New York v. Trump trial enters third week as judge fines Trump for gag order violations
Former President Trump returns to Judge Juan Merchan's Manhattan courtroom Tuesday to begin the third week of his criminal trial. Manhattan DA Alvin Brag has charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records in relation to hush payments he made to pornography actress Stormy Daniels.
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Former President Donald Trump spoke to reporters outside the courtroom on Tuesday evening in New York City, where he took aim at "totally conflicted" Judge Juan Merchan and blasted the "Biden trial" for preventing him from campaigning.
"You have a judge who's totally conflicted, totally, absolutely conflicted that he's rushing his case through," Trump told reporters outside of the Manhattan courtroom. "I'll tell you what, somebody just told me they've never sat for such a long period of time in a courthouse before. It's ridiculous. I'm supposed to be in Georgia. I'm supposed to be in New Hampshire, I'm supposed to be in Ohio and lots of other places, and they have me sitting here for a Biden trial. It's a Biden trial."
"I've never saw so many prosecutors. They're all sitting in a room over nothing, over absolutely nothing. There's no crime, there's no anything here."
Trump said he was "sitting here because that's exactly what they want."
Former President Donald Trump speaks to the press before departing for the day at his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments linked to extramarital affairs, at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City on April 30, 2024. (SETH WENIG/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
"They don't want me on the campaign trail, but it's a real a real disgrace. And the whole world is watching," he added. "This is a corrupt system we're in, and I think the people are understanding it. If you look at the polls, the people of our country are understanding it."
Trump also took aim at the "witch hunt" in an earlier post to Truth Social.
"This is a total Witch Hunt. Hours of sitting down and listening to nothing except EXONERATION AND LIES," he wrote. "The Trial is going like a speeding bullet, because the Judge is working hard to make all of his friends happy. Merchan is Rigged, Crooked, and, above all, and without question, CONFLICTED. It’s a disgrace to our Country — They’ve taken away my Right to Free Speech. ELECTION INTERFERENCE!!!"
The former lawyer for Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday that Michael Cohen missed the first payment deadline and lacked the authority to issue a payment to Stormy Daniels over her alleged affair with Donald Trump.
After AMI backed out of a deal to purchase Daniels' story, Dylan Howard, the former chief content officer at American Media Inc. and editor-in-chief of the National Enquirer, urged Daniels's manager to work directly with Cohen.
The manager refused to work with Cohen and insisted that Davidson should deal with him. “The moral of the story is that no one wanted to talk to Cohen,” Davidson testified.
Upon an agreement of $130,000 between both parties, Davidson said Cohen missed the first payment deadline and repeatedly made excuses for not paying.
During testimony, Davidson said he believed Cohen didn’t have the proper authority to issue the payment.
Just weeks before the election, and after the Access Hollywood tape was release, Davidson messaged Cohen with frustration over his failure to make the payment deadline.
When he threatened to pull out of the deal, Cohen responded, "G--damnit, I’ll just do it myself,” according to Davidson.
Former President Donald Trump returns to the courtroom after a break during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments linked to extramarital affairs at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York on April 30, 2024. (EDUARDO MUNOZ/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Former President Donald Trump's request to delay his hush money criminal trial was denied again on Tuesday.
The decision was handed down by a panel of 5 judges in the NYS Appellate Division who denied Trump’s request for a delay of the trial amid his arguing for the recusal of Judge Juan Merchan.
The decision came amid Trump's appearance in a Manhattan court on Tuesday, where proceedings are under way in his hush money payments trial.
Earlier this month, one judge had denied the request.
"An Article 78 proceeding having been commenced in this Court for a writ of prohibition, pursuant to CPLR 7803(2), prohibiting respondent The Honorable Juan M. Merchan, A.J.S.C., based on his having allegedly acted in excess of Supreme Court’s jurisdiction, from (1) refusing to recuse himself from the criminal proceedings in People v Donald J. Trump (Indictment No. 71543/23), (2) restricting petitioner’s ability to file motions in said proceedings and include rulings and submissions in the public record, and (3) ruling that petitioner is foreclosed from relying in said proceedings on the presidential immunity doctrine as an evidentiary objection at trial," the decision reads. "And petitioner having moved for a stay of the criminal proceedings in People v Donald J. Trump (Indictment No. 71543/23), pending the hearing and determination of the foregoing Article 78 proceeding."
"Now, upon reading and filing the papers with respect to the motion, and due deliberation having been had thereon, it is ordered that the motion is denied," the decision concluded.
Stormy Daniels, left, and former President Donald Trump, right. (Phillip Faraone/Getty Images/File | Seth Wenig/Pool/Getty Images)
Keith Davidson, a lawyer who represented Stormy Daniels, said interest in his client's story regarding her affair with Donald Trump "reached a crescendo" following the release of the Access Hollywood tape.
Davidson, the sixth witness called to the stand Tuesday in the case of NY v. Trump, told the court there was very little interest in the story about Daniels' alleged affair with Trump prior to the tape's release, but that “the interest reached a crescendo" afterward.
In an October 2016 text to Dylan Howard, the former chief content officer at American Media Inc. and editor-in-chief of the National Enquirer, Davidson wrote, "Trump is f-cked."
Davidson said he was moved to say that because of the Access Hollywood tape. Howard responded, “Wave the white flag…it’s over people.”
A compilation photo of former President Trump, prosecutor Matt Colangelo, New York AG Letitia James, and Manhattan DA Bragg. (Fox News Digital/Getty Images/DOJ)
FIRST ON FOX: The House Judiciary Committee is investigating a top prosecutor on Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case against former President Trump for his past work as a senior Justice Department official during the Biden administration.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, is demanding that Attorney General Merrick Garland turn over records related to the employment of Bragg prosecutor Matthew Colangelo amid a "perception" of coordination.
Colangelo delivered opening arguments for Bragg in the Trump trial alleging "a criminal conspiracy and a cover-up."
"The Committee on the Judiciary is conducting oversight of politically motivated prosecutions by state and local officials," Jordan wrote in a letter to Garland, obtained by Fox News Digital. "Since last year, popularly elected prosecutors—who campaigned for office on the promise of prosecuting President Trump—engaged in an unprecedented abuse of prosecutorial authority: the indictment of a former President of the United States and current leading candidate for that office."
Jordan pointed to Bragg’s indictment of Trump, charging the former president with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. Trump pleaded not guilty to all counts. His unprecedented and historic criminal trial is underway for its third week.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Brooke Singman.
Former Playboy model Karen McDougal (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Playboy)
Keith Davidson, a lawyer who represented both Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, explained to the court Tuesday how a deal between one of his clients and the National Enquirer eventually reached fruition.
As part of the deal, Davidson testified that McDougal received a $150,000 payment and the promise of magazine covers and regular columns for publications that are owned by the National Enquirer’s parent company, American Media Inc.
The deal was reached after Davidson haggled with Dylan Howard, the former chief content officer at American Media Inc. and editor-in-chief of the National Enquirer, about payment for McDougal's story about an alleged interaction she had with then-presidential candidate Donald Trump.
In one 2016 text to Howard about the selling of McDougal's story, Davidson stated, “They are asking me to go back for another 25,” meaning another $25,000. Howard responded, “F--- it. Not my money. I’ll ask.”
Davidson later told the court that after the deal was made he called Cohen, Trump's personal attorney, as a professional courtesy. Trump, however, wasn’t named as a party to the tabloid’s agreement with McDougal.
Davidson told the court that McDougal retained no intellectual property rights to the story, and that if she tried to take the story elsewhere, she would owe back the $150K. McDougal signed the document on Aug. 6, 2016.
Davidson said he received 45% of the $150,000 payment to Daniels.
Former President Donald Trump has removed a series of posts he made to social media this month that Judge Juan Merchan ruled violated the gag order he's under, according to the Associated Press.
The nine posts were taken down by Trump amid the court's break for lunch on Tuesday.
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Merchan fined Trump $9,000 on Tuesday for violating the gag order that bans him from speaking publicly about witnesses and family members of court officials. The judge found he violated the order on nine separate occasions, with each violation resulting in a $1,000 fine.
The posts that were removed were originally posted on Trump's Truth Social account from April 10 to April 17.
Trump's removal of the posts came after Merchan ordered him to do so by 2:15 p.m. Tuesday.
Trump's attorneys have argued the gag order is a violation of the former president’s First Amendment rights. District Attorney Alvin Bragg and his office alleged Trump violated the order at least 14 times, as of last week. The gag order was imposed on Trump in the lead up to the trial last month.
Amid the removal of the posts, Trump took to Truth Social and wrote, "This Judge has taken away my Constitutional Right to FREE SPEECH. I am the only Presidential Candidate in History to be GAGGED."
"This whole 'Trial' is RIGGED, and by taking away my FREEDOM OF SPEECH, THIS HIGHLY CONFLICTED JUDGE IS RIGGING THE PRESIDENTIAL OF 2024 ELECTION. ELECTION INTERFERENCE," he added.
Fox News' Emma Colton contributed to this update.
The judge presiding over the NY v. Trump trial in Manhattan lamented not being able to fine former President Trump more than $1,000 for each violation of his gag order amid the trial.
Judge Juan Merchan fined Trump $9,000 Tuesday morning for violating a gag order that bans him from speaking publicly about witnesses and family members of court officials. The judge found he violated the order on nine separate occasions, with each violation resulting in a $1,000 fine.
The judge detailed in the order that if Trump carries out "continued willful violations" of the gag order, he could face "incarceratory punishment" if "necessary and appropriate."
In the text of his order, Merchan lamented that the fines' costs "unfortunately will not achieve the desired result in those instances where the contemnor can easily afford such a fine."
"Criminal contempt is punishable by a fine not exceeding $1,000, by jail not exceeding 30 days or by both in the discretion of the court, for each violation of a court order," Merchan wrote.
"However, the Judiciary Law, does not vest the Court with authority to craft an appropriate punishment when a $1,000 fine will not achieve the intended purpose. While $1,000 may suffice in most instances to protect the dignity of the judicial system, to compel respect for its mandates and to punish the offender for disobeying a court order, it unfortunately will not achieve the desired result in those instances where the contemnor can easily afford such a fine," he continued.
Merchan continued that it would be "preferable" if the court "could impose a fine more commensurate with the wealth of the contemnor."
"In some cases that might be a $2,500 fine, in other cases it might be a fine of $150,000. Because this Court is not cloaked with such discretion, it must therefore consider whether in some instances, jail may be a necessary punishment," he said, highlighting again that Trump could face time behind bars if he continues violating the order.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Emma Colton.
Then-President Donald Trump and his son Barron wave as they board Air Force One at Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, New Jersey, on August 16, 2020. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
The judge presiding over the NY v. Trump trial in Manhattan granted former President Trump permission on Tuesday to attend his son’s high school graduation in Florida next month.
"I don’t think the May 17 date is a problem," Judge Juan Merchan told the court Tuesday morning of Barron Trump's graduation date.
Trump had pushed for weeks to attend his son's high school graduation on May 17, but a decision on the matter was left in limbo until Tuesday, with Trump speculating earlier this month he would be denied leaving Manhattan for the event.
"(Barron’s) a great student and he’s very proud of the fact he did so well and was looking forward for years to having his graduation with his mother and father there, and it looks like the judge isn’t going to allow me to escape this scam. It’s a scam trial," the former president said earlier this month when the trial kicked off.
It is unclear if trial proceedings will pause on May 17 or if the president will simply be absent from the courtroom that day, which falls on a Friday.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Emma Colton.
Keith Davidson, a lawyer who represented Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, previously said one of clients was being "cornered by the estrogen mafia."
The remarks from Davidson came in a July 2016 text he sent to Dylan Howard, the former chief content officer at American Media Inc. and editor-in-chief of the National Enquirer.
"Don’t forget about Cohen. Time is of the essence. The girl is being cornered by the estrogen mafia," he wrote at the time.
Several text message conversations between Davidson and Howard were revealed to the court, showing how Davidson pitched McDougal's recollection of her interaction with Trump to the outlet.
Davidson told the court that at the time McDougal was about to enter into a deal with ABC about her story. He also insisted the “estrogen mafia” comment was a very regrettable text that he chose to send. He said the term was probably directed toward McDougal’s associates, several women leaning on McDougal to sign with ABC.
Davidson was the sixth witness called to the stand Tuesday in the case of NY v. Trump.
Fox News' Grace Taggart contributed to this update.
Keith Davidson, a lawyer who represented Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, was called to the stand Tuesday in New York's case against former President Donald Trump.
Davidson detailed at length how he became involved in working for McDougal, though there are zero charges in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's indictment that relate to any deal or buy out regarding her story.
Outlined by Davidson were conversations he had in 2016 with Dylan Howard, the former chief content officer at American Media Inc. and editor-in-chief of the National Enquirer, regarding McDougal's interaction with Trump and a pitch to the outlet.
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In a series of text messages reviewed in court, Davidson messaged Howard in 2016: “I have a blockbuster Trump story.”
Davidson said the opportunity was the interaction between McDougal and Trump. Howard responded, “Talk first thing."
Davidson said he could not recall whether they spoke to each other the next day, but they did continue to text.
In other texts between the pair, Howard asked whether Trump cheated on his wife, Melania Trump. Davidson responded, "I really cannot say yet. Sorry."
The text messages also revealed that a meeting between Davidson, Howard, and McDougal was later arranged in June 2016.
During the meeting, Davidson told the court that the subject of McDougal and Trump's interaction was discussed. Reflecting on what took place at the meeting, Davidson said McDougal alleged a romantic affair with Donald Trump some years prior. Davidson could not recall specifically how long the alleged affair happened, whether it was “several week or months.”
AMI was not interested in the story following the meeting because McDougal lacked documentary evidence of the interaction, according to Davidson's testimony. However, Davidson said he and Howard agreed to keep in touch.
Davidson also confirmed that he was in talks with ABC News about a potential interview with McDougal, which he seemingly believed could get the two outlets to compete for the story.
Judge Juan Merchan ruled pre-trial that McDougal can testify, but there will be limits on the bounds of the questions and testimony.
Davidson was the sixth witness called to the stand.
Fox News' Shannon Bream contributed to this update.
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Prosecutors in the NY v. Trump case in Manhattan introduced video evidence on Tuesday of former President Donald Trump denying the Stormy Daniels allegations and praising his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, amid the 2016 presidential election.
One clip played for jurors on Tuesday showed Trump at a campaign rally saying, "As you have seen, I am being viciously attacked. I have no idea who these women are and I think you know I have no idea. ... Whoever she is wherever she comes from the stories are total fiction, they’d never happen, they certainly aren’t gonna happen with me."
Trump added, "They're trying to keep their grip on the campaign. They're all false, 100% complete and total fiction. I think its disgusting. There's not witnesses. Some are doing it for fame. It's a total set up. Now after many years, phony accusers come out less than a month before the election."
In another clip introduced, Trump could be heard offering praise for Cohen, who he considered at the time to be a "friend."
“Michael Cohen is a very talented lawyer, he's a good lawyer, my friend," Trump said in the clip.
Cohen, who previously served as Trump's personal attorney, told Congress in 2019 that Trump directed him to use personal funds to pay Daniels.
Gary Farro, who previously served as a senior managing director at First Republic Bank, explained Tuesday in court how he helped Michael Cohen set up a bank account that was used to make a $130,000 hush money payment to Stormy Daniels.
Farro, who testified that he and Cohen never discussed Trump and that he never spoke to Trump personally, helped Cohen open the account for Essential Consultants, an LLC based in Delaware, on Oct. 26, 2016.
The account was allegedly opened with a home equity line of credit and Cohen transferred $131,000 into a checking account roughly 20 minutes after it was opened.
“Everything was urgent with Michael Cohen,” Farro told the court.
Farro insisted he had no knowledge the account was used to pay an adult film actress, and said that if he had known that detail then there's a possibility the account wouldn't have been opened at all.
“It is an industry that we do not work with,” Farro said.
Farro, the third witness in Trump's hush money trial, did not recall any communication with Cohen since March of 2017.
Judge Juan Merchan warned former President Donald Trump on Tuesday that he could face "incarceratory punishment" for continued gag order violations.
Trump was found guilty of violating a gag order at least nine times in the NY v. Trump case in Manhattan, the presiding judge ruled Tuesday.
Merchan fined Trump $9,000 for violating a gag order that bans him from speaking publicly about witnesses and family members of court officials. The judge found he violated the order on nine separate occasions, with each violation resulting in a $1,000 fine.
Judge Juan Merchan (Fox News)
The judge detailed in the order that if Trump carries out "continued willful violations" of the gag order, he could face "incarceratory punishment" if "necessary and appropriate."
Trump attorneys argue the gag order is a violation of the former president’s First Amendment rights. District Attorney Alvin Bragg and his office alleged Trump violated the order at least 14 times, as of last week. The gag order was imposed on Trump in the lead up to the trial last month.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Emma Colton.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton traveled to New York City on Tuesday to support former President Trump amid his historic and unprecedented criminal trial.
"With President Trump in NYC to sit through this sham of a trial," Paxton wrote in a post to X. "This trial is a travesty of justice. I stand with Trump."
The criminal trial of Trump resumed for its third week Tuesday.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. Trump has pleaded not guilty.
Shortly after proceedings began Tuesday, Judge Juan Merchan ordered Trump to pay $9,000 in fines for repeatedly violating his gag order.
Donald Trump (Getty Images)
Judge Juan Merchan ordered former President Trump to pay $9,000 in fines for repeatedly violating his gag order on Tuesday.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg had accused Trump of violating the order 11 times last week, calling on Merchan to impose a $1,000 fine for each incident. Merchan sided with prosecutors on nine of the instances.
The judge warned Trump that he could be jailed for further gag order violations.
Merchan imposed the gag order on April 1, prohibiting Trump from speaking publicly about witnesses and the family members of certain court officials.
Bragg's office pointed to multiple social media posts and press appearances in which Trump criticized, or shared criticism of, former lawyer Michael Cohen and pornography actress Stormy Daniels. Both individuals are serving as witnesses against Trump.
Former President Trump condemned the anti-Israel protests taking place at college campuses across the country on Tuesday, comparing them to Charlottesville and January 6.
Trump argued that the Charlottesville protest from 2017 was "peanuts" compared to the anti-Israel protests at Columbia University. He went on to question whether the Justice Department would work to prosecute campus protesters as aggressively as they have protesters who participated in the January 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol.
"The Biden protests that are going on are horrible. It's all caused by him, because he doesn't know how to speak. He can't put two sentences together," Trump said. "The colleges are being overrun...He said he ran because of Charlottesville...Charlottesville is peanuts compared to what we're looking at now."
"There's a lot of people being hurt very badly. I wonder if there's gonna be the same kind of treatment they gave J6. Let's see how that all works out. I think I can give you the answer right now," he added.
Later in his comments, Trump once again blasted Judge Juan Merchan, saying he should recuse himself or throw out the case entirely. He also challenged President Biden to meet him on the debate stage.
Former President Trump’s trial in Manhattan court is attracting applause from longstanding anti-Trump pundits, including attorney George Conway.
Conway has long been critical of Trump, launching attacks against him in 2018, despite Conway’s wife, Kellyanne Conway, working for the administration. The attorney went on to help found the Lincoln Project in 2019, which is a political action committee focused on defeating Trump in the 2020 election, and again during this year’s presidential election.
Last week, news broke that a coalition of anti-Trump legal pundits gather on Zoom each Friday to discuss the latest updates to Trump’s trials and court cases as the election season continues to intensify. Those on the call include Conway, liberal constitutional lawyer Laurence Tribe, Republican pundit Bill Kristol, White House counsel under the Nixon administration John Dean, and others, Politico first reported.
Conway detailed in a recent op-ed that he has attended Trump’s ongoing Manhattan court proceedings, sitting in the court’s overflow room to watch the trial unfold.
Trump is on trial for 34 counts of “falsifying New York business records in order to conceal damaging information and unlawful activity from American voters before and after the 2016 election,” according to the DA’s office.
The case stems from allegations Trump’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, paid former porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 to quiet her claims of an extramarital affair she had with the real estate tycoon in 2006. Trump has denied having an affair with Daniels.
Prosecutors allege that the Trump Organization reimbursed Cohen and fraudulently logged the payments as legal expenses. Prosecutors are working to prove that Trump falsified records with an intent to commit or conceal a second crime, which is a felony. The second crime was a violation of a New York law called "conspiracy to promote or prevent election."
Donald Trump (Getty Images)
1. Former President Trump missed his wife, former First Lady Melania Trump’s birthday, due to the requirement for him to attend each day of his criminal trial. Trump also may not be able to attend his youngest son Barron Trump’s high school graduation, on May 17, due to the trial. The judge says he will consider that request as the date approaches and based on how the trial is going.
2. Federal prosecutors in 2018 and 2019 investigated the alleged hush money payments, but opted against charging Trump. The Federal Election Commission also investigated the matter but tossed its probe.
3. Prosecutors intend to call Trump’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, to the stand to testify on the alleged payments. He has been considered a star witness. But Cohen, in 2018, pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations, making false statements to Congress and tax evasion. He was sentenced to three years in prison.
4. The daughter of Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the trial, works for a firm that services primarily Democratic politicians. Loren Merchan has worked on campaigns for Trump foe Rep. Adam Schiff, who pushed the debunked Trump-Russia collusion investigation during his presidency; as well as Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign.
5. The criminal trial in New York is based on charges of falsifying business records in the first degree, which is typically considered a misdemeanor. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has brought the charges against Trump on a separate legal theory – that the alleged falsification of records was done “in furtherance of another crime.” Prosecutors say that crime was an attempt to promote or prevent election –referring to the 2016 election.
Former President Trump’s trial in Manhattan court will continue to hear testimony regarding Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model, who alleged having an affair with Trump in the early 2000s.
Trump’s trial revolves around his former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, paying a former pornographic actress, Stormy Daniels, $130,000 to reportedly quiet her claims of an affair with Trump in 2006. Trump has denied having an affair with Daniels.
Prosecutors allege that the Trump Organization reimbursed Cohen, and fraudulently logged the payments as legal expenses.
The case will also feature two other payments, including a $30,000 payment to a Trump Tower doorman who claimed that Trump fathered a child out of wedlock with a former housekeeper, and a $150,000 payment through a tabloid publisher to a former Playboy model named Karen McDougal. Trump has also vehemently denied these allegations.
McDougal claims she had a months-long affair with Trump in 2006, the same year Daniels claims she had a sexual encounter with Trump. In 2016, ahead of the election, she reportedly sought to go public with the story. The former publisher of the National Enquirer, David Pecker, caught wind of the tip and contacted Cohen, Pecker testified earlier last week.
“What do you think?” Pecker recounted what he said to Trump back in 2016, suggesting Trump buy the story. Trump, however, said, “I don’t buy any stories.”
“Any time you do anything like this, it always gets out,” Pecker told the court Trump said.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s office argues that the National Enquirer’s parent company, American Media Inc., assisted Trump ahead of the 2016 election by flagging him on news stories that could have hurt his campaign.
Prosecutors say Trump and associates employed “catch and kill schemes,” which are understood as tactics used by media and publishing companies to buy the rights of a person’s story with the intention of never publishing its contents.
The court is expected to hear ongoing testimony regarding McDougal in the days to come.
Dino Sajudin was a former Trump World Tower doorman who allegedly heard rumors that former President Trump had fathered a secret love child with his former housekeeper. He claims to have gotten this information from “Mr. C,” a day-to-day operations manager at the Trump Organization.
“Little Tiffany and Ivanka are not the only girls out there carrying the big guy’s DNA,” Sajudin alleges in his book, “Trump Doorman.” “As time went on, I continued to complain to my union boss about the head concierge. One day, Mr. C looked at me dead in the face and said, ‘Dino, when you have Trump’s kid, you can do whatever the hell you want to.’”
Sajudin was paid $30,000 by American Media Inc., which publishes the National Enquirer, to “catch and kill” the story, according to testimony from Enquirer publisher David Pecker. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office claims that Trump and his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, were involved in orchestrating the purchase.
AMI, upon deeper investigation, concluded that the claim from Sajudin was baseless. Pecker described said the Enquirer would have published the story after the 2016 election, but they determined it to be "1,000% false."
“Catch-and-kill” schemes are tactics used by media and publishing companies to buy the rights of a person’s story with no intention of publishing it – whether the story contains true or false allegations.
The NY v. Trump case specifically revolves around payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal. Both women claimed to have had affairs with former President Trump.
Trump has denied the allegations.
He was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Prosecutors allege that Trump falsified business records by labeling payments to his former attorney Michael Cohen as “legal fees.” They say those payments were actually made to repay his former attorney for paying Daniels $130,000 to allegedly silence her claims of an affair with Trump in 2006.
“Catch-and-kill” schemes are used by publishers to bury negative stories about high-profile people.
American Media Inc. ex-publisher David Pecker, who owned the National Enquirer at the time of the payments, testified during the trial that he used the practice of purchasing stories for other high-profile figures beyond Trump – including professional golfer Tiger Woods and ex-Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, among others.
Former President Trump’s historic and unprecedented criminal trial is wrapping up its second week.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg charged the former President with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. Trump has pleaded not guilty.
So far, opening arguments have been delivered by Trump’s defense attorneys and prosecutors from the Manhattan District Attorney’s office. Trump defense attorneys say the former president is “innocent.”
Prosecutors must try to convince the jury not only that Trump falsified the business records related to hush money payments, but also that he did so in furtherance of another crime – conspiracy to promote or prevent election.
Typically, on their own, crimes of falsifying business records and conspiracy to promote or prevent election are viewed as misdemeanors.
So far, the prosecution has called one witness – former American Media Inc. CEO David Pecker. AMI published the National Enquirer tabloid.
Pecker testified about an alleged “catch and kill” practice, which was to buy negative stories about Trump, regardless of their legitimacy, and bury them to protect Trump’s reputation.
Long-time Trump secretary Rhona Graff testified later Friday, as did a First Republic Bank employee who worked closely with Michael Cohen while he was employed by the Trump Organization.
Meanwhile, the judge imposed a gag order on the former president, which prohibits him from making statements about court staff and potential witnesses.
Bragg has alleged Trump violated the order at least 10 times, and is asking the judge to penalize the former president with a $1,000 fine per violation. They also want Trump to be held in contempt of court.
Trump attorneys argue the gag order is a violation of the former president’s First Amendment rights.
The judge is expected to hold a hearing on the gag order’s alleged violations next Wednesday.
Trump is required to attend every day of his criminal trial.
While President Biden visits pivotal swing states to make the case for his re-election, Trump is not as free to do so, given his various trials and proceedings for criminal cases. The former president has also noted that he would rather be campaigning for the presidency than attending court.
However, it's unclear whether this is truly a disadvantage for Trump. The indictments against him have actually become a focal point in his campaign. They have often referred to the various criminal cases as “election interference” and accused Biden of trying to prevent him from campaigning.
Trump’s court cases also get significant media coverage, keeping him at the forefront of current events, even without being on the trail.
Depending on the events that unfold during his trials and how the public perceives them, especially in swing states, Trump may be able to make his case for the presidency from the courtroom.
Stephanie Clifford, known by her stage name Stormy Daniels, is an adult film actress and stripper who is at the center of the hush money case against former President Trump.
Daniels made headlines during Trump's presidency when she said she had a sexual encounter with Trump years before he got elected in 2016. Trump has denied ever having an affair with Daniels.
During Trump's presidency, Daniels was cheered by critics of the then-president. She traveled around the country on the so-called "Make America Horny Again" tour, and was even given the “key” to West Hollywood, Calif., on May 23, 2018, a day set aside by city officials to celebrate her achievements.
In 2018, Fox News reported that Michael Cohen, Trump's former personal attorney, previously arranged hush money payments to both Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who said she also had an affair with the former president. Under the arrangement, Daniels was paid $130,000 and McDougal was given $150,000, reportedly in exchange for their silence.
Those payments were investigated by the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of New York and by the Federal Election Commission. Federal prosecutors ultimately opted not to charge Trump in the case.
However, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg pressed charges against Trump last year, alleging Trump falsified business documents between 2015 and 2017 in connection with the hush money payments to Daniels and McDougal.
The historic and unprecedented criminal trial of former President Trump is set to resume for its third week Tuesday.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg charged the former president with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.
Trump pleaded not guilty.
So far, opening statements have been delivered by Trump’s defense attorneys and prosecutors from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
Trump defense attorneys say the former president is "innocent."
Prosecutors must try to convince the jury not only that Trump falsified the business records related to hush money payments, but also that he did so in furtherance of another crime: conspiracy to promote or prevent election.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Brooke Singman
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