Prosecutors in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office have put charges against former President Donald Trump on hold, bringing the first criminal trial of a U.S. president in the country’s history nearing its conclusion.
Over four weeks, the Trump jury of 12 New Yorkers heard sometimes lewd, sometimes heated testimony, ranging from 2016 campaign associates and Trump Organization employees to a former tabloid publisher, a porn star and a former fixer. We heard from a small number of witnesses.
Prosecutors tell how $130,000 in hush money was paid to keep President Trump quiet about extramarital affairs ahead of the 2016 election, saying the payments were made illegally and false records helped cover it up. he claimed. They also theorized that the scheme was done to unfairly influence the election, which Trump ultimately won.
This victory stunned the political world at the time and still resonates today.
The two witnesses who gave perhaps the most fascinating testimony were Stormy Daniels, the woman he paid hush money for, and Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal lawyer who orchestrated the whole thing.
Cohen admitted that 11 invoices he submitted to Trump in 2017 to cover out-of-pocket payments were false records, and that $35,000 in checks he received every month thereafter He cast doubt on the defense’s claim that he was the legal recipient. He is directly charged with 22 of the 34 charges of falsifying business records that President Trump faces.
Cohen also linked Trump to a broader conspiracy that prosecutors are trying to prove occurred in 2016 when Trump denied unflattering stories about the then-presidential candidate to pave his way to the White House. Ta. He said he paid Mr. Daniels and also helped arrange payments to the former Playboy. Model Karen McDougal is trying to keep her story about her alleged affair with Trump a secret.
“At whose direction and on whose behalf did you do this?” Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger asked.
“This is at the direction of Donald J. Trump,” Cohen said as Trump sat nearby at the defense table.
In total, the jury will hear from 20 witnesses called by prosecutors, and this stage is expected to make up the bulk of the trial.
Mr. Trump’s lawyers now have an opportunity to defend the former president, more than any other legal challenge the former president has faced before with the possibility of a felony conviction and prison sentence. It’s a big gamble.
Although criminal defendants have a constitutional right to defend themselves, the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. It remains unclear who the defense will call to the stand, meaning the next stage of the trial could be over soon, but it remains a mystery.
Earlier this week, President Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, indicated he might call expert witnesses to testify about campaign finance laws. But the biggest question is whether the former president himself will take the stand.
President Trump has insisted he intends to testify, but in recent days has refused to answer heated questions about whether he still plans to testify. Blanche told the judge in a sidebar briefing that it remains to be seen whether President Trump will comply.
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