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Donald Trump’s New York hush money trial continues today at Manhattan Criminal Court with adult film actor Stormy Daniels currently testifying.
The key witness took the stand and regaled jurors with how she met the former president, the lead-up to their now-infamous sexual encounter in July 2006 and what happened in the years after, leading up to the 2016 presidential election.
On Monday, the jury heard from Jeffrey McConney and Deborah Tarasoff, about the paper trail within the Trump Organization leading to Michael Cohen’s $130,000 payment to Daniels to ensure her silence about the sexual encounter, which his inner circle feared could sink his campaign.
Earlier that day, Judge Juan Merchan found the former president in contempt of court for a tenth time, fining him another $1,000 and warning that the next violation of his gag order would result in jail time.
As the day drew to a close, the prosecution told Judge Merchan that they expect to be able to wrap up their case in about two weeks, with Cohen among the witnesses yet to be called.
The Independent’s Alex Woodward is covering the trial at Manhattan Criminal Court.
Classified documents case: Trump team handed a win
John Bowden reports:
Judge Aileen Cannon just removed a deadline for his team to submit a key filing, which was originally set for this coming Thursday. That key filing was a list of classified materials they plan to present as evidence at trial.
This is a win for Trump in the political sense, as it makes it unlikely that he will go on trial for mishandling classified materials before the November presidential election.
Continue reading…
Oliver O’Connell7 May 2024 18:00
The contract included a list of eight names that Daniels provided. Those were the friends she told the story to.
She was concerned that the payment was late, not necessarily because of the money but because she was worried that if Trump won and “got what he wanted,” she would continue to feel unsafe with her story out there.
Judge Merchan excuses the jurors for lunch.
Alex Woodward7 May 2024 17:50
There was a four-day deadline to pay, says Daniels.
“I was afraid if it wasn’t done before the nominations and things that it wasn’t safe and he wouldn’t pay. … The election, is what I meant to say.”
Alex Woodward7 May 2024 17:43
Daniels says Rodriguez told her that Cohen and Trump were interested in buying her story, which she didn’t want to get out.
She didn’t negotiate the dollar figure as money wasn’t her concern.
Her life and career at the time were “good, very good,” but she was motivated out of “fear” to ensure the story would be buried.
We see Keith Davidson’s 11 October 2016 email to Cohen laying out the terms of the settlement.
Alex Woodward7 May 2024 17:42
Oliver O’Connell7 May 2024 17:38
Merchan has sustained several objections over Hoffinger’s line of questions that appear to lead the witness.
Hoffinger tried to ask what Rodriguez told her after Access Hollywood. “In a nutshell–” Objection.
Sustained.
Alex Woodward7 May 2024 17:36
In January 2011 in Las Vegas, while in a parking lot walking to a mommy-and-me workout class with her daughter, Daniels says a man approached her and “threatened me to not continue to tell my story.”
She didn’t tell the police “because he told me not to say anything and I was scared”.
Daniels didn’t tell her boyfriend because he “was struggling mentally with some postpartum stuff with our daughter and alcoholism. I had never told him I had sex with Trump and to tell him then now while the world was exploding would not have been good at all.”
Later that year, the story of her encounter appeared on the gossip website The Dirty.
Her manager Gina Rodriguez said she would get her attorney to take it down.
Years later, when Trump launched his campaign, Rodriguez suggested she try to sell her story again.
Alex Woodward7 May 2024 17:33
Daniels testifies that she was contacted by InTouch magazine in 2011, and agreed to do an interview because she’d “rather make the money than someone make money off me” and “could try to control the narrative”.
She was offered $15,000. She just had a daughter and was not working at the time. It was a 10-20 minute interview, and she didn’t divulge all the details from her 2006 encounter with Trump.
InTouch never ran the story.
Hoffinger asked to approach the judge. Counsel are chatting now.
Daniels is sitting with her glasses on top of her head, adjusting her hair, and folding her hands in her lap while glancing around the room.
Trump is leaning to his left as defence attorney Emil Bove speaks in his ear.
Alex Woodward7 May 2024 17:27
Daniels is asked, for the next three years — January 2008 through 2011 — what was life like?
“Pretty awesome.”
She directed movies, got married, had her daughter, and “became a nationally ranked equestrian”.
Objection.
Merchan: “I’ll allow it.”
Alex Woodward7 May 2024 17:23
They arrived at Trump’s “bungalow” where Schiller escorted her to Trump.
He was busy, on the phone, taking several phone calls, and watching television.
“He kept trying to make sexual advances” like touching her leg and “scooting closer” to her.
“I told him no I was on my period.”
They barely spoke about The Apprentice. It was the last time they met in person. Trump later called her to say that he could not get her on the show.
He called a couple more times and she didn’t answer.
Trump called another time to tell her that he didn’t know that adult film star Jenna Jameson would be on the show.
“He thought I was going to be mad. I didn’t care.”
Alex Woodward7 May 2024 17:22
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