stem from a years-long investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. The charges relate to alleged payments made before the 2016 presidential election to keep Daniels quiet about an alleged affair with President Trump in 2006.
But the former president and potential Republican presidential nominee declared, “We are totally innocent.”
Top 5 moments from Trump trial after ‘despicable’ Stormy Daniels testimony
Trump Defense Attorney Susan Necheles vs. Stormy Daniels
After cross-examination, Susan Necheres said Stormy Daniels’ story about her alleged sexual encounters with the former president kept changing because that incident never happened.
Necheres referred to a statement Daniels signed in 2018 denying that he ever met Trump. Ms. Daniels said she did not write her statement, but that she signed it.
Former President Trump watches Stormy Daniels’ defense attorney Susan Necheles cross-examine her (Reuters/Jane Rosenberg)
Necheres pointed to another statement in which Daniels denied having a sexual relationship with Trump. Part of the statement read: “I deny this incident because it never happened.”
Daniels claimed she signed a statement, entered into a non-disclosure agreement and received $130,000 in bail. But Mr. Trump’s team wanted to show that Mr. Daniels was looking for a payday, and changed his story when it would be beneficial.
Daniels denied ever asking Trump for money. In the face of pressure from Necheres, Daniels said, “I never asked money from anyone in particular. I asked for money to tell my story. , was seeking money from publications to reveal the truth,” he added.
Former President Trump appears on first day of trial in Manhattan Criminal Court (Victor J. Blue/Washington Post, via AP, Pool)
Ms. Daniels admitted that when she agreed to write the book “Full Disclosure” for $800,000, she sold the story for nearly $1 million. But she did not receive all that money, she claimed.
When asked for specific details about an alleged sexual encounter on the sidelines of a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe in 2006, Daniels told the court that she was the first to discuss the incident and her book. It seemed like he was talking about something different than when he spoke.
“You told ‘In Touch’ a completely different story,” Necheres said, but Daniels denied this, adding that there were just “parts along the way that I don’t remember.”
Trump team claims Stormy Daniels’ sordid affair story keeps changing because they never met
“You made it up,” Necheres said.
Former President Trump watches as Stormy Daniels is questioned by defense attorney Susan Necheles in Trump’s criminal trial (Reuters/Jane Rosenberg)
“No,” Daniels replied.
Mr. Necheres asked Mr. Daniels if he knew or understood why Mr. Trump was indicted in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case. She said that was not the case, adding that he was “charged with a number of things.”
Former White House aide gets emotional about time with Trump administration
Madeleine Westerhout, who previously served as personal assistant to former President Donald Trump in the White House, wept on stage Thursday as she spoke about her experiences during his administration.
The sentiment arose as Westerhout outlined the relationship between the former president and his wife, Melania Trump.
Westerhout said the couple’s relationship was one of mutual respect and that they often laughed while in the Oval Office.
Westerhout said Melania occasionally texted Ms. Trump reminded her that it was past dinner time and asked when her husband would be home.
Former President Trump holds press conference with lawyer Todd Blanche in trial on charges of concealing hush money (Victory McNamee/Poole, via Reuters)
Westerhout became emotional as she reflected on her time in the White House under the Trump administration, saying she had “grown so much” and that she truly respected Trump and believed he had been treated unfairly. He said that
Prosecutors decide not to call Playboy model Karen McDougal
Following Stormy Daniels’ testimony, prosecutors announced they would no longer call Playboy model Karen McDougall as a witness in the trial.
Mr. McDougall also allegedly received compensation to remain silent about his alleged affair with Mr. Trump. She sold her article to the National Enquirer, but she was never published. In exchange, he was paid $150,000. The payments to Ms. McDougall are not part of her criminal charges.
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass defended his decision not to call Ms. McDougall, saying the prosecutor “did not change his mind” about calling her. Instead, prosecutors did not formally decide whether to hire her as her witness during her trial.
Judge denies mistrial after request to amend gag order after Stormy Daniels testimony
Judge Juan Machan on Thursday rejected a request by Trump defense lawyers to modify the mistrial and gag order, arguing that the former president should be able to defend against Stormy Daniels’ sordid and “prejudiced” testimony.
Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, first requested a mistrial on Tuesday after Daniels’ first day on the stand, but was denied. However, Marchan acknowledged that Daniels was a difficult witness to control and said much of her testimony was “unnecessary” and “irrelevant” to the charges.
President Trump’s lawyers again requested a miscarriage of justice Thursday.
New York State Supreme Court Justice Juan Marchan listens as former President Trump cross-examines Stormy Daniels. (Reuters/Jane Rosenberg)
Blanche said prosecutors asked Daniels “numerous questions” that she should never have asked, pointing to questions about the porn star’s childhood and her alleged interactions with President Trump. Blanche argued that they were “irrelevant to the facts of this case.”
Blanche reminded that this case was not about sex and reiterated that Daniels’ testimony was “very prejudicial to the jury.”
New York v. Trump: Judge denies request to amend gag order after Stormy Daniels testimony and miscarriage of justice
“This is extremely dangerous and prejudicial and has been problematic from the beginning,” Blanche said, adding that Daniels’ testimony and story regarding the alleged sexual encounters continues to change.
But Marchan denied the request, reminding Branch that during opening arguments he denied having sexual contact with Trump and Stormy Daniels.
“Your denial puts the jury in a position to decide who to believe,” Marchan said, adding that while the defense could have made numerous rebuttals during Daniels’ testimony, “they didn’t.” ” he added.
Regarding one obvious detail, Marchand said he agreed that it “should not have been made public…but I cannot for the life of me figure out why Ms. Necheres didn’t object.”
Marchand told Blanche that he made the decision to remove material from the record to “protect” Trump, adding that while he did not agree with changing the story, the details would “improve credibility.” Ta.
Blanche also asked for the gag order to be amended, arguing that Daniels should be allowed to defend himself now that his testimony is complete, accusing him of making false statements about Trump.
The judge denied the request.
President Trump declares: “We are completely innocent”
“So what happened today? I don’t think I need an expert to explain it to me. In any case, I’m not allowed to explain it because this judge is a corrupt judge. This judge, what he did, what he sentenced, is a disgrace,” Trump said after the court adjourned, adding that Marchan was “totally contradicted.”
“I have to get back to campaigning,” said Trump, the 2024 Republican presidential candidate.
Penguin Random House executive Sally Franklin testifies before Judge Juan Marchan. (Reuters/Jane Rosenberg)
“I shouldn’t be here,” President Trump said. “We are truly innocent. Nothing like this has ever happened before.
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“I’m innocent, but I’m being held up in this courtroom with a completely inconsistent and corrupt judge.”
The former president said this was “an embarrassment to New York City, New York State and the country.”
