The judge presiding over former President Trump’s hush-money trial has doubled down on his decision not to let jurors see footage from the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape.
“I am convinced that the tapes should not be submitted at this time,” Judge Juan Melchan said in court Monday.
The 2005 “Access Hollywood” tape was released before the 2016 election, in which President Trump boasts to host Billy Bush that he can kiss and molest women because of his star power. The situation was shown.
Marchand has previously denied that prosecutors would show the tape to jurors, saying in March that “the tape itself does not need to be introduced as evidence or played for the jury.” .
Jury selection begins, Trump’s hush money trial begins
Former President Trump exits Trump Tower on Monday, April 15, 2024, in New York City. Jury selection begins this morning in the so-called hush money trial in Manhattan Criminal Court. (Fox News Digital Probe Media)
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass on Monday remanded the case to include evidence surrounding the video, which he said was a “confession to sexual assault” and “living proof that the defendant was not telling everything.” Stated.
“This is not just a sexual comment,” Steinglass said, adding that Trump’s presidential campaign was thrown into “chaos” when the video leaked in 2016.
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Trump’s lawyers said the video was prejudicial and too vile to be shown to a jury.
Judge Juan Mercian poses for a photo in his New York courtroom on Thursday, March 14, 2024. More than a dozen Manhattan residents will soon become the first Americans in history to be sentenced for a former president accused of a crime. Jury selection in former President Trump’s hush money trial is scheduled to begin Monday. (AP)
“The public will have everything they need to prove the charges in this case from what your Honor has already ruled,” Blanche said.
Marchan said the video cannot be shown to jurors, but prosecutors can introduce President Trump’s exact words contained in the video and emails associated with the tape.
The hush money trial officially began Monday morning in Manhattan, with President Trump facing 34 charges of first-degree falsification of business records.
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Adult film actress Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels, speaks to the media with her attorney Michael Avenatti outside the federal courthouse in the Manhattan Borough of New York City on April 16, 2018. (Reuters/Lucas Jackson)
The case centers on payments made by President Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen to former porn actor Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. The $130,000 payment was reportedly intended to quash claims that she had an affair with Trump in 2006.
However, President Trump denied having an affair and maintained his innocence.
The charges stem from checks the Trump Organization wrote to Mr. Cohen over a period of about 12 months to repay payments to Mr. Daniels. Prosecutors claim the checks were incorrectly recorded as legal fees.
Tampering with business records is a misdemeanor, and prosecutors are trying to prove that Trump falsified records with the intent to commit or conceal a second crime, a felony.
Former President Trump attends the first day of his trial in Manhattan Criminal Court on April 15, 2024 in New York City. (Angela Weiss/AFP, Associated Press, Pool)
If convicted, Trump could face more than 10 years in prison, but legal experts say he could be suspended for up to four years if found guilty by a jury. I’m guessing it’s highly sexual.
‘I’ll tell the truth’: President Trump says he plans to testify in hush money trial after judge rejects last-minute motion
The trial begins with jury selection, during which prospective jurors are asked a series of questions to determine whether they can fairly evaluate the case. Jury selection is expected to take at least a week and the trial is expected to last at least six weeks.
Former President Trump speaks to members of the media in Manhattan Criminal Court on Monday, April 15, 2024, in New York City. (Angela Weiss/AFP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Arriving at the courthouse on Monday, President Trump denounced the incident as “political persecution.”
“Nothing like this has ever happened before” in lower Manhattan, he said. ”This is political persecution. …This is an incident that should never have happened. ”
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Trump added: “This is an attack on America, and that’s why I’m so proud to be here.” “This is truly an attack on a political opponent.”
