Former President Donald Trump faced a momentous day in court, marked by a contempt ruling and riveting testimony detailing his alleged involvement in hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Witnesses offered a deep dive into the behind-the-scenes negotiations that sought to keep allegations of Trump’s extramarital affairs from surfacing during the pivotal moments of the 2016 presidential campaign.
Trump, who has pleaded not guilty to a 34-count indictment for falsifying business records in connection to a $130,000 hush money transaction, found himself held in contempt of court and fined $9,000 for violating a gag order – a restriction he denounced as “totally unconstitutional.” Judge Juan M. Merchan warned of possible jail time for further violations.
On Oct. 25, 2016, National Enquirer editor Dylan Howard made a push to restart the Daniels deal after Michael Cohen failed to come up with the agreed-upon $130,000 hush money payment, Stormy Daniels’ then-attorney Keith Davidson testified. “Push for the cash. [David Pecker] and I just told [Cohen] he has to pay the 150K,” Howard texted Davidson that day, according to evidence.
“It was an attempt to resurrect this deal that had fallen apart,” Davidson testified. “They were encouraging Cohen to deal directly with me and that I should try to get as much as I could up to $150,000.” “The entire matter was frustrating, that it was on again, off again, that there were delays in funding and cancellations,” Davidson said about the entire Daniels transaction. According to Davidson, Cohen continued to push back on the deal despite the encouragement from Howard and National Enquirer publisher David Pecker.
Exiting the courtroom following the day’s testimony, former President Trump reiterated claims that the case is unfair and that he should be campaigning instead of sitting in court. “I’m sitting here because that’s exactly what they want,” Trump said. “They don’t want me on the campaign trail. But it’s a real — a real disgrace and the whole world is watching. It’s a disgrace to New York.”
Relevant articles:
– Trump trial live updates: Trump hit with contempt, witnesses detail Stormy Daniels deal , ABC News, 05/01/2024
– Trump hush money trial: Trump held in contempt of court for gag order violation, The Associated Press, 04/30/2024
– Witness testifies about Stormy Daniels in Trump hush money trial, The Washington Post, 04/30/2024
– Trump trial highlights: Lawyer for Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal takes the stand, NBC News, 04/30/2024
– Trump trial hears testimony from Keith Davidson, lawyer who represented Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, CBS News, 04/30/2024