The trial of former President Donald Trump for criminal hush money payments is ongoing in New York, with prosecutors set to continue questioning witnesses on Friday. This comes after the former lawyer for Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, Keith Davidson, testified about negotiating hush money deals before the 2016 presidential election. Trump is facing charges related to falsifying business records for the $130,000 payment to Daniels, who claims she had an affair with him in 2006.
During the trial, Judge Juan Merchan also addressed alleged violations of the gag order by Trump. The former president was fined $9,000 for nine previous violations and warned that further infractions could result in jail time. Prosecutors raised concerns about four additional violations, but stated that they were not seeking immediate incarceration. Merchan has yet to rule on the new allegations.
Over two days of testimony, Davidson discussed his collaboration with the National Enquirer and Michael Cohen on the hush money deals, providing insight into the tabloid’s operations. The former CEO of the Enquirer’s publisher, David Pecker, described the deals as “checkbook journalism” aimed at assisting Trump’s election campaign. Davidson’s text message to the Enquirer’s editor on the night of Trump’s victory highlighted the impact of their actions, with a tone of regret masked as “gallows humor.”
During cross-examination, Trump’s attorney emphasized that Davidson had never interacted with Trump personally. Following Davidson’s testimony, Douglas Daus, a forensic analyst for the district attorney’s office, presented evidence from Cohen’s phone, including recordings of Trump discussing payments for McDougal’s silence. These recordings shed light on the alleged “catch and kill” scheme employed by American Media to suppress damaging information.
The ongoing criminal hush money trial of Donald Trump continues to reveal insights into the lengths individuals may go to conceal damaging information. The testimony from witnesses and forensic analysis of phone recordings provide a detailed account of the events leading up to the 2016 presidential election. As the trial progresses, it remains to be seen how the evidence presented will impact the outcome and potential consequences for the former president.
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