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Ms. Daniels could take the stand to testify against Mr. Trump as early as this week. Her presence would let Mr. Trump’s defense lawyers attack Ms. Daniels as an extortionist and question her credibility. Nor can she testify about the plan for Mr. Trump to hide his reimbursements to Mr. Cohen by characterizing them as legal fees. Mr. Trump’s lawyers contend that he did not know that the checks he signed for Mr. Cohen were not for legal fees, and that Mr. Cohen and Mr. Trump’s employees were responsible for any false records. “He has never thought that the little man, or especially women, and even more, women like me, matter,” Ms. Daniels said.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Stormy Daniels, Daniels, Alvin L, Bragg, Trump’s, Michael Bachner, Bachner, Dave Sanders, Stephanie Clifford, Barrett, “ I’m, Donald Trump, ” Ms, Norm, ”, Peacock, J., r. “ Organizations: Mr, The New York Times Locations: Manhattan, New York City, Baton Rouge, La, Texas, Florida, New York

But some of the details Daniels described were so explicit that Judge Juan Merchan cut her off at several points. “How can we come back from this in a way that’s fair to President Trump?” Blanche challenged. “Am I correct that you hate President Trump?” Necheles asked“Yes,” Daniels said. “It’s also cost me a lot of money,” Daniels responded. “You are looking to extort money from President Trump,” Necheles asked.

Persons: Stormy Daniels, Donald Trump, Daniels, Trump, Juan Merchan, Merchan, “, Michael Cohen, Susan Necheles, ” Trump, ”, Trump “, didn’t, ” Daniels, Kaitlan Collins, Gina Rodriguez, Rodriguez, –, Peggy Peterson, David Dennison, Cohen, Jimmy Kimmel, she’s, Susan Hoffinger, Judge, Todd Blanche, Blanche, ” Blanche, CNN Hoffinger, ” Merchan, Necheles didn’t, ” Necheles, “ You’ve, Necheles, “ I’ve, “ It’s, Keith Davidson Organizations: CNN, Trump, AMI, Defense Locations: Trump’s, Las Vegas

☆ Live Updates: Trump’s Criminal Trial Speeds Along, With Few Key Witnesses Remaining
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Ben Protess | Jonah E. Bromwich | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

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. Here are five takeaways from Mr. Trump’s 11th day, and third week, on trial:A scandalous recording resurfaces. Ms. Hicks recalled consulting with Michael D. Cohen, Mr. Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, who eventually paid Ms. Daniels to keep quiet. On Thursday, prosecutors presented four more incidents and called Mr. Trump’s statements “corrosive.” Mr. Trump’s legal team argued that he was merely responding to political attacks.

Persons: Hope Hicks, Donald J, Trump, Gasps, Trump’s, Hicks, Stormy Daniels, Daniels, Ivanka, Donald Trump’s, Billy Bush, Mark Makela, Juan M, ” Mr, “, Karen McDougal, McDougal, Michael D, Cohen, —, Keith Davidson, Hillary Clinton, Davidson, Mr, Doug Mills, Clinton, ”, Justice Merchan, Merchan Organizations: White, White House, The Washington Post, ”, The New York, The, Wall Street, The National Enquirer, Trump, Manhattan Criminal, New York Times, Prosecutors, Mr Locations: Manhattan, Los Angeles

New York CNN —Prosecutors in Donald Trump’s hush money trial dove into the paper trail at the heart of their case on Monday, revealing to jurors exactly how Michael Cohen was repaid by Trump’s trust and personal accounts in 2017 after he paid hush money to Stormy Daniels. Here are the takeaways from day 12 of the Trump hush money trial:Judge threatens to jail TrumpMerchan began Monday’s session by announcing he found Trump in contempt for violating his gag order a 10th time, after fining him last week for nine violations cited by prosecutors. Both of the witnesses worked for Trump for decades – Tarasoff still works for the Trump Org. Trump fully turned in his chair to watch Tarasoff’s testimony when his attorney, Blanche, began his cross-examination of the Trump Org. was like a “family-run business.”Eric Trump, who is still in charge of the Trump Org., and attorney Alina Habba, who represented Trump Org.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Michael Cohen, Stormy Daniels, Cohen, Juan Merchan, Trump Merchan, Trump, fining, fining Trump, Mr, ” Merchan, ”, ” Trump, Merchan, Daniels, Jeffrey McConney, McConney, Deborah Tarasoff, ” McConney, CNN Tarasoff, Donald J, “, David Pecker, Keith Davidson –, Allen Weisselberg, Daniels ’, Davidson, Cohen –, who’ve, Emil Bove, Weisselberg, ” Tarasoff, Todd Blanche, – Tarasoff, “ You’re, ‘, Blanche, ” Eric Trump, Alina Habba, Tarasoff, Eric Trump Organizations: New, New York CNN — Prosecutors, Trump Organization, Trump, Trump Org, Trust, CNN, White, Trump Revocable Trust, Consultants Locations: New York, Washington, McConney, Sharpie

☆ Trump Hush-Money Trial Sees 'Falsified' Documents at Heart of Case
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Those witnesses, longtime Trump Organization employees Jeffrey McConney and Deborah Tarassoff, handled the checks, invoices, and other records that comprise the 34 business records the Manhattan district attorney's office alleges Trump illegally falsified. He was sentenced to five months in jail in 2022 for a Trump Organization felony payroll tax-fraud prosecution, and is now serving another five-month sentence for felony perjury in last year's Trump Organization civil fraud trial. The Trump Organization needed to reimburse Cohen for some money, McConney testified that Weissberg told him. Yet another Trump Organization employee would FedEx the checks to Trump in DC, he testified. In the afternoon, prosecutor Christopher Conroy slogged through more records with Tarasoff, who said she has worked at the Trump Organization for 24 years.

Persons: —, Donald Trump's, Jeffrey McConney, Deborah Tarassoff, Trump, Michael Cohen, Stormy Daniels, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Daniels, Melania Trump, McConney, Cohen, Allen Weisselberg, Weisselberg, Weissberg, Colangelo, Keith Davidson —, Jeffrey McConney's, pic.twitter.com, c2d9IQyKe5, Jacob Shamsian ⚖️, Dear Allen, Christopher Conroy slogged, Tarasoff, Todd Blanche, yawn, Conroy, Tarassoff, he'd Organizations: Service, Prosecutors, Trump, Business, Trump Organization, Attorney, Tahoe, White, FedEx Locations: Donald Trump's Manhattan, Manhattan, Weisselberg, Florida, Trump, New York, DC, Sharpie

☆ Trump hush-money porn star trial: Here's what's happened so far
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Former US President Donald Trump attends his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments linked to extramarital affairs, at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City, on May 2, 2024. The historic hush-money trial, which still has another three to five weeks to go, marks the first-ever criminal trial of an ex-U.S. president. Fined $9,000 for contempt of courtFormer US President Donald Trump sits in the courtroom at Manhattan criminal court in New York, US, on Friday, May 3, 2024. Prosecutors dig inRepublican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump shouts during a campaign event in Freeland, Michigan, U.S. May 1, 2024. Pecker, who said that he purchased the story in order to bury it, said that Trump never reimbursed the company.

Persons: Donald Trump, Doug Mills, He's, he's, Juan Merchan, Trump, Merchan, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Joe Biden, —, doesn't, Trump's protestation, Chris Conroy, Brendan Mcdermid, Michael Cohen, Stormy Daniels, Daniels, David Pecker, Pecker, Donald Trump's, Timothy A, Clary, Cohen, Karen McDougal, Rhona Graff, McDougal, Gary Farro, Keith Davidson, Davidson, Hope Hicks, Alex Wong Organizations: Manhattan Criminal, Afp, Getty, Manhattan Supreme, Reuters, Attorney, Trump, Truth Social, Republican, National Enquirer, American Media, White House, Capitol Locations: New York City, Manhattan, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, Waukesha , Wisconsin, Freeland , Michigan, U.S, Republic, Washington , DC

☆ Stormy unchained: Lawyers for Trump and porn star struggled to control her after hush-money story broke in 2018
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Text messages shown in Donald Trump's hush-money trial reveal attorneys' struggles to manage Stormy Daniels. Michael Cohen, Trump's ex-attorney, appeared frantic in messages after the hush-money story broke in 2018. Minutes later Cohen texted Davidson, "Please call me," before he again texted, "Cmon!" Advertisement"Why is she going on Kimmel after the Sotu," Cohen texted Davidson days earlier. "She just denied the letter," Cohen texted Davidson at the time.

Persons: Donald Trump's, Stormy Daniels, Michael Cohen, Trump's, Cohen, Daniels, —, Keith Davidson, Davidson, Trump, Drew Angerer, Davidson texted Cohen, Cohen messaged Davidson, Stephanie Clifford —, Sean Hannity's, Davidson texted, Cohen texted Davidson, texted, Eduardo Munoz, Let's, Cohen backtracked, Michael Cohen's, Jane Rosenberg Davidson, Kimmel, Jimmy Kimmel, Cohen messaged, Gina Rodriguez, Gina Organizations: Prosecutors, Trump, Service, Street, Sean Hannity's Fox, Manhattan, REUTERS, Attorney's Locations: Los Angeles, LA, Manhattan, NY

☆ Hear the tapes: DA's theory of Trump as the hush-money mastermind takes a hit in newly-released defense recordings
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Defense tapes played in court Thursday have been posted to SoundCloud by Law360. They are recordings of 2018 phone calls between the two lawyers who struck the 2016 hush-money deal. They suggest an alternate reality to the DA's — where Trump is more victim than mastermind. Davidson's surmise — that Cohen was likely taping him at the time — makes a pair of newly-released defense tapes all the more compelling and perplexing. AdvertisementAnd while Colangelo told jurors that prosecutors will prove Trump "orchestrated" an election-influencing hush-money conspiracy, the charges do not require proof of who played whom.

Persons: Trump, —, Stormy Daniels, Keith Davidson, Michael Cohen, Cohen, Davidson, Donald Trump's fixer, Davidson's, Daniels, Trump’s, Keith Davidson hesitantly, ODuQQ4i1tg, Frank G, hesitatingly, Attorney Alvin Bragg, 89n0yKPqe3, Anthony Kotzev, Gina Rodriguez, Rodriguez, Matthew Colangelo, Colangelo Organizations: Law360, Service, Manhattan, Attorney, Trump, Prosecutors

☆ Trump Trial Live Updates: Witness Who Extracted Secret Recordings to Return to the Stand
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Matthew Haag | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

Before the tape was revealed, Mr. Trump’s legal team aggressively attacked the credibility of Mr. Davidson during a cross-examination that quickly turned hostile. Frequently, Mr. Davidson would respond, “I don’t recall.”Mr. Bove confronted Mr. Davidson about his “fuzzy” memory and Mr. Davidson responded forcefully that his answers had been truthful. Image The jury heard a recording, made by Michael D. Cohen, Mr. Trump’s longtime fixer, during the 2016 campaign. That included one in which Mr. Trump and Mr. Cohen discussed a hush-money deal for Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model who was trying to sell a story about an affair with Mr. Trump. The potential witness list has several major names, including Ms. Daniels, Mr. Cohen and Hope Hicks, who is Mr. Trump’s former spokeswoman.

Persons: Keith Davidson, Stormy Daniels, Donald J, Juan M, Trump, Merchan, Daniels, Davidson, Michael D, Cohen, Mr, Emil Bove, ” Mr, Bove, ”, “, Trump’s, Maansi Srivastava, Davidson’s, Justice Merchan, Alvin L, Bragg, Todd Blanche, ” Trump, Blanche, Doug Mills, Biden’s, Biden, We’re, Douglas Daus, Karen McDougal, Hope Hicks Organizations: Trump, Prosecutors, Trump White House, New York, ., White, Playboy Locations: Manhattan, Michigan, Wisconsin

☆ Sex tapes! Celebrity rehab! Trump hush-money trial goes full National Enquirer as Hulk Hogan, Lindsay Lohan, Charlie Sheen are name-dropped.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Charlie Sheen, Hulk Hogan, Lindsay Lohan, and Tila Tequila were all name-dropped. Charlie Sheen, Hulk Hogan, Lindsay Lohan, Floyd Mayweather, Tila Tequila — all were name-dropped in morning testimony. Bove asked. Bove asked Davidson. Advertisement"I've represented several clients who had claims against Charlie Sheen," Davidson answered carefully.

Persons: Stormy Daniels, Keith Davidson, Charlie Sheen, Hulk Hogan, Lindsay Lohan, Tila Tequila, —, Donald Trump's, Floyd Mayweather, Playboy Bunny Karen McDougal, Trump, Daniels, Davidson, Emil Bove, Donald Trump, Jane Rosenberg Bove, You've, Bove, you've, shakedowns, McDougal, lister, Hogan, Kevin Winter, Terry Bollea, Bollea, Hulk, Amy Sussman, Lindsay Lohan Davidson, Betty Ford, Lohan, Valerie Macon, Kevin Blatt, Tequila, Charlie Sheen's, Jamie McCarthy, Sheen, Blatt, I've, Anderson, Heidi Gutman, Capri Anderson, I'm Organizations: Service, National Enquirer, Manhattan, Enquirer, Trump, Reuters, Hulk Hogan's, TMZ, Morning America Locations: Manhattan, Sheen, Capri, Anderson

☆ Trump trial resumes after infamous Cohen phone call tape is played for jury
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Former U.S. President Donald Trump attends the first day of his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on April 15, 2024 in New York City. The lawyer, Keith Davidson, negotiated six-figure hush money deals for porn star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal ahead of the 2016 presidential election. On the night Trump won that election, Davidson texted the Enquirer's then-editor in chief, "What have we done?" But he added that he and the top editor, Dylan Howard, understood at the time that "our activities may have in some way assisted the presidential campaign of Donald Trump." Jurors heard a recording of Trump saying asking Cohen, "So what do we got to pay for this — 150?"

Persons: Donald Trump, Keith Davidson, Stormy Daniels, Karen McDougal, Trump, Daniels, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Judge Juan Merchan, Merchan, Davidson, Trump's, Michael Cohen, David Pecker, Dylan Howard, Douglas Daus, Cohen, McDougal Organizations: U.S, Manhattan Criminal, Prosecutors, New, Trump, Manhattan, Attorney, National Enquirer, American Media Locations: New York City, New York

☆ Opinion: How one text exchange gave Trump an ominous day in court
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Opinion Norman Eisen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Norm Eisen Courtesy Norm EisenIn Donald Trump’s Manhattan election interference trial, the case is coming in better than expected, and that is ominous for the former president. The prosecution asked Davidson to explain the meaning of a text he had sent to Howard that evening. As the election was about to be called for Trump, Davidson sent a text to Howard asking, “What have we done?”Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass asked Davidson what the meaning of those words were. It also highlighted the stakes here: Unlike Trump’s 2020 election interference cases pending in Georgia and federal court, the unlawful effort to impact the election alleged in this case might have actually worked. I was watching the jury closely when Davidson spoke, and they were riveted.

Persons: Norman Eisen, “, Donald Trump, CNN CNN —, Norm Eisen, Donald Trump’s, Keith Davidson, Davidson, Karen McDougal, Stormy Daniels, Trump, Michael Cohen, Daniels, David Pecker, Cohen, Dylan Howard —, Howard, Joshua Steinglass, ”, Matthew Colangelo Organizations: CNN, CNN CNN, American Media, Inc, National Enquirer, Trump, Twitter Locations: ”, Donald Trump’s Manhattan, Georgia

☆ Trump Trial to Resume With Stormy Daniels’s Lawyer on the Stand
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Matthew Haag | More About Matthew Haag | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

That testimony ended on a cliffhanger: Would the presidential candidate’s lawyer pay up? Prosecutors have charged Mr. Trump with falsifying business records to cover up repayments to Mr. Cohen, disguising the checks as “legal expenses” by the Trump Organization. If convicted, Mr. Trump faces up to four years in prison. Mr. Davidson’s testimony on Tuesday ended with how he had started to doubt that Mr. Cohen would come through with the $130,000. Mr. Davidson portrayed Mr. Cohen as erratic and excitable — likening him to the dog in the animated movie “Up,” constantly distracted by a squirrel offscreen.

Persons: Keith Davidson, Donald J, Trump, Trump’s, Davidson, Stormy Daniels, Michael D, Cohen, Daniels, Mr, —, ” Organizations: Mr, Prosecutors, Trump Organization

It might seem strange that prosecutors from the Manhattan district attorney’s office are eliciting such testimony about their central witness, especially given that the defense has already begun attacking Mr. Cohen’s credibility. Mr. Cohen, who pleaded guilty to federal crimes in 2018, was often belligerent as he did Mr. Trump’s bidding. It appears that the district attorney’s office will seek to turn that to their advantage: So far, they’ve drawn smiles and chuckles from jurors when asking witnesses to discuss Mr. Cohen. “I didn’t want to receive a million frustrating phone calls from Michael,” said the lawyer, Keith Davidson, who in 2016 represented a porn star, Stormy Daniels, who received the hush money. Prosecutors have accused the former president of falsifying business records to cover up the hush money deal and charged him with 34 felonies.

Persons: Cohen, they’ve, “, Michael, ”, Keith Davidson, Stormy Daniels, Daniels, Trump Organizations: Prosecutors Locations: Manhattan

☆ Live Updates: Stormy Daniels's Lawyer to Return to Stand in Trump Criminal Trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Matthew Haag | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

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. The tabloid had agreed to buy negative stories about Mr. Trump and then bury them. Image Michael D. Cohen, Mr. Trump’s former fixer, was the point of contact for a lawyer seeking to sell stories. Mr. Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, is planning rallies in Wisconsin and Michigan — both battleground states — on Wednesday.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Juan M, Trump’s, Stormy Daniels, Keith Davidson, Karen McDougal, she’d, Daniels, McDougal, Davidson, Dylan Howard, . Bauer, Griffin, ”, Howard, Mr, Ms, Michael D, Cohen, Justice Merchan, Michael Cohen, Gary Farro, Dave Sanders, Todd Blanche, Farro, Blanche, Cohen “, Melania Trump, Barron’s, Merchan Organizations: National Enquirer, Trump, Trump . Credit, Getty, Trump Organization, First Republic Bank, The New York Times, Prosecutors, SPAN, Republican Locations: Los Angeles, Trump ., Wisconsin, Michigan

☆ Trump trial resumes with testimony from lawyer behind Stormy Daniels hush money payment
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The New York criminal trial of Donald Trump is set to resume Thursday with more testimony from the attorney who helped broker a hush money payment from the former president's lawyer to porn star Stormy Daniels. The $130,000 payment to Daniels in particular is at the center of the historic criminal trial in Manhattan Supreme Court, where Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records. Trump unlawfully tried to influence that election by buying and suppressing damaging information about him, Bragg alleges. Merchan on Thursday morning was expected to hold another hearing on whether Trump violated the gag order four more times. Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, must sit in court throughout the trial, which is expected to last six weeks.

Persons: Donald Trump, Stormy Daniels, Keith Davidson, Daniels, Karen McDougal, Trump, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Michael Cohen, Bragg, Juan Merchan Organizations: New, Manhattan, Attorney, Trump Locations: Manhattan, New York City, U.S, New York, Merchan

A defense lawyer for Donald J. Trump portrayed the lawyer who negotiated payoffs for two women who claimed to have had sex with Mr. Trump as a shady serial extortionist who has made a living trafficking in celebrity gossip and hush-money deals. During the cross-examination, the defense lawyer Emil Bove quickly sought to discredit Mr. Davidson. He accused him of toeing the line between seeking monetary settlements for his clients and extortion. And he warned Mr. Davidson that he was “not here to play lawyer games,” adding that he was seeking truthful answers. Mr. Davidson responded: “You are getting truthful answers, sir” — sarcastically stressing the last word.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Keith Davidson, Emil Bove, Mr, Davidson, ” —

Without saying so specifically, the upshot from Trump’s attorney was that the Trump deals followed a pattern that bordered on extortion. The upshot from Trump’s attorney was that the Trump deals followed a pattern that bordered on extortion. After the lunch break, Trump attorney Susan Necheles said Trump’s legal team feels the gag order is ambiguous about whether Trump can repost article written by lawyers analyzing the trial. During Tuesday’s session, Davidson testified that he ended up getting involved with the Daniels deal because Cohen was being so difficult. “The moral of the story was: No one wanted to talk to Cohen,” Davidson said.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Stormy Daniels, ” Trump, Emil Bove, Keith Davidson, – Hulk Hogan, Lindsay Lohan, Charlie Sheen, Tila Tequila –, Davidson, Michael Cohen, Daniels, Judge Juan Merchan, Trump, Karen McDougal, Bove, Cohen, McDougal, ” Davidson, Hulk Hogan, “, ”, Hogan, ” Bove, Joshua Steinglass, ” Merchan, Merchan, Chris Conroy, David Pecker, “ He’s, ” Conroy, Conroy, Trump “, Todd Blanche, Blanche, Susan Necheles, “ I’m, Trump’s, ’, ’ ” Cohen, Daniels “, they’d, ” Prosecutors, Daniels ’, Witnesses, Michael Cohen Davidson, Cohen –, –, ‘, I’m, I’ve, ’ ” Davidson, Cohen’s, Pecker, he’s, Hunt Organizations: CNN, Trump, AMI, Bove, Democratic, ” Locations: Washington

☆ Stormy Daniels' lawyer says 'extremely strict reading' of her earlier Trump affair denial was true because the relationship wasn't 'romantic'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Davidson testified on Thursday that "an extremely strict reading of this statement would technically be true" based on how he would parse "affair," "romantic," and "and/or." Asked by Steinglass whether "there was a sexual encounter" between Daniels and Trump, Davidson said he believed there was. Related storiesDavidson also said the statement's denial of rumors that Daniels "received hush money" from Trump was also true, because he "would never use that word." Advertisement"There wasn't hush money. Cohen worked at all hours trying to keep the narrative under control, sending text messages "with little regard for my schedule," Davidson testified.

Persons: —, Keith Davidson, Stormy Daniels, Donald Trump —, Joshua Steinglass, Davidson, Daniels, Michael Cohen, Davison, Donald Trump, Trump, reimbursements, Cohen, MARK PETERSON, Dylan Howard, Jimmy Kimmel, Marilyn Monroe, Hollywood Roosevelt Organizations: Service, Trump, Business, Manhattan, Attorney's, Manhattan Criminal, Getty, National Locations: New York City, Hollywood

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

Rumors that the Hollywood star Lindsay Lohan was in rehab. A lawsuit by Hulk Hogan, the former pro wrestler, against the gossip website Gawker for publishing a tape of him having sex. Testimony on Thursday at former President Donald J. Trump’s criminal trial in Manhattan dove deeply into the celebrity-obsessed digital media environment of the past fifteen years or so that helped fuel Mr. Trump’s rise to political prominence. In his testimony, particularly as he was cross-examined, Mr. Davidson and a defense lawyer, Emil Bove, together led the jurors on a whirlwind tour of several gossipy and tawdry deals he had a hand in. Prosecutors say that the former president’s efforts to continue to keep the story hidden were criminal.

Persons: Charlie Sheen, Lindsay Lohan, Hulk Hogan, Donald J, Keith Davidson, Davidson, Emil Bove, Karen McDougal, Stormy Daniels, Trump, Michael D, Cohen Organizations: Hollywood, Prosecutors Locations: Manhattan, Los Angeles

☆ Hush-money texts reveal tawdry bidding war over a porn star, a Playboy model, and their tales of Donald Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

"Every single time I talked to Michael Cohen, he leaned on his close affiliation with Donald Trump," Davidson testified. Advertisement"It was part of his identity," the lawyer told jurors of Cohen. When Daniels' lawyer responded "Yup," the Enquirer editor responded, "I reckon that trump[sic] impersonator I hired has more cash." At another point, Cohen claimed the Trump Organization computer systems were, "quote, all fucked up," Davidson told the jury. "I called him and said, Michael, this is a very bad situation," he said he told Cohen.

Persons: —, Donald Trump —, Playboy Bunny, Keith Davidson, Bunny Karen McDougal, Stormy Daniels, Melania Trump, Trump, Davidson, Trump's, Michael Cohen, Cohen, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, Daniels, Donald Trump, Dylan Howard, texted, Ethan Miller, Raymond Hall, Joshua Steinglass, Yom Kippur, Michael, Steinglass, he's, Karen McDougal, Playboy Bunny —, Howard, McDougal, Davidson — Organizations: Service, Business, Trump, National Enquirer, Manhattan DA, Getty, Trump Organization, Enquirer, National, GOP Locations: LA

☆ Lawyer for Stormy Daniels Exposes Seamy Underside of Celebrity
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Michael Rothfeld | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The tantalizing text message was sent by a lawyer for a former Playboy model to the editor of The National Enquirer. “I have blockbuster Trump story,” read the message sent in 2016 by the Los Angeles lawyer, Keith Davidson, who was on the witness stand as prosecutors posted it Tuesday morning for jurors at Donald J. Trump’s criminal trial. The editor, Dylan Howard, asked in response: “did he cheat.”The texts were an evocative beginning to testimony that laid bare the seamy ways celebrity scandal is leveraged and sold. In this case, it was a deal negotiated by Mr. Davidson for Karen McDougal, the model, who wanted to rejuvenate her career by leveraging her story of a romantic affair with Mr. Trump. She has said the liaison began in 2006 after he was already married to his current wife, Melania.

Persons: “, ”, Keith Davidson, Donald J, Dylan Howard, Davidson, Karen McDougal, Trump, Melania Organizations: National Enquirer, Los, Mr Locations: Los Angeles

CNN —Judge Juan Merchan handed down his first punishment to Donald Trump for violating the judge’s gag order in the New York hush money trial Tuesday, fining Trump $9,000 for nine violations. Instead, Davidson negotiated a $130,000 hush money deal with Cohen on Daniels’ behalf, and she did not speak out publicly before the 2016 election. In his order, the judge warned Trump that he could be imprisoned if he continues to willfully violate the gag order. “All you have to do is talk to that a**hole Cohen,” Davidson recalled. His son, Eric Trump, attended the trial – the first family member of the former president to appear during the trial.

Persons: Juan Merchan, Donald Trump, fining, Daniels, Karen McDougal, Keith Davidson, Trump’s, Michael Cohen, Davidson, Cohen, Trump, –, Merchan, David Pecker, “, ” Merchan, Stormy’s, McDougal, ’, Dylan Howard –, Gina Rodriguez, “ It’s, ” Davidson, Rodriguez, Peggy Peterson, David Dennison, Joshua Steinglass, Dennison, ” Steinglass, ” Cohen, Gary Farro, Daniels ’, Farro, ” Trump, “ Michael Cohen, He’s, Judge Merchan didn't, Jean Carroll, Prosecutors, Melania Trump, Eric Trump, Susie Wiles, Ken Paxton, David McIntosh, Barron’s Organizations: CNN, fining Trump, Trump, AMI, Prosecutors, American Media Inc, Daniels . Records, Bank, Twitter, Club for Growth, Mar Locations: New York, LA, Texas

☆ Catch up on the day’s news: Trump fined for violating gag order, marijuana getting reclassified, college protests intensify
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Daniel Wine | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

It’s expected to become a Schedule III controlled substance, a classification shared by prescription drugs such as ketamine and Tylenol with codeine. Here’s what else you might have missed during your busy day:5 thingsKeith Davidson, who represented Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, is questioned. Jane Rosenberg1️⃣ Trump on trial: Donald Trump removed the online posts that a judge ruled violated his gag order in the New York criminal hush money case. The former president also was fined $9,000, and a former attorney who represented Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal testified. 5 Things PM is produced by CNN’s Tricia Escobedo, Meghan Pryce and Kimberly Richardson.

Persons: ane R, Ed, bil, Lis, r., Gupta, Loo, Cheng S Organizations: acc, ld, CNN

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