Tuesday marked the most dramatic day yet in former President Trump’s criminal trial, with Stormy Daniels taking the stand.
The adult actress is at the center of the case, claiming she had sex with Trump at a celebrity golf event in Lake Tahoe in 2006.
Daniels was ultimately paid $130,000 late in the 2016 presidential campaign to prevent her from telling the story publicly.
Her compensation was received by Mr. Trump’s then-lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, but was later repaid by Mr. Trump and a Trump-affiliated trust company.
Prosecutors argue that the reimbursements to Cohen were misclassified as legal fees to hide the real purpose of silencing Daniels to help Trump defeat Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in the election. It is said that it was done.
President Trump denies having sex with Daniels. He also claims that the money paid to Cohen was indeed for legal services and denies any criminal wrongdoing.
Trump has been charged with 34 felonies for falsifying business records. If convicted, he could be sentenced to prison, but it is unusual for a first-time offender to be sentenced to prison.
Key takeaways from Tuesday’s proceedings include:
Stormy Daniels tells her story
The biggest news of the day was the most obvious. Stormy Daniels had to tell her story.
It was an unusual and sometimes surreal occasion, with Daniels detailing everything from her difficult upbringing and early days in the adult industry to her eventual alleged sexual encounters with Trump. told.
Trump is nearly 33 years older than Daniels. In 2006, he was a businessman and reality TV star, but he was 10 years away from being elected president.
Daniels tells her story in great detail and with vivid asides. She made more money when she started stripping than when “she raked manure,” she said. Years later, she recalled very specific details about her fateful encounter with Trump, including seeing Old Spice in a toiletry bag that apparently belonged to Trump.
Daniels insisted she was not forced to have sex with Trump, but suggested he might appear on NBC’s “The Apprentice” to woo her into bed.
She also said she had not seen Trump since June 2007 until she confirmed him in court on Tuesday.
Team Trump tries to declare a mistrial but fails
The New York trial will be the first criminal trial against a former president. It could have ended early on Tuesday.
Lawyers for the former president pressured Judge Juan Melchan to declare a mistrial during Daniels’ testimony.
The defense argued that Daniels went into unnecessary detail that was “extremely prejudicial” to Trump and was aimed at “pure embarrassment” rather than a legitimate legal purpose. One of the details at issue appears to have been the adult actress’ claim that Trump was not wearing a condom during the alleged meeting.
Machan denied the request for a miscarriage of justice, saying such a move was “unjustified.”
The judge also expressed surprise that there wasn’t more objections from the defense during Daniels’ argument, which is unlikely to go over well with Trump’s lawyers for the combative former president. It’s an opinion.
Machan appeared to be uncomfortable with some elements of Daniels’ testimony. She said he encouraged her to defend her answers to her questions and ordered that her statements about her status that she and Trump allegedly had sex be removed from her public record.
trump gets ridiculed
One of the most notable elements of Daniels’ testimony was her willingness to mock Trump.
The adult actress said that when she went to President Trump’s suite in 2006, he was wearing satin and silk pajamas.
“Does Mr. Hefner know that you stole his pajamas?” Daniels said, teasing Trump. After she mentioned Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, he reportedly changed into a suit.
She also said that after their meeting, President Trump called her a “honey bunch.”
Trump became even more uncomfortable when Daniels testified that he asked Trump about his wife, Melania, and that they told him they didn’t sleep in the same room.
At this point, Trump was “shaking his head toward the defense table and appeared to say something under his breath,” according to the Associated Press.
“Do you hate President Trump?” — Defenders attack motives
Cross-examination of Daniels was predictably aggressive, with Trump’s lawyers attempting to portray the adult actress as motivated by a desire for personal revenge and financial gain.
A memorable moment came when President Trump’s lawyer Susan Necheles asked Daniels, “Are you correct in saying that you hate President Trump?”
“Yes,” Daniels replied.
The Trump team also focused on a subsequent lawsuit in which Daniels sued Trump for defamation and lost. She refused to pay the money she owed him.
Towards the end of the day, Mr. Necheres tried to make a key point by harshly accusing Mr. Daniels of trying to “extort money” from President Trump.
Daniels responded that the charges were “false.”
Much may depend on jurors’ gut reaction to Daniels on the stand. Wednesday is off due to trial schedule, but is scheduled to return on Thursday.
New York City Mayor says Rikers Island is ready to host President Trump if necessary
Daniels dominated the day, but she wasn’t the only one in the news.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, said at a separate news conference that the city’s prison chief is “prepared for whatever happens” regarding Trump’s possible incarceration.
Marchan on Monday threatened to jail Trump if he continues to violate the gag order. President Trump has violated the order 10 times and has been fined a total of $10,000.
“They’re professionals. They’ll be ready,” Adams said, apparently referring to prison staff.
Rikers Island is home to New York’s largest prison, which opened nearly 100 years ago.
The New York Times noted that Rikers was “a dilapidated facility with a notoriously violent history.”
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