Donald Trump’s trial for 34 counts of illegally falsifying business records to protect his 2016 campaign continues Tuesday with adult film actress Stormy Daniels expected to take the stand.
Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, claims to have had a sexual encounter with Trump. She was paid $130,000 through former Trump attorney Michael Cohen to prevent her from talking about it. Trump then reimbursed Cohen. That reimbursement, and how it was reported in Trump’s accounting, is the heart of this case.
On Monday, Trump was fined $1,000 for again violating the gag order, with Judge Juan Merchan warning that additional violations could result in Trump being sent to jail.
The jury heard from two Trump Organization employees, controller Jeffrey McConney and accountant Deborah Tarasoff, who showed how Trump made payments to Cohen from his personal account, and how the payments concerning Daniels broke with a pattern of other payments.
Daniels’ testimony is expected to be among the most contentious of the trial, as Trump has continued to dispute her claims.
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Mark Sumner
Daniels was impressed with Trump’s questions about the business. It sounds very much as if he was doing some calculations before announcing Trump Porn.
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Mark Sumner
Daniels describes the conversation she had with Trump in his hotel suite. Sounds like they covered some of the same ground that the jury has heard this morning. This again emphasizes that Daniels was not just on-screen talent.
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Mark Sumner
Jonah Bromwich at The New York Times, notes that Hoffinger is asking Daniels about why the first person she told about Trump’s invitation was her publicist, which could feed the defense’s claims that Daniels was a grifter.
The prosecutor, Susan Hoffinger, may be leaning into that in the same way her team has elicited damaging testimony about Michael Cohen: They’d rather that jurors hear it from the prosecution’s witnesses up front, rather than allowing the defense to spring it on the jury as if the state were trying to hide it.
Prosecutors have solicited so many “let’s beat up Michael Cohen” moments that it’s hard to think what else the defense could say about him.
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Mark Sumner
Multiple reporters have commented that Daniels is speaking very quickly and expressed concern that the jury may not understand some of the things she has said.
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Mark Sumner
Daniels recounts how Trump sent his bodyguard, Keith Schiller to invite her to dinner. Daniels’ initial response was “Fuck no.” But eventually she did give Schiller her number.
Hoffinger is taking Daniels through incidents that show her as a more rounded person, giving the jury something more than a stock character.
Hoffinger moved Daniels quickly through descriptions of her early career. During her testimony, Daniels appeared understandably nervous. But she reportedly seems more confident as the state establishes that Daniels was more than just a body on screen.
CNN reports that Daniels is recounting the path that took her from exotic dancing to nude modeling to adult films.
Jurors are taking notes as Stormy Daniels testifies. Many of their faces are expressionless as they are alternate between watching Daniels and prosecutor Susan Hoffinger.
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