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Prosecutors cannot force Donald J. Trump to testify at his criminal trial in Manhattan, but that does not mean they can’t use his words against him. On Tuesday, the prosecutors unearthed a series of damaging excerpts from books that the former president wrote, plucking out passages to help make their case against Mr. Trump. In essence, they called a past version of Mr. Trump to testify against his future self. In his own words, Mr. Trump described how he kept a focus on minute details and watched every penny that left his accounts, corroborating a core component of the prosecution’s case as they argue that he knew that his company falsified business records to cover up a hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels, a porn star. On cross-examination, Mr. Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, suggested that a ghost writer had been responsible for these words.
Persons: Donald J, Trump, Stormy Daniels, Trump’s, Todd Blanche Locations: Manhattan
“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
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
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
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
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
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
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
covers the U.S. intelligence agencies and international security matters for The Times. He has written about security issues for more than two decades.
Organizations: The Times
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
On Monday morning, a Manhattan jury will hear opening statements in People of the State of New York v. Donald J. Trump, the first criminal prosecution of a former U.S. president. It is the next phase of a criminal trial that will unfold like any other — even though it has a defendant like no other. Mr. Trump, the prosecutors say, authorized the payoff of the porn star, Stormy Daniels, to silence her story of a sexual encounter with him. The Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, argues that this deal was part of a larger scheme to suppress negative stories about Mr. Trump leading up to the 2016 election. He charged him with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
Persons: Donald J, Trump, Juan M, Merchan, Stormy Daniels, Alvin L, Bragg Locations: Manhattan, New York, U.S
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
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
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
Twelve Manhattanites have been chosen to serve on the jury for the first criminal trial of a U.S. president. The judge ordered that the jurors’ identities be kept confidential during the trial and that reporters withhold some information that could identify them. He said he had heard about some of former President Donald J. Trump’s other criminal cases, but he did not have an opinion about him. He said he follows Mr. Trump’s former fixer, Michael D. Cohen, who is expected to be a key witness, on social media. He said he believed Mr. Trump had done some good for the country, adding “it goes both ways.”
Persons: Donald J, Trump’s, Michael D, Cohen, Kellyanne Conway, Trump, Organizations: The New York Times, Fox News, MSNBC, New, Trump Locations: West Harlem, New York City
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
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
After years of investigation and weeks of delay, the criminal case known as the People of the State of New York vs. Donald J. Trump went to trial Monday, with hundreds of citizens summoned to potentially join a jury that will decide the fate of the first American president to face prosecution. The judge immediately excused them. One prospective juror, a woman in her 30s, was heard outside the courtroom saying, “I just couldn’t do it.”The prospective jurors, who represented a cross-section of Manhattanites of various ages and demographics, filed past Mr. Trump and into the rows of a dingy courtroom. Some strained their necks for a glance at the former president. He stood and turned after the judge introduced him as the defendant, flashing them a tight-lipped smile.
Persons: Donald J, Trump, Locations: New York
The hundreds of New Yorkers who report for jury duty Monday morning in Manhattan will embark on an experience not found in history books: They will be vetted as jurors for the trial of a former U.S. president. Lawyers for Donald J. Trump and prosecutors with the Manhattan district attorney’s office will narrow the pool to 12 jurors and several alternates. The jury pool is composed of Manhattanites. Beyond that, little about the group is known, even by prosecutors and defense lawyers. Both sides will use the next several days, or weeks, to find out all they can.
Persons: Donald J, Trump Organizations: Yorkers Locations: Manhattan, U.S
Allen H. Weisselberg, Donald J. Trump’s longtime financial lieutenant, was sentenced Wednesday to five months in the Rikers Island jail complex for perjury, capping a legal saga that has now landed him behind bars twice. Mr. Weisselberg was not charged in the same case as Mr. Trump, but he would not be headed to jail if not for his former boss’s own troubles: Prosecutors set their sights on Mr. Weisselberg after he refused to turn on Mr. Trump. Last month, Mr. Weisselberg, 76, pleaded guilty to two counts of perjury committed while he was being questioned in 2020 by the New York attorney general’s office, which was investigating Mr. Trump for fraud. In a brief and perfunctory appearance before the judge, Laurie Peterson, Mr. Weisselberg, wearing a dark jacket and a blue surgical mask, showed little emotion. When the judge asked if he wanted to say anything, he simply responded, “no, your honor.”
Persons: Allen H, Weisselberg, Donald J, Trump’s, Trump, Prosecutors, Laurie Peterson, , Organizations: New Locations: Manhattan, New York
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
In just one week, Donald J. Trump will go on trial in Manhattan — the first former U.S. president to be criminally prosecuted. The trial, which will begin with jury selection and last up to two months, will oscillate between salacious testimony on sex scandals and granular detail about corporate documents. Mr. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, all of which are tied to the former president’s role in a hush-money payment to a porn star, Stormy Daniels. But that payoff is not the only hush-money deal that prosecutors plan to highlight. The prosecutors, from the Manhattan district attorney’s office, have accused Mr. Trump of orchestrating a broader scheme to influence the 2016 presidential election by purchasing damaging stories about him to keep them under wraps.
Persons: Donald J, Trump, Stormy Daniels Locations: Manhattan, U.S
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
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