Former President Trump’s criminal trial will resume on Monday after an eventful third week in which key witnesses testified and the presumptive Republican nominee was fined thousands of dollars. , additional fines may be imposed.
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 are related to payments made to keep adult film actress Stormy Daniels quiet about an alleged affair with Trump before the 2016 election.
Hope Hicks: Cohen calls himself “Mr.” “Fix it” only because he “broke it”
Former President Trump and his attorneys Emil Bove (left) and Todd Blanche (right) attend trial on charges of concealing hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City on May 3, 2024. (Curtis Means Pool/Getty Images)
Prosecutor Alvin Bragg convinced jurors that Trump not only falsified business records related to the hush-money payments, but also did so in furtherance of other crimes and collusions aimed at promoting or thwarting the election. I have to let it happen.
Falsification of business records and conspiracy to promote or prevent an election are misdemeanors in and of themselves.
Prosecutors called a number of witnesses to testify in the third week of the trial, including attorney Keith Davidson, who previously represented Stormy Daniels, and Playboy model Karen McDougal.
Davidson said Daniels’ denials of any relationship with Trump were technically true. She also testified that the money former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen paid her was “compensation,” not quid pro quo.
Manhattan Prosecutor Alvin Bragg speaks at a press conference. (Barry Williams, NY Daily News, via Getty Images)
Mr. Trump’s lawyers played an audio recording of Mr. Davidson during cross-examination, in which Mr. Davidson’s voice was heard admitting that Mr. Cohen did not need Mr. Trump’s authority to make the payments to Stormy Daniels. I heard it.
NY V. Trump: Witness says Cohen dreamed of White House job despite denying ambition in House testimony
Before Mr. Davidson, the jury heard testimony from Doug Daus, a computer forensic analyst for the prosecutor’s office, who testified about examining two cellphones belonging to Mr. Cohen.
An audio recording was played during Mr. Daus’ testimony.
“We need to set up a company to transfer all the information about our friend David,” Cohen said during the call. “So, I’m going to do it right away. I actually came in and talked to Allen Weisselberg. … I’m getting through it all. When it comes time to raise money, I’m going to do it. I talked to Allen about it.
A courtroom sketch depicts former President Trump testifying on behalf of former Playboy model Karen McDougal, attorney Keith Davidson. (Reuters/Jane Rosenberg)
President Trump responded, “Listen, what’s the funding?”
Judge in Hush Money trial doubles down on not showing President Trump’s ‘Access Hollywood’ tape to jury
The jury heard testimony from bank executive Gary Faro last week. He said he helped Mr. Cohen open an account for a shell company, Essential Consultants LLC, which Mr. Bragg alleges paid $130,000 to Stormy Daniels.
But Faro testified there was nothing to indicate the account was used to make payments on behalf of political candidates, buy media articles or pay adult film actresses. Mr. Faro testified that if the account had been intended for these matters, it would have been subject to further scrutiny and its opening would have been delayed, and he acknowledged that the account may not have been opened at all.
Mr. Faro also testified that he had no knowledge that the account was run on Mr. Trump’s behalf.
The week ended with testimony from Hope Hicks, who worked for the Trump Organization and later served as President Trump’s press secretary during the 2016 presidential campaign. Hicks later served as the White House’s director of strategic communications.
Hope Hicks slams former Trump ‘fixer’ Michael Cohen in court during Trump’s criminal trial (Getty | AP Photo/Mary Altafer)
“He knew what to say and how to say it, and we were all just following his lead,” Hicks said of Trump. “He deserves credit on this topic.”
Trump delivers pizza to New York City firefighters suspended in court
Hicks was asked about the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape, which contained Trump’s controversial comments made in the weeks leading up to the 2016 election.
Hicks said he was “a little stunned” when he saw the tape, calling it a “detrimental development” for the campaign, adding that it “obviously didn’t help.” But she insisted that it was a private conversation between the two men and was not intended to offend anyone, she said in the locker room.
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.
Judge Juan Melchan had previously barred prosecutors from showing the tape to jurors, saying in March that “the tape itself does not need to be introduced into evidence or played for the jury.”
Former President Trump and Judge Juan Machan (Angela Weiss/AFP, via AP I Pool/AP)
Hicks also said Trump told her that claims that he had an affair with former Playboy model Karen McDougal were “patently false.”
Hicks also slammed Michael Cohen, saying he was not involved in the 2016 campaign but tried to insert himself at certain moments. Hicks said the campaign had its own lawyer and that Cohen was instructed to focus on Trump’s personal business history.
NY V Trump: Remaining gag order violations hang in the balance as trial resumes
Mr. Hicks said Mr. Cohen “liked to call himself ‘Mr. Fix-It,’ but only because he was the first to break it.”
Hicks also testified that Trump did not want “anyone in his family to be hurt or embarrassed by anything related to the campaign” regarding the allegations regarding Stormy Daniels.
“He wanted them to be proud of him,” she says.
Adult film actress Stormy Daniels (AP)
Trump was fined $9,000 for violating a court-imposed gag order. Judge Machan will have to consider four further charges of breaching the order, which could be announced this week.
The former president has accused the trial of being fraudulent and coordinated with President Biden’s White House. Trump claims this lawsuit and others against him amount to “election interference.”
President Trump said he plans to appeal the gag order, calling it “unconstitutional” and a violation of his First Amendment rights. President Trump called on the judge to resign, calling the case “totally inconsistent.”
The former president said Democrats want to lock him up in court and keep him away from campaigning.
On May 3, 2024, in New York City, former President Trump speaks to members of the media after appearing in Manhattan Criminal Court on charges of concealing hush money payments. (Gina Moonpool/Getty Images)
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Court will not be in session on Wednesday. President Trump took advantage of that arrangement, holding rallies in Wisconsin and Michigan last week.
After several hours of court last Thursday, President Trump praised first responders by delivering pizza to FDNY firefighters at a midtown Manhattan fire station.
Fox News’ Maria Paronich and Brianna Herlihy contributed to this report.
