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☆ Stormy Daniels Delivers Intense Testimony in Trump’s Trial: 6 Takeaways
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Kate Christobek | Jesse Mckinley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

“The people call Stormy Daniels.”So began the intense and often uncomfortable testimony of Ms. Daniels, who spent almost five hours in a Manhattan courtroom on Tuesday recounting her story of a 2006 encounter with Donald J. Trump and the ensuing hush-money cover-up that has become the bedrock of the prosecution’s case. Ms. Daniels spoke quickly and at length about her first meeting with Mr. Trump at a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, Nev.After the lunch break, Mr. Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche moved for a mistrial, arguing that the prosecution’s questions were designed to embarrass Mr. Trump and prejudice the jury. The judge, Juan M. Merchan, agreed that some of Ms. Daniels’s testimony “may have been better left unsaid,” but denied a mistrial.

Persons: Stormy Daniels, ”, Ms, Daniels, Donald J, Trump, Trump’s, Todd Blanche, Mr, Juan M, Merchan Locations: Manhattan, Lake Tahoe, Nev

☆ Trump Is Threatened With Jail at His Criminal Trial: 5 Takeaways
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Jesse Mckinley | Kate Christobek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Donald J. Trump’s Monday began with a grave warning from Juan M. Merchan, the judge presiding over the former president’s criminal trial, threatening to imprison him if he continued to flout a gag order. That testimony was elicited from two employees, one current and one retired, of the Trump Organization. The former president is accused of falsifying business records to cover up that $130,000 payment. Mr. Trump, 77, the first American president to face criminal prosecution, has denied the charges and says he did not have sex with the woman, Stormy Daniels. If convicted, he could face prison time or probation.

Persons: Donald J, Trump’s, Juan M, Justice Merchan, Trump, “, Michael D, Cohen, Stormy Daniels Organizations: Mr, Trump Organization

☆ Hope Hicks Takes the Stand: 5 Takeaways From Trump’s Criminal Trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Jesse Mckinley | Kate Christobek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Gasps were heard in the overflow courtroom when Hope Hicks was called as a witness on Friday in Donald J. Trump’s criminal trial in Manhattan, an audible sign of the anticipation as Mr. Trump’s former press secretary and White House communications director took the stand. In nearly three hours on the stand, Ms. Hicks described the impact on Mr. Trump’s campaign of the so-called “Access Hollywood” tape, in which Mr. Trump bragged about grabbing women’s genitals. As soon as the tape was disclosed in October 2016, Ms. Hicks said, she knew it would be “a massive story.”Taking the stand under a subpoena, Ms. Hicks said she was nervous, and at one point, early in the cross-examination, she broke down in tears. The Manhattan district attorney has charged Mr. Trump, 77, with falsifying 34 business records to hide a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels, a porn star who says she and Mr. Trump had a tryst in 2006 while he was married. Mr. Trump, the first American president to face criminal prosecution, has denied the charges and says he did not have sex with Ms. Daniels.

Persons: Gasps, Hope Hicks, Donald J, Trump’s, Hicks, Trump, Stormy Daniels, Daniels Organizations: White House Locations: Manhattan

“You did everything you could to get as close to that line as possible without crossing it, right?” Mr. Bove said. “I did everything I could to make sure that my activities were lawful,” Mr. Davidson replied. Mr. Davidson, who had a niche practice representing people with often salacious claims against celebrities, began the day by describing his unpleasant relationship with Michael D. Cohen, Mr. Trump’s former fixer and personal lawyer, who ultimately paid Ms. Daniels to keep silent. Mr. Trump is charged with 34 felonies for what prosecutors say were his attempts from the White House to disguise reimbursements to Mr. Cohen. The testimony from Mr. Davidson on Thursday, his second day on the stand, painted a vivid portrait of fevered efforts by the witness, Mr. Cohen and others to keep allegations of extramarital affairs by Mr. Trump out of the public eye.

Persons: Bove, “, Mr, Davidson, Trump, Michael D, Cohen, Trump’s, Daniels, reimbursements

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.

Persons: Keith Davidson, Stormy Daniels, Donald J, Juan M, Trump, Merchan, Daniels Organizations: Trump

☆ Contempt Fines and Hush-Money Details: 5 Takeaways From Trump’s Trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Jesse Mckinley | Kate Christobek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The third week of the criminal trial of Donald J. Trump began with a rebuke: The judge, Juan M. Merchan, held the former president in contempt and fined him $9,000 for repeatedly violating a gag order. He also threatened jail time if the violations continue. The lawyer, Keith Davidson, also described an earlier deal to buy the silence of another woman, Karen McDougal, who said she’d had a longer-term affair with Mr. Trump. Mr. Trump, 77, is charged with falsifying 34 business records to hide the payment to Ms. Daniels. He has denied the felony charges, and having had sex with Ms. Daniels and Ms. McDougal.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Juan M, Trump’s, Stormy Daniels, Keith Davidson, Karen McDougal, she’d, Daniels, McDougal

☆ 5 Takeaways From the Second Week of Donald J. Trump’s Criminal Trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Kate Christobek | Jesse Mckinley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The second week of Donald Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial was dominated by four days of testimony by David Pecker, the former publisher of The National Enquirer, who detailed his efforts to safeguard Mr. Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Mr. Pecker, a longtime associate of the former president, talked at length about a “catch and kill” scheme that he said he had entered into with Mr. Trump and his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, during a 2015 meeting at Trump Tower. The publisher said he would purchase the rights to unsavory stories he had no intention of running. Mr. Trump is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in an effort to conceal the payment. Mr. Trump has pleaded not guilty and denied that he had sex with Ms. Daniels.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, David Pecker, Trump’s, Pecker, Trump, Michael Cohen, Stormy Daniels, Daniels Organizations: National Enquirer, Mr, Trump Tower Locations: Donald Trump’s Manhattan

☆ Tabloid Publisher Defiant as Trump Lawyer Tries to Shake His Confidence
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Jesse Mckinley | Jonah E. Bromwich | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Lawyers for Donald J. Trump on Friday grilled the former publisher of The National Enquirer, casting doubt on his explanation for why he suppressed salacious stories about the Republican presidential candidate before the 2016 election. The witness, David Pecker, who has known Mr. Trump for decades, faced a stern cross-examination from one of the former president’s defense lawyers, Emil Bove, who pressed Mr. Pecker about two deals he had reached in 2015 and 2016 with people who were seeking to sell stories about Mr. Trump. Mr. Bove sought to convince the jury of two fundamental points about the stories, which Mr. Pecker bought and then buried: Such arrangements, characterized by prosecutors as “catch and kill,” were standard for the publisher, and that Mr. Pecker had previously misled jurors about the details of the transactions.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, David Pecker, Emil Bove, Pecker, Bove Organizations: National Enquirer, Republican

☆ 5 Takeaways From David Pecker’s Testimony in Trump’s Criminal Trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Jesse Mckinley | Kate Christobek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The criminal trial of Donald Trump featured vivid testimony on Thursday about a plot to protect his first presidential campaign and the beginnings of a tough cross-examination of the prosecution’s initial witness, David Pecker. Mr. Trump, 77, is charged with falsifying 34 business records to cover up a $130,000 payment to Ms. Daniels, who has said they had a sexual encounter in 2006 and was shopping that story in the weeks before the 2016 presidential election. He has denied the charges and having sex with Ms. Daniels and Ms. McDougal; the former president could face probation or prison if convicted. Here are five takeaways from Mr. Trump’s seventh day on trial:Pecker teed up falsified records charges. As part of a so-called catch-and-kill scheme, Mr. Pecker testified that his company, AMI, paid Ms. McDougal $150,000 to purchase her story, with no intention of publishing anything about an affair with Mr. Trump.

Persons: Donald Trump, David Pecker, Pecker, Trump, Karen McDougal, Stormy Daniels, Daniels, McDougal, Trump’s Organizations: National Enquirer, AMI

☆ Trump’s Trial Features Fierce Debate Over What He Can Say: 5 Takeaways
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Jesse Mckinley | Kate Christobek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Tuesday’s session of Donald J. Trump’s criminal trial began with a heated clash between Justice Juan M. Merchan and Mr. Trump’s lead lawyer over a gag order. It ended with an insider’s look into a tabloid newspaper practice known as “catch and kill.”Prosecutors said that Mr. Trump had “willfully and blatantly” violated a gag order barring him from attacking jurors and witnesses, among others. They said he had done so in comments outside the courtroom and online and should be found in contempt of court. Mr. Trump’s top lawyer said in response that Mr. Trump was simply defending himself from political attacks. Justice Merchan did not rule, but he scolded the lawyer, Todd Blanche, saying, “you’re losing all credibility with the court.”A former ally of Mr. Trump, David Pecker, the ex-publisher of The National Enquirer, later testified to buying and burying unflattering stories about Mr. Trump during his 2016 run for president, an arrangement he called “highly, highly confidential.”

Persons: Donald J, Juan M, Merchan, Trump’s, ”, Trump, Justice Merchan, Todd Blanche, “ you’re, David Pecker Organizations: ” Prosecutors, National Enquirer

☆ Opening Statements in Trump’s Criminal Trial: Five Takeaways
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Jesse Mckinley | Kate Christobek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Monday marked another key moment in the criminal trial of Donald J. Trump: opening statements, during which the former president listened quietly to the prosecution’s allegations of crimes, and the defense’s counterargument that he was a simple man, wrongly accused. The jury that will decide Mr. Trump’s case concentrated intently on the statements, which began the presentation of what will be weeks of testimony and other evidence, all in a tense courtroom in Lower Manhattan. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee once more, Mr. Trump, 77, is charged with falsifying 34 business records in an attempt to cover up a payment to a porn star, Stormy Daniels, in the days before the 2016 election. Ms. Daniels, who may testify, says that she and Mr. Trump had a sexual encounter in 2006, a claim the former president denies. Mr. Trump has also denied the 34 felony charges, calling them orchestrated by Democrats; if convicted, the former president could face probation or up to four years in prison.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Stormy Daniels, Daniels Organizations: Trump Locations: Lower Manhattan

☆ Final Members of Trump Jury Chosen as Trial Races Ahead
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Jesse Mckinley | Jonah E. Bromwich | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The final jurors for Donald J. Trump’s criminal trial were selected on Friday, with lawyers preparing to offer opening statements on Monday in a landmark proceeding that was suddenly overshadowed at midday by the spectacle of a man setting himself aflame outside the courthouse. The day was marked by an intensity of emotion from the start. Several prospective jurors asked to be excused, and some became upset, with one saying she had become too nervous to continue the process. Then word quietly began to spread about the man who had set himself on fire in a park across the street from the courthouse. The courtroom proceedings continued, but the stir was noticeable, and reporters ran from the room.

Persons: Donald J, Trump Locations: Manhattan

☆ Day 4 of Trump’s Criminal Trial: Five Takeaways
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Jesse Mckinley | Kate Christobek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The first week of the criminal trial of Donald J. Trump ended with a disturbing jolt: a 37-year-old man set himself on fire outside the courthouse, an event that overshadowed the legal proceedings inside. The news of the immolation rippled through the press corps just as the final members of Mr. Trump’s jury — including 12 seated jurors and six alternates — were being sworn in. After lunch, Justice Juan M. Merchan conducted a hearing to determine which questions prosecutors might ask Mr. Trump if he were to testify in his own defense. Mr. Trump, 77, is charged with falsifying 34 business records in an attempt to cover up a payment to Stormy Daniels, an adult film actress who has said they had a sexual encounter in 2006. He has denied the charges; the former president could face probation or prison if convicted.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Juan M, Merchan, Stormy Daniels Organizations: Prosecutors Locations: Lower Manhattan

At 4:34 p.m. on Thursday, a jury of 12 citizens was selected to determine the fate of an indicted former president for the first time in American history, a moment that could shape the nation’s political and legal landscapes for generations to come. The dozen New Yorkers will sit in judgment of Donald J. Trump, the 45th president turned criminal defendant, who has been accused of falsifying records to cover up a sex scandal. If the jurors convict Mr. Trump, he could face up to four years in prison, even as he seeks to reclaim the White House as the presumptive Republican nominee. “We have our jury,” Justice Juan M. Merchan proclaimed as the 12th juror was added. He then swore the seven men and five women to an oath that they would render a fair and impartial verdict, which they accepted with sober expressions as Mr. Trump stared from the defense table.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Mr, “, Juan M, Merchan Organizations: Republican

☆ Day 3 of Trump’s Criminal Trial: Five Takeaways
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Jesse Mckinley | Kate Christobek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The third day of Donald J. Trump’s trial started with drama and ended with a jury. Here are five takeaways from Mr. Trump’s third day on trial:Things slowed down fast. But hopes were high on Thursday that the 12 members might be seated by close of business after seven members were picked Tuesday. For the prosecutors, that meant challenging a previously seated juror who they had discovered had credibility issues. Justice Merchan spent a long sidebar discussing the issue with lawyers from both sides and the juror.

Persons: Donald J, Trump’s, Trump, Stormy Daniels, Justice Juan M, Merchan, Justice Merchan Organizations: Justice Locations: American

☆ Day 2 of Trump’s Criminal Trial: Five Takeaways
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Jesse Mckinley | Kate Christobek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After the first day of jury selection in Donald J. Trump’s criminal trial saw the dismissal of dozens of potential jurors who said they could not be impartial, the first seven jurors were chosen on Tuesday as the defendant looked on. The picks came after a morning session in which several more potential jurors said that they could not be unbiased, underscoring the challenges of seating a panel in Manhattan, a profoundly Democratic borough. Mr. Trump, 77, is charged with falsifying nearly three dozen business records in an attempt to cover up a payment to a porn star, Stormy Daniels, who has said she had a brief sexual encounter with him in 2006. If convicted, he could face probation or up to four years of prison time. Mr. Trump denies having been involved with Ms. Daniels, and has declared his innocence, calling the charges against him a “witch hunt” conjured by the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, a Democrat.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Stormy Daniels, Daniels, Alvin L, Bragg Organizations: Democrat Locations: Manhattan, Democratic

☆ Inside the Manhattan Courtroom at the Center of American Politics
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Jesse Mckinley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

It was about 2:30 on Monday afternoon when the first 96 potential jurors filed into a drab courtroom in Lower Manhattan to encounter the world’s most famous defendant: Donald J. Trump. Some craned their necks to catch a glimpse, an indication of the undeniable power of Mr. Trump’s celebrity. But not long after, more than 50 of those same prospective jurors — drawn from one of the nation’s most liberal counties — were dismissed because they said they could not be impartial about the 45th president.

Persons: Donald J, — Organizations: Trump, — Locations: Lower Manhattan

☆ Day 1 of Trump’s Criminal Trial: Five Takeaways
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Jesse Mckinley | Kate Christobek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The criminal trial of Donald J. Trump, the nation’s 45th president and the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee, started Monday with potential jurors assembling in a drab courtroom in New York City while Mr. Trump looked on. Mr. Trump denies that encounter happened, and has declared his innocence, calling the charges politically motivated. He has attacked the judge, Juan M. Merchan, and the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, a Democrat, who also attended the first day of trial on Monday. Mr. Trump faces 34 felony counts and could face probation or up to four years of prison time. The trial, which is expected to last weeks, has a fascinating list of potential witnesses: Michael Cohen, Mr. Trump’s former fixer turned apostate, who made the payment; Karen McDougal, a Playboy model who says she, too, had an affair with Mr. Trump; and Hope Hicks, a former aide to Mr. Trump.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Stormy Daniels, Juan M, Alvin L, Bragg, Michael Cohen, Trump’s, Karen McDougal, Hope Hicks, Daniels Organizations: Republican, Democratic, Mr, Democrat, fixer Locations: New York City, Manhattan

☆ Protests, Traffic, Crowds: Court Braces for a Trump Trial Like No Other
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Jesse Mckinley | Jonathan Swan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Manhattan’s Criminal Courts Building, at 100 Centre Street, is short on charm: circled in scaffolding, lit like an aging cafeteria and, in recent months, neighbor to a colossal pile of rubble, the remains of the Manhattan Detention Complex, which is being demolished. Yet come Monday, it will be the pulsing center of a swirling mass of security measures, and likely headaches, as the first criminal trial of Donald J. Trump kicks off on its 15th floor. Court and law enforcement personnel have been tight-lipped about the exact steps they are taking, but a court lawyer said at a hearing this week that preparations had been underway for months. They will have plenty to contend with. Right-wing supporters of the former president have already announced plans to protest near the courthouse on Monday as jury selection begins, and cable news networks have promised wall-to-wall coverage of the case.

Persons: Donald J, Trump Locations: Manhattan

Lawyers representing the State of New York and Donald J. Trump will help select the 12 people who will decide the former president’s fate. The lawyers will try to divine unspoken political biases, opinions about law enforcement and other hidden agendas. The potential jurors, who could face public anger and threats if they are chosen, will be asked about their education, occupations, families and news sources. The questions will drill slowly deeper: Potential jurors, all from one of the state’s most liberal counties, will be asked to reveal whether they volunteered for or against Mr. Trump. Perhaps most critically, they will be asked whether their feelings would interfere with their ability to be fair.

Persons: Donald J, Trump Organizations: State Locations: Manhattan, American, New York

Follow our live coverage of Trump’s hush money trial. Inside a dreary Lower Manhattan courtroom on a recent Wednesday, Justice Juan M. Merchan convened a special session for people with mental health troubles who had landed in legal jeopardy. But on April 15, a different type of criminal defendant will enter the same courtroom and test the judge’s equanimity: Donald J. Trump. It will be the first prosecution of a former U.S. president, a man who revels in attacking the legal system and its judges. Last week, the former president demanded for a second time that Justice Merchan step aside, citing his daughter’s position at a Democratic consulting firm that worked for the 2020 Biden campaign.

Persons: Juan M, Merchan, Donald J, Trump, Trump’s Organizations: Biden Locations: New, U.S, Manhattan

The New York judge overseeing Donald J. Trump’s criminal trial later this month expanded a gag order on Monday to bar the former president from attacking the judge’s family members, who in recent days have become the target of Mr. Trump’s abuse. Justice Juan M. Merchan last week issued an order prohibiting Mr. Trump from attacking witnesses, prosecutors, jurors and court staff, as well as their relatives. That order, however, did not cover Justice Merchan himself or the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, who brought the criminal case against the former president. And although the ruling issued on Monday still does not apply to the judge or the district attorney, Justice Merchan, granting a request from Mr. Bragg’s office, amended the gag order so that it does now cover their families. In his ruling, the judge cited recent attacks against his daughter, and rejected Mr. Trump’s argument that his statements were “core political speech.”

Persons: Donald J, Juan M, Merchan, Trump, Alvin L, Bragg, Justice Merchan, ” Locations: York, Manhattan

☆ Trump Spreads Apparent Hoax in Attacking Judge’s Daughter
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Jesse Mckinley | Ben Protess | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

It was an explosive claim from Donald J. Trump, just weeks before his Manhattan criminal trial is set to begin: He assailed the judge’s daughter on Wednesday, saying she had used an image of the former president behind bars as a social media profile picture. The photo made it “completely impossible for me to get a fair trial,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social. But there was a problem with his claim: The New York State Court system says the account on X is bogus. Although the handle once belonged to the judge’s daughter, Loren Merchan, she deleted it about a year ago, a court spokesman said. Its profile picture is now a childhood portrait of Vice President Kamala Harris.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, ” Mr, Juan M, Merchan, Loren Merchan, —, Kamala Harris Organizations: New York

Mr. Trump, casting the disclosure as evidence of prosecutorial misconduct, has asked Justice Merchan to delay the trial 90 days, or throw out the case altogether. The tentative April 15 trial date, Mr. Bragg’s prosecutors said in a court filing Thursday, provides “a more than reasonable amount of time” for Mr. Trump to review the information. It is unclear whether the judge will set a trial date on Monday or rule later this week. If he sets the case for trial next month, Mr. Trump would for the first time face the prospect of time behind bars. Here’s what else you need to know about Mr. Trump’s daunting day:

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Mr, Stormy Daniels, Juan M, Merchan, Michael D, Cohen, Trump’s, Alvin L, Bragg Organizations: New, Mr Locations: Manhattan, American

☆ After Letitia James Wins Big in Courtrooms, She Celebrates in Public
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-10 | by ( Jesse Mckinley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

This has been a very good year for Letitia James. Over the past month, Ms. James, New York’s attorney general, has racked up hard-fought victories over two formidable opponents. First, in mid-February, her office won a staggering $454 million judgment against former President Donald J. Trump in a civil fraud trial stemming from accusations that he had inflated his net worth. A week later, Ms. James, a Democrat, prevailed again, this time against the National Rifle Association and its longtime leader, Wayne LaPierre, who was found personally liable for more than $5 million in misused funds. Ms. James, who won a second term handily in 2022, is seemingly reveling in her reputation as an antagonist of right-wing political figures, some of whom have reacted to her public pronouncements with fury.

Persons: Letitia James, James, Donald J, Trump, Wayne LaPierre, Nick Suplina Organizations: National Rifle Association, Safety Locations: James , New

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