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Donald J. Trump had a dismal day in court on Tuesday as the judge presiding over his criminal trial told a defense lawyer he was “losing all credibility” and a key witness pulled back the curtain to expose what prosecutors called a conspiracy to influence the 2016 election. The witness was David Pecker, longtime publisher of The National Enquirer, and he transported jurors back to a crucial 2015 meeting with Mr. Trump and his fixer at Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan. Prosecutors called it the “Trump Tower conspiracy,” arguing that Mr. Pecker, Mr. Trump and Michael D. Cohen, who was then Mr. Trump’s personal lawyer and fixer, hatched a plot at the meeting to conceal sex scandals looming over Mr. Trump’s campaign. Their effort led Mr. Pecker’s tabloids to buy and bury two damaging stories about Mr. Trump. Mr. Cohen also purchased the silence of a porn star, a deal at the heart of the case against the former president.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, David Pecker, Pecker, Michael D, Cohen Organizations: National Enquirer, Prosecutors Locations: Midtown Manhattan

☆ Trump Will Fight Attempts to Silence Him Before Key Witness Testifies
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Jonah E. Bromwich | Ben Protess | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Manhattan prosecutors are poised to push their case against Donald J. Trump into a critical new phase on Tuesday, as they prepare to question a key witness and urge the judge to hold the former president in contempt for attacking witnesses and jurors in the landmark trial. The case, the first criminal trial of an American president, debuted to a newly seated jury on Monday, as both sides delivered opening statements that offered dueling visions of Mr. Trump and the evidence against him. While a prosecutor accused the former president of orchestrating a “criminal conspiracy and a coverup,” Mr. Trump’s lawyer proclaimed that “President Trump is innocent.”The prosecution also began questioning its first witness, David Pecker, the former publisher of The National Enquirer, who buried damaging stories about Mr. Trump as he mounted his first campaign for president. Mr. Trump is accused of falsifying records to cover up a sex scandal involving a porn star that could have derailed his campaign. The flurry of activity set the stage for a weekslong trial that will continue to captivate the political and legal worlds and test the limits of the justice system as Mr. Trump attacks judge and jury alike.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Mr, Trump’s, David Pecker Organizations: “, National Enquirer Locations: Manhattan

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. Pool photo by Mark PetersonMr. Blanche also attacked Mr. Cohen, a former lawyer and fixer for Mr. Trump. He called the heart of the prosecution case just “34 pieces of paper” that don’t involve Mr. Trump. During his own side’s opening statement, Mr. Trump sat largely motionless and expressionless watching his lawyer Mr. Blanche.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Stormy Daniels, Daniels, Trump’s, ” doesn’t, Matthew Colangelo, Mr, Todd Blanche, ”, It’s, Mark Peterson Mr, Blanche, Cohen, Letitia James, —, David Pecker, Prosecutors ’, ambled, ” Mr, Pecker, Marion Curtis, We’re, Juan M, Pecker —, Merchan Organizations: Trump, Mr, Trump Tower, New, Prosecutors, National Enquirer, Reuters Locations: Manhattan, Lower Manhattan

Mr. Cohen has said he acted at Mr. Trump’s direction, but the former president is not charged over the payment itself. If Mr. Trump testifies in his own defense, that could pit Mr. Cohen’s word against Mr. Trump’s — a he-said, he-said story, with two questionable narrators. Mr. Trump’s lawyers will seek to emphasize Mr. Cohen’s checkered past at every turn. And, on cross-examination, Mr. Trump’s lawyers are likely to portray Mr. Cohen as a serial liar with a grudge against his former boss. Mr. Pecker can support at least some of Mr. Cohen’s testimony about Mr. Trump’s involvement in the hush-money deals.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Alvin L, Bragg, Michael D, Cohen, Stormy Daniels, Daniel J . Horwitz, Michael Cohen, ” Mr, Horwitz, Mary Altaffer, Daniels, Trump’s, Joshua Steinglass, Donald Trump, Mr, Steinglass’s, David Pecker, Hope Hicks, Pecker, Bragg’s, Karen McDougal, Marion Curtis, reimbursements, Allen H, Weisselberg, Steinglass, McDougal, Dave Sanders, The New York Times Susan Necheles, Cohen’s, President Trump, Madeleine Westerhout, “, ”, ” William K, Rashbaum, Maggie Haberman, Jonathan Swan, Michael Rothfeld Organizations: Prosecutors, Mr, fixer, National Enquirer, Trump, Trump . Credit, The New York Times, American Media, Associated, ” Locations: New York, Manhattan, Trump ., America, Russia

☆ Opening Statements in Trump’s Criminal Trial to Begin Monday
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Jonah E. Bromwich | Ben Protess | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The first criminal trial of an American president will debut on Monday for a jury of 12 New Yorkers, as prosecutors and defense lawyers deliver opening statements that provide dueling interpretations of the evidence against Donald J. Trump. The unprecedented case, which centers on Mr. Trump’s efforts to cover up a sex scandal involving a hush-money payment to a porn star, could reshape America’s political landscape and test the limits of the nation’s justice system. Opening statements at a trial are like overtures: Both sides present a preview of what the jurors will hear from witnesses and what they will see in documentary evidence. Prosecutors from the Manhattan district attorney’s office are expected to say that Mr. Trump orchestrated a scheme to suppress stories that could have damaged his 2016 campaign. Mr. Trump’s former fixer, Michael D. Cohen, was involved in suppressing some of those stories, including when he paid $130,000 to a porn star who said she had sex with Mr. Trump a decade earlier.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Trump’s, Michael D, Cohen Organizations: Prosecutors Locations: Manhattan

☆ An Unprecedented Trial Opens With Two Visions of Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Jonah E. Bromwich | Ben Protess | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Manhattan prosecutors delivered a raw recounting of Donald J. Trump’s seamy past on Monday as they debuted their case against him to jurors, the nation and the world, reducing the former president to a co-conspirator in a plot to cover up three sex scandals that threatened his 2016 election win. Their opening statement was a pivotal moment in the first prosecution of an American president, a sweeping synopsis of the case against Mr. Trump, who watched from the defense table, occasionally shaking his head. Moments later, Mr. Trump’s lawyer delivered his own opening, beginning with the simple claim that “President Trump is innocent,” then noting that he is once again the presumptive Republican nominee and concluding with an exhortation for jurors to “use your common sense.”The jury of 12 New Yorkers who will weigh Mr. Trump’s legal fate before millions of voters decide his political future also heard brief testimony from the prosecution’s leadoff witness, David Pecker, a former tabloid publisher who was close with Mr. Trump. Mr. Pecker, who ran The National Enquirer, testified that his supermarket tabloids practiced “checkbook journalism.” In this case, prosecutors say, he bought and buried stories that could have imperiled Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign.

Persons: Donald J, Trump’s, Trump, ”, Yorkers, David Pecker, Pecker Organizations: Republican, Mr, National Enquirer

The Manhattan criminal trial of Donald J. Trump will be closely followed around the world. There will be no video feed aired live from the courtroom. Nor will there be an audio feed, as some federal courts allow. New York courts generally do not permit video to be broadcast from courtrooms, although a feed is being transmitted into an overflow room for the reporters covering the trial. And cameras will be stationed in the hallway outside the courtroom to capture Mr. Trump’s remarks as he enters and leaves.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Trump’s Locations: Manhattan, New York

☆ Will a Mountain of Evidence Be Enough to Convict Trump?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Ben Protess | Jonah E. Bromwich | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the official record, the case is known as the People of the State of New York v. Donald J. Trump, and, for now, the people have the stronger hand: They have insider witnesses, a favorable jury pool and a lurid set of facts about a presidential candidate, a payoff and a porn star. On Monday, the prosecutors will formally introduce the case to 12 all-important jurors, embarking on the first prosecution of an American president. The trial, which could brand Mr. Trump a felon as he mounts another White House run, will reverberate throughout the nation and test the durability of the justice system that Mr. Trump attacks as no other defendant could. Though the district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, has assembled a mountain of evidence, a conviction is hardly assured. Over the next six weeks, Mr. Trump’s lawyers will seize on three apparent weak points: a key witness’s credibility, a president’s culpability and the case’s legal complexity.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Alvin L, Bragg Locations: New York

☆ Live Updates: Trump Trial Enters Fourth Day With Opening Arguments Next Week
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Jonah E. Bromwich | Ben Protess | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +10 min

Have you, a relative, or a close friend ever been employed in the accounting or finance field? Have you, a relative, or a close friend ever been accused or convicted of committing a crime? Do you, a relative, or a close friend have a pending criminal case? Are you signed up for or have you ever been signed up for, subscribed to, or followed any newsletter or email lists run by or on behalf of Mr. Trump or the Trump Organization? The United States Constitution provides that a defendant has no burden to introduce any evidence or to testify in a criminal case.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Donald Trump, Michael Cohen, Mark Pomerantz, Donald Trump ” Organizations: Prosecutors, New Yorker, Civil, New York Times, New York Daily, Huffington Post, CNN, MSNBC, Google, Street, The New, The New York Post, Newsday, Washington Post, Fox News, MSN, Yahoo, FBI, Attorney’s, Department of Correction, Trump, Mr, Trump Organization, Boogaloo, United, United States Constitution Locations: American, Manhattan, Side, Inwood, New, USA, The New York, New York, United States

Twelve New Yorkers have been selected to decide Donald J. Trump’s criminal trial in Manhattan, the first for an American president, and alternates are expected to be chosen on Friday should any of the first dozen have to drop out of the trial unexpectedly. Opening statements, where prosecutors and defense lawyers will introduce their dueling cases to the newly empaneled jury, are expected to begin as early as Monday. One alternate juror was also picked before court adjourned for the day, and the selection of alternates was set to resume on Friday morning. The $130,000 payment came from Mr. Trump’s former fixer, Michael D. Cohen, who has said he acted at Mr. Trump’s direction. The Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, charged Mr. Trump with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, accusing him of having disguised reimbursements of Mr. Cohen to keep the sex scandal under wraps.

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

is an investigative reporter at The Times, writing about public corruption. He has been covering the various criminal investigations into former President Trump and his allies.

Persons: Trump Organizations: The Times

Asked for proof of his claim that Mr. Biden was personally directing the local cases against him, Mr. Trump pointed to purported ties between prosecutors and “Washington,” but provided no evidence that Mr. Biden had been involved in any of the hiring decisions, conversations or meetings that Mr. Trump cited. The writer E. Jean Carroll filed her first lawsuit against Mr. Trump in November 2019, accusing him of defamation. Faulty and irrelevant comparisonsWhat Mr. Trump Said“I got indicted more than Al Capone.”— in a rally in Ohio in MarchFalse. Mr. Hur described Mr. Biden as a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory” who had “diminished faculties and faulty memory.” He did not declare Mr. Biden mentally incompetent to stand trial. Inaccurate attacks on judgesWhat Mr. Trump Said“Judge Juan Merchan is totally compromised, and should be removed from this TRUMP Non-Case immediately.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, President Biden, Trump’s, ”, Trump Said “ Biden, General Merrick B, Garland, Trump “, Biden, Mr, Doug Mills, Trump Said, Jack Smith, Merrick Garland’s, Fani Willis, Letitia James, Alvin L, Bragg, Matthew Colangelo, Colangelo, —, James’s, Colangelo’s, Bragg ramped, Willis, Willis — Nathan J, Wade, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Kamala Harris, Harris, Crooked Joe Biden, James, Jean Carroll, Smith, Brittainy Newman, Alexei Navalny, Navalny, Letitia James ’, Hunt, PolitiFact, Trump Said “, Al Capone, Capone, Brad Schwartz, Hillary, Bill, Bush, Reagan, Hillary Clinton, Clinton, Bill Clinton’s, Taylor Branch, Branch, “, Barack Obama, George W, Bill Clinton, George H.W, Ronald Reagan, Robert K, Hur, Biden’s, Juan Merchan, Loren, Loren Merchan, Merchan, Merchan’s, Justice Merchan, Ahmed Gaber, Arthur F, Justice Engoron, Engoron Organizations: New York, Democratic Party, Trump, Justice Department, The New York Times, The, White House, Trump . Credit, New York Times, American People, Biden Administration, Prosecutors, Mr, Manhattan, Washington, Fox News, New, Times, White, Counsel’s Office, Supreme, Black, Trump Organization, Democrat, Companies, Exxon Mobil, Trump Foundation, Trump University, Associated, National Archives, Records Administration, TRUMP, Twitter, Credit Locations: Manhattan, Georgia, Trump ., Washington, New York, “ Washington, Fulton County ,, Russian, New, Ohio, Fla, South Carolina, Trump’s Florida, Beach

☆ Trump’s Trial Enters Third Day With 7 Jurors Chosen
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Ben Protess | Jonah E. Bromwich | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Seven jurors down, five more to go. The case against Mr. Trump stems from a hush-money payment to a porn star, Stormy Daniels, who during the 2016 presidential campaign threatened to go public with her story of a sexual encounter with Mr. Trump. Prosecutors say Mr. Trump concealed her story, and others, to influence the election. But prosecutors say he falsified business records to cover up the sex scandal, and charged him last year with 34 felony counts. Many expected jury selection to be a weekslong slog, but seven jurors were seated on Tuesday afternoon.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Stormy Daniels, Daniels, Juan M Organizations: Prosecutors, Disney Locations: Ireland, Puerto Rico, Harlem

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

☆ Prosecutors and Defense Lawyers Begin to Seat Jurors for Trump Trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Ben Protess | Jonah E. Bromwich | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Depending on their politics, media diets and views on Donald J. Trump, any one could join the group of 12 citizens who will sit in judgment of him. Not until midafternoon Tuesday did Mr. Trump’s lawyers and prosecutors select the first six jurors for the case, which centers on allegations that the former president falsified documents to cover up a sex scandal involving a porn star. Dozens were dismissed after saying they could not be fair, underscoring the towering task of trying a former president in a city where he is deeply unpopular. The lawyers reached the heart of the selection process early in the afternoon, when they began bringing individual people from the jury pool back into the courtroom to question them alone as they debated who should be dismissed. But that process was quickly interrupted when the judge, Juan M. Merchan, scolded Mr. Trump for muttering and gesturing while one of the potential jurors was being interviewed.

Persons: “, Donald J, Juan M, Merchan, Mr, Trump Organizations: East, Yorkers, Trump, muttering Locations: Mexico, Harlem, Lower Manhattan, American

States could, in theory, try to keep Mr. Trump off the ballot by passing legislation requiring a clean criminal record, but this would be on legally shaky ground. The California Supreme Court also unanimously blocked it as a violation of the state constitution, and the case never reached the U.S. Supreme Court. And the 14th Amendment is separate from criminal cases, meaning convictions would not disqualify Mr. Trump either. Now that Mr. Trump has secured a majority of delegates to the Republican convention, the party has no mechanism to nominate somebody else. Mr. Trump is registered to vote in Florida, and he would be disenfranchised there if convicted of a felony.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Eugene V, Debs, Jessica Levinson, “, —, Anthony Michael Kreis, that’s, ”, Richard L, Kreis, — Ron DeSantis, Chris Taylor, Erwin Chemerinsky, “ It’s, Levinson, Biden, Mr, Chemerinsky, Nixon, Justice Department —, Trump Justice Department —, Jones, Bill Clinton, Charlie Savage Organizations: Republican, Democratic, Loyola Law School, California Supreme, U.S, Supreme, Colorado Supreme, Mr, Georgia State University, University of California, Florida, Offender, New, Justice Department, Trump Justice Department Locations: United States, New York, Georgia, California, Colorado, Los Angeles, Florida, Berkeley, Clinton

Donald J. Trump first ran for president nearly a decade ago. Now, as he runs again in a political climate that he helped create, his Manhattan criminal trial is partly a referendum on his tactics during that first campaign. The trial’s very premise is that prosecutors believe Mr. Trump orchestrated an election interference scheme. But in a development that will bolster their case, prosecutors on Monday secured permission from the judge to admit evidence connected to Mr. Trump’s overall political strategy in 2016. The judge’s ruling showed how the weapons that worked so well for Mr. Trump then are being turned against him in the courtroom now.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Trump’s Organizations: Mr

☆ Trump’s Criminal Trial to Begin in Manhattan With Jury Selection
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Jonah E. Bromwich | Ben Protess | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The first criminal trial of an American president will begin Monday as prosecutors and defense lawyers convene in a Manhattan courtroom to begin selecting the jury that will decide Donald J. Trump’s fate. The Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, has charged Mr. Trump with 34 felonies, accusing him of falsifying documents to conceal a sex scandal involving a porn star. The case, one of four indictments facing the former president and presumptive Republican nominee, could reshape the political landscape ahead of Election Day. Jury selection could last two weeks or more and the trial may spill into June. Mr. Trump is expected to be in the courtroom for much of it, bringing campaign theatrics to the sober atmosphere of a criminal proceeding.

Persons: Donald J, Alvin L, Bragg, Trump Organizations: Republican, Mr Locations: Manhattan

Here’s what we know about the process:Who are the prospective jurors? (Mr. Trump will not). They will also be asked to divulge feelings or opinions they have about how Mr. Trump is being treated in this case. In a previous defamation case, Mr. Trump was fixated on the jurors from the moment they walked into the courtroom. But Mr. Trump’s comments about the jurors in this case should start and stop in the courtroom.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Juan M, Merchan, —, they’ve, Michael D, Cohen, Alvin L, Bragg, Justice Merchan Organizations: Yorkers, New, Mr Locations: Manhattan, U.S, New York State

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 first criminal trial of Donald J. Trump will begin on Monday, and the 45th president thinks he can win — no matter what the jury decides. Mr. Trump will aim to spin any outcome to his benefit and, if convicted, to become the first felon to win the White House. Manhattan prosecutors, who have accused Mr. Trump of falsifying records to cover up a sex scandal, hold advantages that include a list of insider witnesses and a jury pool drawn from one of the country’s most liberal counties. Mr. Trump and some aides and lawyers privately concede that a jury is unlikely to outright acquit him, according to people with knowledge of the discussions. So Mr. Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican nominee, is seeking to write his own reality, telling a story that he believes could pave his return to the White House.

Persons: Donald J, Trump Organizations: White, Republican Locations: Manhattan

Donald J. Trump, having failed to fend off a criminal trial in Manhattan that begins on Monday, said that he planned to testify in the case stemming from a hush-money payment to a porn star. Taking questions Friday from reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., Mr. Trump, when asked whether he would take the stand, responded that he would. I tell the truth,” he said, standing just off a sunny patio of the private club with Speaker Mike Johnson behind him. And the truth is that there’s no case. They have no case.”A spokeswoman for the Manhattan district attorney’s office, which has charged Mr. Trump with 34 felonies, declined to comment on his remarks.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, “ I’m, ”, Mike Johnson Locations: Manhattan, Lago, Palm Beach, Fla

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 for Donald J. Trump have spent the early part of this week seeking to stave off the former president’s trial on charges that he covered up a sex scandal. The filing underscored Mr. Trump’s increasing desperation — and scattershot approach — to delaying the trial. Stalling is one of the former president’s favorite legal strategies, not just in the Manhattan case, but in all of his legal entanglements. The papers include a request that the appeals court pause the case while it considers whether to oust the trial judge, Juan M. Merchan, the people said. Mr. Trump’s lawyers argue that Justice Merchan has a conflict of interest, citing his daughter’s work as a Democratic political consultant.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Trump’s, Juan M, Merchan Organizations: Democratic Locations: Manhattan

is an investigative reporter at The Times, writing about public corruption. He has been covering the various criminal investigations into former President Trump and his allies.

Persons: Trump Organizations: The Times

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