The historic criminal trial of former President Donald Trump, centered on allegations of a hush money payment scheme to silence film actress Stormy Daniels, continued to garner national attention. Prosecutors in New York have labeled the case “election fraud, pure and simple,” while Trump’s defense asserts he is innocent of all charges.
In its opening statement at the hush-money trial of the former president, the prosecution asserted that Donald Trump had “coordinated a criminal plot to undermine the integrity of the 2016 presidential election” by concealing an affair with film star Stormy Daniels.
A jury comprising seven men and five women residing in Manhattan will deliberate on whether Trump’s alleged attempts to conceal an affair with Stormy Daniels, which he believed could harm his 2016 presidential campaign, were unlawful. Trump faced 34 felony charges of falsifying business records in the spring of 2023.
The lawsuit, initiated by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, centers on a $130,000 payment that Trump’s former attorney and fixer, Michael Cohen, provided to Daniels to maintain her silence. Bragg argues that Trump misrepresented the payment in business records, categorizing it as legitimate legal expenses.
In April of last year, Trump entered a plea of not guilty to a 34-count indictment accusing him of falsifying business records to conceal the reimbursement of a hush money payment made by his former attorney, Michael Cohen, to Stormy Daniels. The payment was allegedly aimed at enhancing his chances in the 2016 presidential election.
On the sixth day of Donald Trump’s criminal trial, proceedings will commence with a hearing before Judge Juan Merchan, during which prosecutors will request that the former president be held in contempt for repeatedly breaching the restricted gag order in the case.
Prosecutors have asserted that Trump violated the limited gag order, which prohibits discussions concerning witnesses, jurors, and attorneys in the case apart from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, on at least ten occasions this month. They have urged the judge to find Trump in contempt of court and impose a $10,000 fine.
Trump’s legal team has contended that the prosecutors failed to demonstrate that the posts in question were deliberate violations of the gag order. They informed Judge Merchan that the former president was defending himself against criticisms from potential witnesses.
Subsequent to the hearing, testimony in the hush-money trial is set to recommence with former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker taking the stand. Prosecutors believe his testimony is crucial in understanding Trump’s rationale for arranging payment to Stormy Daniels to prevent adverse information from emerging during the 2016 campaign.
Relevant articles:
– Trump ‘orchestrated criminal scheme to corrupt’ 2016 election, prosecutors say, The Guardian, 04/23/2024
– Trump hush money trial: Prosecutors allege ‘election fraud,’ while defense says Trump is ‘innocent’, ABC News, Tue, 23 Apr 2024 05:56:10 GMT
– Trump could avoid trial this year on 2020 election charges. Is the hush money case a worthy proxy?, The Associated Press, Tue, 23 Apr 2024 04:14:00 GMT
– Court wraps up for the day in Trump hush money trial, The Washington Post, Tue, 23 Apr 2024 01:13:02 GMT
– NY prosecutor ties Trump hush money payments to campaign as criminal trial kicks off • Kansas Reflector, Kansas Reflector, Mon, 22 Apr 2024 23:38:47 GMT