Former President Trump’s unprecedented trial in Manhattan resumed for an 11th day on Friday, with the presiding judge likely to rule on the former president’s remaining gag order violations, and computer forensics experts in the courtroom Continued testimony will be heard from.
Trump is scheduled to return to court at 9:30 a.m. Friday, the final day of the third week of his trial.
Judge Juan Melchan held a hearing Thursday morning to consider the remaining gag order violations against Trump. The 45th president was fined $9,000 on Tuesday for nine violations of an order barring court officials from speaking publicly about witnesses or family members. The district attorney’s office alleged that Trump violated the gag order on 14 separate occasions.
Machan did not rule on the remaining violation charges on Thursday, but could make a decision on Friday. In his initial gag order ruling, Marchan warned that “continued willful violations” of the order could result in Trump facing prison time.
In remarks after the trial concluded Thursday night, President Trump said he intended to appeal the gag order.
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Former President Trump sits in court during a criminal trial in New York City on April 22, 2024. (Brendan McDiarmid/Pool Photo via AP)
During Thursday’s trial, the jury heard attorney Keith Davidson, who represents former porn actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, and the seventh witness in the trial, a Manhattan-area computer forensics expert. We heard continued testimony from Mr. Doug Dowse. a lawer office.
Daus is scheduled to resume testifying under cross-examination Friday morning. The computer expert testified Thursday about the “unusual” number of contacts on former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen’s cell phone, nearly 40,000 in total, and the metadata of Cohen’s cell phone audio recordings. It was confirmed. Cohen and Trump.
New York v. Trump case Cohen has focused on paying Daniels $130,000 in 2006 to quash her claims that she had an affair with Trump. Trump denies her affair with Daniels.
Prosecutors allege that the Trump Organization reimbursed Cohen and fraudulently recorded the payments as legal costs. Prosecutors are working to prove that Trump falsified records to commit or conceal a second felony crime.
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Mr. Davidson testified Thursday that the $130,000 payment to Mr. Daniels was not a “quid pro quo” or “hush money” as often portrayed in the media, but rather a “quid pro quo” payment. Consideration is a legal term that describes something someone gives in exchange for a promise to abide by a contract. In Daniels’ case, he was given money in exchange for honoring his contract.
Keith Davidson, the attorney who represented former Playboy model Karen McDougall, cross-examines defense attorney Emile Bove during sketches from former President Trump’s criminal trial in New York City on May 2, 2024. Is receiving. (Reuters/Jane Rosenberg)
Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass pressed Davidson about a statement Daniels made in 2018 denying any relationship with Trump, saying he had “several public statements” about his interactions with the former real estate mogul. He just showed up at the event, and nothing else happened.” Davidson prepared a statement for Daniels.
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“I don’t think Stormy is claiming that any interaction with Mr. Trump was ‘romantic,'” Davidson said Thursday, but added that Daniels’ understanding was that she had sexual contact with Mr. Trump. Ta.
Davidson’s testimony also focused on Cohen, who Davidson said was “depressed and saddened” after the 2016 presidential election and said he was unable to hold office in the White House under the Trump administration. He is said to have lamented that he had not secured the necessary security.
michael coen (Yuki Iwamura/Bloomberg via Getty Images/File)
“Can you believe it?” I’m not going to Washington. After all I have done for that person? I can’t believe I’m not going to Washington…I saved his words…,” Davidson said of a conversation he had with Cohen in December 2016.
This sketch was presented by attorney Keith Davidson, who represented former Playboy model Karen McDougall, at President Trump’s criminal trial in New York City on May 2, 2024, and was opposed by defense attorney Emil Bove. It shows former President Trump watching as he is questioned. (Reuters/Jane Rosenberg)
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Mr. Davidson testified that Mr. Cohen had hoped to win the position of White House chief of staff or attorney general in the run-up to President Trump’s inauguration.
Thursday’s attorney’s testimony contrasts with Cohen’s statements before Congress in 2019.
stormy daniels (Philip Farawan/Getty Images/File)
“Sir, I was very proud to be the personal attorney on this case. president of the united states America’s. I didn’t want to go to the White House. I had a job offer,” Cohen told Republican Rep. Jim Jordan during a House Oversight Committee hearing in 2019.
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“I didn’t want to go to the White House,” Cohen added later in Congressional testimony. “I hired a lawyer and sat down with Mr. Trump for over an hour and talked about the importance of having a personal lawyer, that every president has a personal lawyer to handle issues like the ones I have. I was dealing with “I explained that.” ”
President Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, calling the case a “fraud” promoted by the Biden administration and led by “inconsistent judges.”
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Friday’s court proceedings are scheduled to end by 3:45 p.m., earlier than the usual 4:30 p.m. due to jury reservations.
Fox News Digital’s Brianna Herlihy and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
