Former President Donald Trump is on trial in New York, where he faces criminal charges similar to the 2016 secret payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. This is the first time in history that a former U. S. president has been tried on criminal charges.
Last April, Trump pleaded not guilty to a 34-count indictment accusing him of falsifying business records to conceal the reimbursement of a secret payment his then-lawyer, Michael Cohen, had made to Daniels to improve his electoral chances in the 2016 presidential election. election.
READ MORE: Here’s what you want to know about this landmark case.
Donald Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, has vowed to avoid making public comments about the former president ahead of his likely testimony in the Trump hush money case in New York.
On his podcast and on social media, Cohen has commented on the former president’s legal troubles. Trump’s lawyers argued that the former president’s comments about Cohen, which prosecutors say were a violation of the limited silence imposed in the case, were a reaction to Cohen’s political politics. Attacks.
“Although I am the gagged finisher, out of respect for Judge Merchan and prosecutors, I will avoid posting anything about Donald on my X account (formerly Twitter) or on the Mea Culpa podcast until the end of my testimony in the trial months (or longer),” Cohen said on social media Wednesday afternoon.
Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, faithfully participated in his opening Monday attacking Cohen’s credibility, describing the former lawyer as a “convicted perjurer” and a “convicted liar” who has an “obsession with having Trump. “
Cohen’s testimony is expected to be a key component of the state’s case against Trump, as prosecutors investigate to find that Trump falsified business records while he, Cohen and former National Enquirer editor David Pecker engaged in a conspiracy to influence the 2016 election through suppression. Negative stories about Trump.
Former President Trump, speaking to reporters after the court adjourned for the day, angrily criticized Judge Merchan and the limited gag order that was the subject of this morning’s contempt hearing.
“We have a gag order, which to me is totally unconstitutional. I’m not allowed to talk, but other people are allowed to talk about me,” Trump said. “So they can talk about me, they can say whatever they want. “, they can lie. But I can’t say that, I just have to step back and see why a ruling in a dispute ordered me to have a trial. I don’t think anyone has noticed anything like that.
Sifting through a thick stack of documents, which Trump said were news articles from a day and a half ago, the former president continued his criticism.
“So I published an article about it, and then it discusses someone’s call somewhere at the end of the article and I ended up violating the gag order,” he said. “I think it’s a shame. It’s completely unconstitutional. “
Prosecutors asked this morning for the judge to fine Trump $10,000 for what are said to be 10 recent violations of the limited gag order, which prohibits Trump from making statements about witnesses, jurors and lawyers in the case other than Manhattan District Attorney Alvin. Bragg.
The judge has not yet issued his decision.
-Michael Pappano
“Karen McDougal is a Playboy style,” said David Pecker, former editor of the National Enquirer, recalling how he learned in June 2016 “that there’s a Playboy style that’s looking to sell a story about a relationship she’d had with Donald Trump for a year. “”.
Pecker said he called Michael Cohen, Trump’s lawyer at the time, to tell him. At the time, he was talking to Cohen “several times a week,” but that soon changed. Pecker said he and Cohen spoke “much more frequently” about McDougal’s claims. .
“Michael was very agitated. It seemed like I was under a lot of pressure to get the answer right away,” Pecker said. “He kept calling, and every time he called, he seemed more anxious. “
Pecker said he assumed that “Mr. Trump asked Michael Cohen, ‘Have we heard anything before?'” Pecker said.
“Has Michael Cohen ever talked to Mr. Cohen?Trump and McDougal’s claims?” asked U. S. Attorney Josh Steinglass.
“Yes, I did,” Pecker replied before recounting a verbal telephone exchange Pecker said he had with Trump himself.
“I said I thought the story deserved to be bought and we deserve to be bought,” Pecker remembers telling Trump. “Mr. Trump told me, ‘I don’t buy stories. Every time you do something like that, it comes out. ‘”
In the end, McDougal won $150,000 and promised a series of articles on the subject in the publication.
As a result of this testimony, the court adjourned the session.
The jury is expected to hear more about McDougal as soon as Pecker returns to the witness stand when it resumes Thursday.
According to former National Enquirer editor David Pecker, Cohen pushed the National Enquirer to keep doorman Dino Sajudin under contract until after the 2016 election, even though Sajudin’s story that Trump would have a loving child was false.
“I told Michael Cohen that the story wasn’t true. I told him it was very difficult to deal with the goalkeeper,” Pecker said.
In the past, Cohen had encouraged Pecker to add a $1 million fine to Sajudin’s contract if he broke the deal and tried to circumvent the story.
“He would be violating that agreement and would owe $1 million to the U. S. media,” Pecker said. “It’s essentially a lever to make sure that doesn’t happen. “
Cohen encouraged Pecker to keep Sajudin locked up, according to the former editor.
“I’m going to approach him one way or another,” Pecker told Cohen about Sajudin. “He said, ‘No, he after the election. ‘”
“When was he released?” Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass asked Pecker.
“December 9, 2016,” Pecker said.
“After the presidential election?” asked Steinglass.
“Yes,” Pecker replied.
Prosecutors are now talking about what they see as additional violations of the gag order imposed on former President Trump.
Since they broached the matter this week, Trump has violated the gag order seven times, prosecutors alleged.
“This is ridiculous, it has to stop,” they said.
Prosecutors have said they would like to discuss the seven new positions at the hearing on the case scheduled for next week.
“We ask you to convict the defendant of contempt,” they said.
But they indicated they could ask for harsher penalties than monetary sanctions, saying “they are still your options. “
Trump’s lawyer, Emil Bove, responded by saying the messages “identify that there were planned violations. “