5 Takeaways From Thursday’s Testimony in Trump’s Hush-Money Trial – The New York Times
Trump Hush-Money Trial
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Stormy Daniels’s former lawyer faced a tough cross-examination as Donald J. Trump’s team tried to paint him as a shakedown artist.
Kate Christobek and
Keith Davidson, the former lawyer for the porn star Stormy Daniels, faced a blistering cross-examination on Thursday in the criminal trial of Donald J. Trump, with defense lawyers casting him as a serial extortionist of celebrities.
The judge, Juan M. Merchan, also heard arguments about additional violations of a gag order by Mr. Trump, just days after he held the former president in contempt and fined him $9,000 for nine other violations. Justice Merchan has threatened jail time if the violations continue, but did not rule on four new allegations on Thursday.
Mr. Trump, 77, is charged with falsifying 34 business records, including checks and invoices, to hide a $130,000 payment to Ms. Daniels, who says she and Mr. Trump had a tryst in 2006 while he was married.
Mr. Trump, the first American president to face prosecution, has denied the felony charges, and having had sex with Ms. Daniels. He could face probation or prison if convicted.
The case is clipping along, with more than a half-dozen witnesses heard from. Here are five takeaways from his 10th day on trial:
Late Thursday afternoon, prosecutors focused on a conversation between Mr. Davidson and Michael D. Cohen, the president’s former lawyer and fixer, that Mr. Cohen had secretly recorded.
Prosecutors played the recording for the jury, letting them hear Mr. Cohen tell Mr. Davidson that Mr. Trump hated “the fact that we did it,” referring to the hush-money payment to Ms. Daniels.
Here’s how key figures involved in making hush-money payoffs on behalf of Donald J. Trump are connected.
The first criminal trial of former President Donald J. Trump is underway. Take a closer look at central figures related to the case.
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