Prosecutors Allege Trump Committed Criminal
Donald Trump committed “election fraud” by paying hush money to a porn star only days before the 2016 White House vote, prosecutors alleged Monday in the first criminal trial of a former US president.
This case is about a criminal conspiracy and a cover-up,” Assistant District Attorney Matthew Colangelo explained. “He orchestrated a criminal scheme to corrupt the 2016 presidential election.”
Colangelo presented the prosecution’s evidence to the jury, claiming that Trump faked company documents to purchase the silence of porn star Stormy Daniels over a 2006 sexual encounter that could have harmed his presidential campaign.
It was election fraud, pure and simple, he told reporters. Prosecutors Allege Trump Committed Criminal Conspiracy
Trump, 77, sat at the defense table, flanked by his lawyers, facing straight ahead as the prosecutor delivered his opening remarks. He wore a dark blue suit and blue tie with an American flag pin on his lapel.
The issue poses significant risks to the Republican presidential contender, who has less than seven months until his rematch with Democratic President Joe Biden in November.
Daniels and Trump’s longtime fixer Michael Cohen, who organized the alleged payment to the adult film star, are likely to appear as prosecution witnesses.
President Trump did not commit any crimes,” Todd Blanche, one of his lawyers, said in his opening remarks. “The Manhattan DA should not have initiated this case.
I have a spoiler alert: there’s nothing wrong with trying to influence an election,” Blanche said. “It’s called democracy. Prosecutors Allege Trump Committed Criminal Conspiracy
Prosecutors brought David Pecker, former publisher of the National Enquirer tabloid, as the first witness, alleging that he was employed to suppress bad reports about Trump as part of a catch-and-kill tactic.
Pecker appeared briefly on the stand before Judge Juan Merchan adjourned the court for the day. It’ll resume on Tuesday.
Campaign trail
Trump, speaking to reporters in a corridor following the court session, argued that he had done nothing illegal and that the case was intended to disrupt his 2024 presidential campaign.
“This is a Biden witch hunt to keep me off the campaign trail,” added the former vice president.
The trial will keep Trump in court for four days every week for six to eight weeks.
He faces 34 charges of falsifying company documents for payments to his lawyer, Cohen, for Daniels’ $130,000 “hush money” payment.
Blanche, Trump’s attorney, attacked the credibility of Cohen, who served prison time for tax evasion and campaign finance violations, and Daniels in his opening remarks.
“He’s a convicted felon,” Blanche said of Cohen. “And he also is a convicted perjurer.”
Daniels “saw her chance to make a lot of money, $130,000, and it worked,” he said. “And since this story came out in 2018, became public, she’s made hundreds of thousands of dollars because of it.” Prosecutors Allege Trump Committed Criminal Conspiracy
Trump has separately been indicted on charges of conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 election won by Biden and for hoarding secret documents after leaving the White House. Prosecutors Allege Trump Committed Criminal Conspiracy
Those cases have been repeatedly delayed, however, due to his strategy of challenging every legal step.
Merchan, on the other hand, has run the New York trial on a tight schedule.
Trump has railed against the case, particularly a partial gag order imposed by Merchan to prevent him from publicly attacking witnesses, prosecutors and relatives of court staff. Prosecutors Allege Trump Committed Criminal Conspiracy
Merchan will hold a hearing on Tuesday to determine whether Trump is already in contempt of court because of his rants during jury selection.
The identities of the 12 jurors and six alternates are kept hidden for their own safety.
A unanimous judgment will be necessary to convict Trump, who has been obliged to attend all days of the trial.
Security was tight on Monday after a man lit himself on fire outside the courthouse last week in an unconnected but grisly incident.
In a prior civil court case in New York this year, Trump was ordered to pay $355 million, which increased to $454 million with interest, after being found guilty for exaggerating his assets to profit from favorable loan and insurance terms. Prosecutors Allege Trump Committed Criminal Conspiracy
The demand was frozen pending an appeal, on the condition that Trump post a bond that would be executed if he lost his legal fight. That bond was later revalued to $175 million. Prosecutors Allege Trump Committed Criminal Conspiracy
The New York attorney general’s office told AFP on Monday that it had settled the difficulties over the money, which will be held as cash in an account solely managed by the underwriter.
