New York City prosecutors on Friday again referenced the leaked Access Hollywood tape in which former President Donald Trump made crude comments, but the judge reiterated that jurors could not hear or see the comments. Ta.
Judge Juan Melchán ruled that while the tape itself was unduly biased against Trump, the same was not true of comments Trump made in the 2005 incident, which were leaked just before the 2016 presidential election. handed down the verdict. In the tape, President Trump used vile language about groping women in front of a TV host ahead of a cameo appearance on a soap opera.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and his team have mentioned the tape multiple times in court and in court documents, and it’s clear that the harm caused by the leaked tape led to the $130,000 payout to Stormy Daniels. It seems that he is trying to claim that it was the trigger for this. Trump is accused of falsifying her business records related to Daniels (her real name Stephanie Clifford) in order to silence her story about her alleged affair with Trump. . President Trump has repeatedly denied having an affair.
Marchand reiterated Friday that the tape cannot be introduced into evidence or played out loud in court because it would be detrimental to Trump.
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Former US President Donald Trump appears with his attorneys Emil Bove (left) and Todd Blanche (right) at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 3, 2024 in New York City. ((Photo courtesy of Curtis Means-Pool/Getty Images))
Prosecutors said in March that the infamous tape “directly relates to the intentions and motives of the defendant and his associates both when they paid Stormy Daniels and when they subsequently attempted to conceal that money.” Therefore, he argued that it should be admitted as evidence.
“The release of the Access Hollywood Tapes caused panic within the campaign about Defendant’s electoral prospects and ultimately triggered the completion of Stormy Daniels’ commission,” the filing states.
Last month, Judge Machan doubled down on his decision not to play the video to the jury, saying it was too prejudicial.
But on Friday morning, prosecutors again called out a 2016 Washington Post article discussing it to establish the article’s date, although it was ruled that the entire Access Hollywood tape was not evidence. He again tried to claim that he had asked for a submission. Posted.
Marchand reiterated that he did not want the video released because the evidence linking President Trump’s voice and face to the words in the video is too strong.
On Friday, former Trump campaign press secretary and White House communications director Hope Hicks said that Trump’s concerns after the tape leak centered on how it would affect his wife, Melania Trump. I testified.
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U.S. President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen (right) stands outside a federal courthouse in New York, U.S., on Thursday, December 14, 2023. (Yuki Iwamura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“He was worried about how this would be viewed nationally,” Hicks said. “Mr. Trump really values his wife’s opinion. She doesn’t always value her opinion, but when he hears her opinion… it’s priceless,” Hicks testified. .
”[I] I don’t think he wanted anyone in his family to be hurt or embarrassed about anything related to the campaign. He wanted them to be proud of him,” Hicks later added.
The testimony she submitted to the court under subpoena was a sign that prosecutors, concerned about the impact the subsequent media attack would have on the Trump campaign, said Trump’s tapes triggered the payments to Stormy Daniels. There is a possibility that the claim will be overturned.
Defense attorneys argued on the same day that a recent ruling in the case against disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein could also be relevant to Trump’s case.
Mr. Weinstein’s conviction was recently reversed by the New York State Court of Appeals after the court granted Mr. Weinstein a new trial. The judge ruled that he had allowed women who say Mr. Weinstein assaulted them to call prosecutors for their testimony, even though the accusations did not specifically relate to them. Even if it wasn’t, he said. Accusation of entertainment mogul.
Trump’s lawyers have argued that prosecutors are trying to introduce evidence not directly related to Trump’s alleged crimes, including the Access Hollywood tapes.
The decision to overturn Weinstein’s conviction relied on two court conditions: Molyneux and Sandoval.
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President Trump speaks to members of the media as he leaves his trial in New York City on May 3, 2024.
The Molyneux Rule provides that evidence of past unindicted crimes or acts committed by an individual may not be entered into evidence to infer the defendant’s guilt.
Although such prior conduct may be entered into evidence for certain other reasons, such as establishing intent or knowledge, such uncharged conduct does not indicate that the defendant committed the offense charged. It cannot be registered in a way that could prejudice the jury’s opinion about the possibilities.
In Trump’s case, defense attorney Todd Blanche argued Friday that the evidence presented does not prove the elements of the crimes charged, but rather suggests Trump’s guilt.
The Sandoval decision refers to defendants who may testify at their own trials. Prosecutors typically ask to introduce past actions or allegations of behavior by the defendant, and defense attorneys typically seek to limit this.
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The defendant may choose not to testify based on what the judge allows the prosecutor to question the defendant. But the question in Trump’s case will be whether allowing prosecutors to ask prejudicial questions of the jury completely prevents the defendant from testifying in his own defense.
Before adjourning for the day, the two parties continued to discuss the Sandoval rule and what questions Trump might be asked if he testifies.
It is unclear whether Mr. Trump will testify further during the unprecedented trial.
FOX News’ Kevin Ward, Grace Taggart, Maria Pavovich, Shannon Bream and Kelly Kupek-Urburn contributed to this report.
