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Updates on the Trial of Trump’s ‘Hush Money’ – One America News Network


Former U.S. President Donald Trump. (Photo by Victor J. Blue-Pool/Getty Images)

OAN’s Brooke Mallory
UPDATED 5:56 PM – Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial in New York City on felony charges pertaining to an alleged 2016 hush money payment to former porno actress Stormy Daniels. It is the first time in history that a former president of the United States has faced criminal prosecution.

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In April of last year, Trump entered a not guilty plea to a 34-count indictment that accused him of allegedly fabricating business records to conceal the repayment of a hush money payment made to Daniels by his former attorney, Michael Cohen.

Tuesday, April 23rd

5:20 A.M.:

Today, prosecutors will ask Judge Juan Merchan to hold former President Donald Trump in contempt for “persistently breaking the case’s limited gag order” at the start of Day 6 of his criminal trial.

The limited gag order forbids Trump from speaking about any witnesses, jurors, or attorneys involved in the case other than Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. The prosecution claims that Trump has broken the order at least ten times this month, and they are requesting that the judge finds him in contempt of court and fine him $10,000.

Trump’s attorneys have argued to Merchan that the former president was protecting himself from criticism and that the prosecution has not demonstrated that the posts in question were deliberate breaches of the gag order.

David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer, is expected to testify in the hush money trial after the hearing.

6:59 A.M.:

Trump persisted in his assertion that his followers were being prevented from participating in protests outside the courthouse as he made his way into the chamber.

“Great Americans, people that want to come down and they want to protest at the court. And they want to protest peacefully,” Trump told reporters. “We have more police presence here than anyone’s ever seen for blocks. You can’t get near this courthouse.”

7:13 A.M.:

During the hearing to determine whether to hold Donald Trump in contempt, prosecutor Christopher Conroy stated that the allegations of his breaking the court-imposed restricted gag order “pose a very real threat to the integrity of the judicial proceedings.”

Conroy added that the district attorney’s office would submit a second contempt motion later today regarding remarks Trump made to cameras on Monday regarding Michael Cohen, in addition to the ten alleged violations of the gag order.

“Because, as you know, Cohen is a lawyer, represented a lot of people over the years, now, I’m not the only one. And he wasn’t very good in a lot of ways, in terms of his representation, but he represented a lot of people,” Trump said.

10:48 A.M.:

Pecker detailed the first alleged falsehood that he “caught and killed” in 2015 as part of his deal with Donald Trump and his then-attorney Michael Cohen. The story came from a doorman at Trump Tower.

Pecker stated that “Donald Trump fathered an illegitimate girl with a maid at Trump Tower.” Trump, seated at the defense table, shook his head.

Pecker stated in his deposition that as soon as his staff learned that Dino Sajudin, the doorman, was scheming, he “immediately called Michael Cohen.” Cohen informed him that the accusation was “absolutely not true,” but Pecker claimed that he eventually went ahead and paid $30,000 for the story.

“This could be a very big story. I believe that it’s important that it should be removed from the market,” Pecker alleged that he told Cohen.

Cohen subsequently came back, according to Pecker’s testimony, claiming that the story is “absolutely not true” and that Trump “would take a DNA test”—an ostensibly recent revelation. However, Pecker insisted that it wouldn’t be necessary.

11:16 A.M.:

“Karen McDougal was a Playboy model,” said former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, recalling how he learned in June 2016 “that there’s a Playboy model who is trying to sell a story about a relationship that she had with Donald Trump for a year.”

Pecker claimed that he informed Trump’s then-attorney, Michael Cohen, right away. At that point, he was talking to Cohen “a couple times a week,” but things quickly transformed. Pecker claimed that he discussed McDougal’s allegations “much more frequently” with Cohen.

“Michael was very agitated. It looked like he was getting a lot of pressure to get the answer right away,” Pecker said. “He kept on calling, and each time he called he seemed more anxious.”

“Did you ever come to believe that Michael Cohen had spoken with Mr. Trump about McDougal’s claims?” asked prosecutor Josh Steinglass.

“Yes, I did,” Pecker responded before recounting a phone conversation he had with the former president.

“I said I think the story should be purchased, and we should buy it,” Pecker recalled telling Trump. “Mr. Trump said to me, ‘I don’t buy stories…”

In the end, McDougal received $150,000 and was assured of publishing a number of workout articles in the National Enquirer.

After the testimony, the judge adjourned.

When the jury reconvenes on Thursday, it is anticipated that they will hear additional testimony regarding McDougal from Pecker when he takes the witness stand again.

11:34 A.M.:

“We have a gag order, which to me is totally unconstitutional. I’m not allowed to talk but people are allowed to talk about me,” Trump asserted. “So, they can talk about me, they can say whatever they want, they can lie. But I’m not allowed to say that. I just have to sit back and look at why a conflicted judge has ordered for me to have a gag order. I don’t think anybody’s ever seen anything like this.”

While he shuffled through papers, which Trump emphasized were recent news articles, the former president continued criticizing Merchan’s judicial process.

“So, I put an article on it and then somebody’s name is mentioned somewhere deep in the article and I ended up in violation of the gag order,” he asked. “I think it’s a disgrace. It’s totally unconstitutional.”

This morning, prosecutors requested a $10,000 fine for what they claim to be ten recent breaches of the restricted gag order, which forbids Trump from speaking about any other attorney other than Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg when discussing witnesses, jurors, or attorneys involved in the case.

The judge has not yet rendered a decision.

Monday, April 22nd

4:32 A.M.: Opening Statements

The jury in Donald Trump’s New York hush money case is set to hear opening arguments this morning in the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president, following a week-long selection process.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s attorneys must persuade 12 jurors beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump engaged in repeated record-keeping violations in an attempt to “improperly influence the 2016 presidential election” in order to establish their case.

“This case has nothing to do with your personal politics or your feelings about a particular political issue,” prosecutor Joshua Steinglass said to prospective jurors. “It’s not a referendum on the Trump presidency, a popularity contest, or any indication of who you plan to vote for this fall. This case is about whether this man broke the law.”

6:26 A.M.:

According to two people familiar with the situation, former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker is the first witness that prosecutors from the Manhattan DA’s office intend to summon.

Pecker is the longtime CEO of American Media Inc., the company that publishes the National Enquirer.

The Manhattan DA alleges that shortly after Trump declared his intention to run for president in 2016, Pecker met with him and made a commitment to serve as the campaign’s “eyes and ears” by tracking down and destroying any unfavorable articles about him.

Prosecutors claim that Pecker oversaw an agreement to pay a former Trump Tower doorman $30,000 in relation to the unfounded claim that Trump “allegedly fathered a child out of wedlock” as part of the arrangement, according to prosecutors. The Manhattan DA claims that even after AMI found the accusation to be untrue and AMI paid the doorman, then-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen urged that the agreement remain in place.

6:37 A.M.:

At the counsel table are three prosecutors: Susan Hoffinger, Joshua Steinglass, and Matthew Colangelo.
Seated in the gallery’s front row with about a dozen attorneys and office personnel is Bragg.

6:44 A.M.:

As he entered the courthouse for the day’s hearings, Trump continued to accuse the trial of interfering with the election, saying that it is unfairly preventing him from participating in the campaign trail.

“Everybody knows that I’m here instead of being able to be in Pennsylvania and Georgia and lots of other places campaigning, and it’s very unfair,” he said.

6:52 A.M.:

Juror No. 9 has a problem, according to Judge Juan Merchan, who also stated that the juror “was concerned about media attention” to the case. The juror “wasn’t 100% sure” they could serve, according to Merchan.

In order to “find out what the issue is and see if this juror can continue to serve,” Merchan stated that they would talk to the juror in chambers.

The judge declared, “Juror No. 9 is going to remain with us,” following a brief interjection.

In the event that one of the 12 jurors is unable to serve, there are six backup jurors seated.

6:59 A.M.:

Judge Merchan was informed by the prosecution that the opening statements would last forty minutes.

The defendants told the judge they would require 25 minutes.

In addition, the judge declared that the court would adjourn at 12:30 p.m. ET today due to a juror who experienced dental pain and was scheduled for an urgent visit this afternoon.

Due to the Passover holiday, court was already set to end early today at 2 p.m. ET.

7:09 A.M.:

Prosecutors may question Trump on several prior legal matters if he takes the stand, according to Judge Juan Merchan’s ruling. However, the judge placed restrictions on the cases’ breadth and the depth of the questions regarding the cases’ specific facts.

Judge Merchan decided that the DA’s office could interrogate Trump on six rulings from four prior processes, including the gag order violations in his New York civil fraud case and the features of that case, as well as the verdicts in the 2018 Trump Foundation case and the E. Jean Carroll cases.

At first, Trump was to be questioned by prosecutors over six separate proceedings totaling 13 determinations.

According to Merchan, his decision has “greatly curtailed” the amount of time that prosecutors are able to talk about the case’s fundamental facts.

“The court cautions the defendant that this Sandoval ruling is a shield, not a sword,” Merchan said.

7:21 A.M.:

As the jury entered the courtroom and took their places in the jury box, Donald Trump gazed forward and did not seem to look at any of the jurors.

Judge Merchan gave a long statement describing the trial’s procedures before any of the case’s attorneys could say anything.

Merchan informed the 12 jurors and six alternates, “We are about to begin the trial of People of the State of New York v. Donald Trump.”

Merchan underlined that jurors ought to assume that Trump is innocent and that the prosecution bears the burden of proof. According to Merchan, a guilty verdict necessitates that every juror find that the state has proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt.

The judge stated, “The defendant is presumed to be innocent.” “It is not sufficient to prove that the defendant is probably guilty.”

Merchan made an effort to provide the jury members with some expectations, as only two of them had prior jury service experience. Merchan informed the jurors, for instance, that the attorneys would not be making long speeches outside of the opening and closing comments.

“That happens in TV and in movies, but it doesn’t happen in real trials,” added Merchan.

7:41 A.M.-

“This case is about a criminal conspiracy,” said prosecutor Matthew Colangelo.

“The defendant, Donald Trump, orchestrated a criminal scheme to corrupt the 2016 presidential election,” the prosecutor added.

Using his lawyer Michael Cohen and David Pecker, the owner of the National Enquirer, Colangelo said that Trump plotted “to influence the presidential election by concealing negative information about former President Trump.”

“The defendant said in his business records that he was paying Cohen for legal services pursuant to a retainer agreement. But those were lies,” Colangelo said. “The defendant was paying him back for an illegal payment to Stormy Daniels on the eve of the election.”

7:49 A.M.:

“It starts with that August 2015 meeting in Trump Tower,” prosecutor Matthew Colangelo told jurors.

According to Colangelo, after a meeting between AMI president David Pecker, then-attorney Michael Cohen, and Donald Trump, the three embarked on a three-pronged “plot” to sway the 2016 election.

First, Colangelo said, “headline after headline that extolled the defendant’s virtues” would appear in the National Enquirer.

“Pecker had the ultimate say over publication decisions,” Colangelo claimed.

8:04 A.M.:

At the defense table, former President Trump subtly shook his head “no” as prosecutor Matthew Colangelo informed the jury that Trump had teamed up with Michael Cohen and David Pecker in a “conspiracy” to “help him get elected.”

When Colangelo subsequently played the “Access Hollywood” tape and claimed that it had Trump “bragging about sexual assault,” Trump once more shook his head no and pursed his lips. Then Colangelo said, “grab them by the p—,” paraphrasing Trump from the tape.

8:16 A.M.:

“It was election fraud, pure and simple,” prosecutor Matthew Colangelo told the jury during opening statements.

The National Enquirer‘s editor at the time, Dylan Howard, had allegedly contacted Michael Cohen, Trump’s lawyer, to let him know about Daniels and her alleged sexual relationship with the former president—a claim



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