A series of witnesses are expected to appear in New York court, providing testimony for the jury to decide whether or not Mr. Trump is guilty of the charge of paying hush money to porn stars.
Manhattan Criminal Court on April 15 began trial of Mr. Donald Trump on charges of falsifying business records to pay hush money for porn star Stormy Daniels to hide unfavorable information during his 2016 election campaign. The presiding judge Juan Merchan formed a 12-member jury and began the impeachment process of the former president on April 22.
According to the indictment issued by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in April 2023, Mr. Trump in 2016 spent $130,000 on Stormy Daniels and $30,000 on Trump Tower doorman Dino Sajudin when this person accused him of having an illegitimate child. wedlock and transferred $150,000 to former Playboy magazine model Karen McDougal, who claimed to have had a relationship with Trump.
The payment to Daniels was made by Mr. Trump through his trusted lawyer Michael Cohen. David Pecker, then president and CEO of American Media Inc. (AMI), supports Trump in the remaining two “hush money” cases.
Cohen and Pecker will be two important witnesses to appear in Manhattan criminal court and provide testimony, helping the jury decide whether Mr. Trump is guilty or not.
After announcing the start of the impeachment process, the jury on April 22 listened to the lawyer representing Mr. Trump and the New York prosecutor argue. New York prosecutors accused Mr. Trump of breaking the law and meddling in the 2016 election, while the former president denied.
Prosecutors called the first witness to appear in court, Pecker. The former AMI director presented for about 20 minutes at the end of the session on April 22 and continued to testify on April 23.
Pecker, 72 years old, is a longtime friend of Mr. Trump. Prosecutors said that Pecker met Mr. Trump and Cohen at Trump Tower in August 2015 and agreed to be “eyes and ears” by searching and discovering negative stories in the media related to Trump and reporting the news to them. Cohen before they were published.
Pecker “also agreed to publish negative stories about Trump’s opponents” in the AMI-owned National Enquirer magazine during the 2016 election.
“When someone runs for office, it’s very common for women like that to call the National Enquirer to sell a story,” Pecker said at the hearing. Pecker claimed that magazine reporters were allowed to spend up to $10,000 each for exclusive rights to exploit their stories. Larger expenditures will require approval from Pecker.
The former AMI director confirmed the 2015 meeting with Mr. Trump. National Enquirer paid McDougal to “buy” the story that she had an affair with Mr. Trump in 2006 and 2007. Pecker said he acted after Trump, who was preparing to run for office, refused to make the deal himself. pandemic. Trump denies relationship with McDougal.
David Pecker spoke in New York City in January 2014. Image: Reuters
Pecker and AMI were each summoned by federal prosecutors in April 2018 to testify in the investigation into Mr. Cohen’s payment to Daniels. Pecker was granted immunity from prosecution, in exchange, he had to testify that Mr. Trump knew about this hush money payment.
Manhattan Criminal Court closed on April 24. Mr. Pecker plans to continue testifying on April 25.
After Pecker, Cohen, 57, is expected to appear in court to provide testimony this week. Answer the interview Politico On April 12, Cohen hinted that he would present “surprising” evidence in the lawsuit. The news site describes Cohen “as the only person standing between Mr. Trump and prison.”
Cohen admitted in August 2018 to financial violations during the election campaign and claimed that Trump directed him to pay Daniels to “silence” this porn star. He was sentenced to three years in prison and had to pay $2 million in fines and damages.
Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Matthew Colangelo said on April 23 that the jury needs to keep an open mind when listening to Cohen’s testimony. Former President Trump on the same day criticized Cohen as a “liar” and “untrustworthy”.
Mr. Michael Cohen, former lawyer of Mr. Donald Trump, after appearing before a New York jury on March 15, 2023. Image: AFP
Daniels, the focus of the hush money allegations, Sajudin and McDougal could also be witnesses called. Daniels said he had a sexual relationship with Mr. Trump in 2006. Meanwhile, Sajudin said that Mr. Trump had an illegitimate child, but AMI concluded that this information was not true.
Some other potential witnesses include Trump Corporation chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg, National Enquirer editor-in-chief in 2016 Dylan Howard, Trump’s 2016 campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, campaign secretary. nominate Hope Hicks.
Trump can also testify himself, because he was the third person in the 2015 meeting.
“I don’t know, I will testify. I will tell the truth, that’s all I can do,” Mr. Trump said in an interview at Mar-a-Lago earlier this month. Last week, Trump also told reporters outside Manhattan criminal court that he wanted to testify.
However, Trump also faces certain risks if he testifies, because he will have to swear under oath and may face difficult questions from the prosecutor. Joey Jackson, legal analyst for CNNsaid that whether Mr. Trump decides to testify or not “will likely depend on developments in court”.
“I think Mr. Trump would be a convincing witness if he testified, because in the end, the former president did nothing wrong,” said Will Scharf, Mr. Trump’s lawyer.