Final Witnesses in New York Trial Expected to Be Called by Trump Prosecutors

Donald Trump is scheduled to appear in court again on Friday following porn actor Stormy Daniels’ graphic testimony about their alleged sexual encounter, as prosecutors gear up to present their final witnesses in the historic trial of a sitting or former U.S. president.

During seven hours of testimony this week in a New York state criminal court in Manhattan, Daniels provided intricate details. She claimed to have had a sexual encounter with Trump in a Lake Tahoe hotel suite in 2006 while he was married to Melania, mentioning seeing gold tweezers in his toiletry bag and noting that he did not use protection.

Trump, 77, has pleaded not guilty to 34 charges of falsifying business records to conceal his former lawyer Michael Cohen’s $130,000 payment to Daniels, 45, for her silence prior to the 2016 U.S. presidential election regarding the alleged encounter. He denies engaging in any sexual activity with Daniels and frames the case as a politically motivated attempt to disrupt his bid to reclaim the White House in the November 5 election against Democratic opponent, President Joe Biden.

The proceedings on Friday are expected to commence with further cross-examination of Madeline Westerhout, a former White House aide who testified about checks signed by Trump in the Oval Office and a meeting he arranged with Cohen during his presidency from 2017 to 2021.

Cohen, once a loyal “fixer” for Trump but now a vocal critic, is a key witness yet to testify. Prosecutors from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office have not specified when he will take the stand, with his testimony likely to span several days.

Prosecutors argue that Trump incorrectly categorized his reimbursement payments to Cohen in 2017 as legal retainer fees in his New York real estate company’s records in order to conceal the payment to Daniels, which they allege violated campaign finance laws.

They claim that the payments to Daniels and another woman, Playboy model Karen McDougal, who alleges an affair with Trump, were part of a broader scheme to influence the 2016 election by purchasing the silence of individuals with potentially damaging information in violation of campaign finance regulations. Trump emerged victorious against Democrat Hillary Clinton in the presidential race that year. Trump has also denied having had an affair with McDougal.

With 16 witnesses already called by prosecutors, they anticipate resting their case by May 21. Defense attorney Susan Necheles revealed last month that prosecutors had listed 20 potential witnesses. However, not all of them may be summoned, and prosecutor Joshua Steinglass stated in court on Thursday that McDougal is not part of their plans to testify.

Todd Blanche, Trump’s defense lawyer, sought a mistrial on both Tuesday and Thursday, arguing that Daniels’ detailed testimony had prejudiced the jury and was irrelevant to the charges. Judge Juan Merchan denied both requests, highlighting that Blanche had previously claimed in his opening statement on April 22 that Daniels’ account was fabricated, and prosecutors had the right to try to mend her credibility.