On April 15, 2024, former US President Donald Trump attended the first day of his trial for allegedly covering up hush payments related to an extramarital affair at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City.
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Donald Trump’s criminal hush-money trial in New York resumed Monday, capping a dramatic week following testimony from a former top White House aide and a judge’s warning that Trump’s comments could land him in jail.
On Friday, former longtime Trump aide Hope Hicks testified for the prosecution under a subpoena. She provides an insider’s look at how Trump and his team reacted to damaging news about him during the 2016 presidential campaign. These include the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape in which Trump was caught bragging about sexual misconduct.
“Everyone is dealing with the shock of it,” Hicks said, describing the immediate aftermath of the video’s release.
The tape has revived little-known media interest in porn star Stormy Daniels, who said she had sex with Trump in 2006. statement from a lawyer who helped Daniels pay $130,000 in hush money. The sum is at the heart of the prosecution’s case.
Former White House communications director Hope Hicks leaves the hearing room during a break during a closed-door interview with the House Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., June 19, 2019.
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Trump was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal the amount of reimbursements his lawyers made to Daniels. The $130,000 was paid by Trump’s then-lawyer Michael Cohen less than two weeks before the 2016 election. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg accused Trump of withholding payment records to further an illegal scheme to influence the election.
Hicks testified that when she worked in the Trump White House, Trump told her that Cohen made the payment without Trump’s knowledge to protect him and that he did so “for his own benefit.” bona fide”.
Hicks said she believed an act of pure kindness was “out of character for Michael.”
She also said Trump was glad Daniels’ story didn’t come out before the election. “I think Mr. Trump’s view is that it’s better to deal with this now, and it would be bad if this story came out before the election,” she testified.
Hicks quickly broke down in tears on the witness stand as Trump’s lawyers began to cross-examine her, asking her basic questions about her experience working at the Trump Organization.
Earlier this week, Judge Juan Merchant held Trump in contempt of court for violating a gag order nine times that prohibited him from talking about witnesses, jurors and other parties involved in the trial.
Moqian fined Trump up to $1,000 for each violation. The judge’s order acknowledged that fines would not be enough of a deterrent for wealthy defendants like Trump. But Mercha said Trump could face jail time if he continues to violate court orders.
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