The sixth day of Donald Trump‘s criminal trial got off to a dreadful start for the former US president on Tuesday as the judge questioned his lawyer’s credibility and a key witness pulled back the curtain on what prosecutors say was a conspiracy to influence the 2016 presidential polls.
In a pivotal stretch of testimony, David Pecker, the longtime publisher of the National Enquirer, described a 2015 meeting with Trump and his fixer at the time, Michael Cohen, at Trump‘s midtown Manhattan headquarters.Prosecutors say that meeting was part of the trio’s efforts to conceal several sex scandals during the 2016 campaign, including with a $130,000 hush-money payment Cohen made to a porn star, Stormy Daniels, that is at the heart of the case.
At that meeting, Pecker said on the stand, Cohen and Trump asked him what he and his magazines could do “to help the campaign,” a crucial statement that supports the prosecution’s argument that the men were not just protecting Trump’s personal reputation, but aiding his campaign.
“I would be your eyes and ears,” Pecker recalled telling them, as he explained the tabloid practice of “catch and kill,” in which an outlet bought the rights to a story, only to never publish it. Pecker described working with Cohen to generate negative coverage of Trump’s political rivals, saying that Cohen would feed him information and that the National Enquirer would sometimes “embellish” and add onto it.
Trump, who repaid Cohen for the hush money, is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records. Each charge reflects a cheque, invoice or ledger that prosecutors say disguised the true purpose of his reimbursement of Cohen, who is now a key witness against him.
Pecker’s testimony came after a bruising hearing for Trump and his legal team, as prosecutors argued that Trump’s attacks on witnesses and jurors pose a “threat” to the trial. They urged the judge to hold him in contempt of court over what they said were 11 violations of a gag order that bars the former president from attacking witnesses, prosecutors, jurors and court staff, as well as their relatives.
Witnesses in the case “rightly fear” being subjected to the former president’s “vitriol,” a prosecutor, Christopher Conroy, told the judge. He rattled off various statements that Manhattan prosecutors believe crossed the line, including calling Cohen and Daniels “sleaze bags” and reposting an attack on the jury pool, which came the night before a juror who had already been seated asked to be excused. “What happened here was exactly what this order was meant to prevent, and the defendant doesn’t care,” Conroy said.
Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, argued that Trump’s posts were political in nature and did not violate the order as he was simply responding to “a barrage of political attacks” including from Cohen.
Prosecutors have asked the judge, Juan M Merchan, to fine Trump $1,000 for each violation. Justice Merchan, whose daughter has been among Trump’s targets, did not immediately rule. But he appeared sceptical of the defence’s claims. At one point, after Blanche told the judge that Trump was trying to comply with the order, Justice Merchan replied, “You’re losing all credibility with the court.”
In a pivotal stretch of testimony, David Pecker, the longtime publisher of the National Enquirer, described a 2015 meeting with Trump and his fixer at the time, Michael Cohen, at Trump‘s midtown Manhattan headquarters.Prosecutors say that meeting was part of the trio’s efforts to conceal several sex scandals during the 2016 campaign, including with a $130,000 hush-money payment Cohen made to a porn star, Stormy Daniels, that is at the heart of the case.
At that meeting, Pecker said on the stand, Cohen and Trump asked him what he and his magazines could do “to help the campaign,” a crucial statement that supports the prosecution’s argument that the men were not just protecting Trump’s personal reputation, but aiding his campaign.
“I would be your eyes and ears,” Pecker recalled telling them, as he explained the tabloid practice of “catch and kill,” in which an outlet bought the rights to a story, only to never publish it. Pecker described working with Cohen to generate negative coverage of Trump’s political rivals, saying that Cohen would feed him information and that the National Enquirer would sometimes “embellish” and add onto it.
Trump, who repaid Cohen for the hush money, is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records. Each charge reflects a cheque, invoice or ledger that prosecutors say disguised the true purpose of his reimbursement of Cohen, who is now a key witness against him.
Pecker’s testimony came after a bruising hearing for Trump and his legal team, as prosecutors argued that Trump’s attacks on witnesses and jurors pose a “threat” to the trial. They urged the judge to hold him in contempt of court over what they said were 11 violations of a gag order that bars the former president from attacking witnesses, prosecutors, jurors and court staff, as well as their relatives.
Witnesses in the case “rightly fear” being subjected to the former president’s “vitriol,” a prosecutor, Christopher Conroy, told the judge. He rattled off various statements that Manhattan prosecutors believe crossed the line, including calling Cohen and Daniels “sleaze bags” and reposting an attack on the jury pool, which came the night before a juror who had already been seated asked to be excused. “What happened here was exactly what this order was meant to prevent, and the defendant doesn’t care,” Conroy said.
Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, argued that Trump’s posts were political in nature and did not violate the order as he was simply responding to “a barrage of political attacks” including from Cohen.
Prosecutors have asked the judge, Juan M Merchan, to fine Trump $1,000 for each violation. Justice Merchan, whose daughter has been among Trump’s targets, did not immediately rule. But he appeared sceptical of the defence’s claims. At one point, after Blanche told the judge that Trump was trying to comply with the order, Justice Merchan replied, “You’re losing all credibility with the court.”