Melania Trump Claims New Jewelry Line Will Raise Money For Foster Children
Former First Lady Melania Trump’s new jewelry venture will reportedly honor mothers and raise funds for charity.
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ROUND 2 for "Individual #1": NY DA presenting evidence in Trump-Stormy Daniels investigation to grand jury-BRAGG SUES JIM JORDAN IN 50 PAGE SUIT
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Melania Trump 'Not Happy' Hearing 'New Details' In Husband's Hush Money Trial
Melania Trump's former aide has given her two cents on the latest development emerging from Donald Trump's New York hush money trial.
What you missed on Day 8 of Trump's trial: New witnesses and contact info for Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal
Friday’s court proceedings brought the second week of the trial to a close, with three witnesses taking the stand.
By Katherine Doyle
April 26, 2024
www.nbcnews.com
David Peck; Donald Trump; Rhona Graff
Friday’s court proceedings brought the second week of the trial to a close, with three witnesses taking the stand.
By Katherine Doyle
April 26, 2024
What you missed on Day 8 of Trump's trial: New witnesses and contact info for Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal
Friday’s court proceedings brought the second week of the trial to a close, with three witnesses taking the stand.
David Peck; Donald Trump; Rhona Graff
Trump’s Trial Could Bring a Rarity: Consequences for His Words
The former president has spent decades spewing thousands and thousands of words, sometimes contradicting himself. That tendency is now working against him in his Manhattan criminal case.
By Maggie Haberman and Jonah E. Bromwich
April 28, 2024
www.nytimes.com
Donald J. Trump’s career-long habit of a ready-fire-aim stream of consciousness can now be held against him by prosecutors and a judge while the former president is on trial.
The former president has spent decades spewing thousands and thousands of words, sometimes contradicting himself. That tendency is now working against him in his Manhattan criminal case.
By Maggie Haberman and Jonah E. Bromwich
April 28, 2024
Trump’s Trial Could Bring a Rarity: Consequences for His Words
The former president has spent decades spewing thousands and thousands of words, sometimes contradicting himself. That tendency is now working against him in his Manhattan criminal case.
Donald J. Trump’s career-long habit of a ready-fire-aim stream of consciousness can now be held against him by prosecutors and a judge while the former president is on trial.
Takeaways from day nine of the Trump hush money trial
By Jeremy Herb, Kara Scannell and Lauren del Valle, CNN
April 30, 2024
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.
The judge also warned the former president in his written order that continued violations could also lead to imprisonment – a striking reminder of the historic and surreal nature of this trial.
Once the trial itself began Tuesday, jurors heard from the attorney who negotiated both the Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal hush money agreements, Keith Davidson, who detailed his tribulations with Trump’s then-fixer Michael Cohen in the final days of the 2016 campaign to get the money promised to Daniels for her to stay quiet.
Davidson testified that a tabloid editor believed Daniels’ story would be the “final nail in the coffin” for Trump’s presidential aspirations in October 2016 after the Access Hollywood tape came out. 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.
Here are the takeaways from day nine of the Trump hush money trial:
Trump is fined – and faces more later this week
Before the jury was called in Tuesday morning, Merchan levied a $9,000 fine against the former president for multiple violations of the judge’s gag order barring public discussion of witnesses in the case or the jury.
Merchan fined Trump for nine violations – $1,000 each, the maximum allowed by law – after prosecutors had filed a motion to hold the former president in contempt over his social media posts and public comments about Cohen, Daniels and the makeup of the jury pool.
This won’t be Trump’s last run-in with Merchan’s gag order, either. Last week, the district attorney’s office cited another four comments from Trump that allegedly violated the order. Merchan has scheduled a hearing on those violations for Thursday.
The comments cited by prosecutors pointed to Trump’s continued commentary about witnesses, including that he thought AMI chief David Pecker was “nice.” Prosecutors argued that the remark was a message to other witnesses to “be nice” on the stand.
In his order, the judge warned Trump that he could be imprisoned if he continues to willfully violate the gag order. Merchan could jail Trump for 30 days for finding him in contempt.
“The Court will not tolerate continued willful violations of its lawful orders and that if necessary and appropriate under the circumstances, it will impose an incarceratory punishment,” Merchan wrote.
Stormy’s lawyer takes the stand
Davidson, an LA-based attorney, represented both McDougal and Daniels when they were shopping stories about their romantic relations with Trump in 2016.
He described in detail his conversations with American Media Inc.’s then-chief content officer Dylan Howard – aided by text exchanges between the two rich in detail to help freshen up Davidson’s memory – as he cut a $150,000 deal with AMI for McDougal’s story and then struck a $130,000 deal directly with Cohen for Daniels after AMI backed out.
Davidson said Daniels’ manager, Gina Rodriguez, approached him and asked him to close the deal. “It’s going to be the easiest deal you’ve ever done in your entire life,” Davidson said, before pausing and letting out a little laugh.
Rodriguez told him it had already been negotiated. “All you have to do is talk to that a**hole Cohen,” Davidson recalled.
Davidson walked jurors through the contracts he drew up with Cohen and the excuses he got when Cohen initially didn’t pay.
“I thought he was trying to kick the can down the road until after the election,” Davidson testified about Cohen’s excuses for not coming up with the funding, which prompted him to tell Cohen at one point that the deal was off.
Davidson’s testimony also provided some lighter moments. In the contract, he used pseudonyms: Peggy Peterson for Daniels because she was the plaintiff and David Dennison for Trump because he was the defendant.
Assistant district attorney Joshua Steinglass asked if Dennison was a real person. “Yes, he was on my high school hockey team,” Davidson said.
“How does he feel about you now?” Steinglass asked.
“He’s very upset,” Davidson said, holding back a laugh.
Daniels’ attorney also had some choice words for Cohen. Asked to describe Cohen’s demeanor while negotiating the payment with him, Davidson said, “He was highly excitable, sort of a pants on fire kind of guy.”
Cohen, Davidson added, was like the cartoon dog who yells “squirrel!”
Jurors hear about the Stormy Daniels payment paper trail
Cohen’s former banker Gary Farro returned Tuesday morning to walk the jury through Cohen’s bank activity around the payment to Daniels.
Records show it took Cohen less than 24 hours to open an account for a shell company and use it to wire the money to Daniels’ attorney.
On October 27, 2016, Cohen pushed his bank to expedite a $131,000 advance on the home equity line of credit tied to his personal property he shared with his wife. That was approved and the money was transferred to the new Essential Consultant LLC account Cohen opened, telling his banker at the time it was for a rushed real estate deal.
The next morning Cohen wired $130,000 to an account facilitated by Daniels’ lawyer.
Farro testified that when he dealt with Cohen, 90% of the time it was an “urgent matter.”
The banker also said First Republic Bank closed all of Cohen’s accounts, leaving only his existing mortgages with the institution, after news of the Daniels hush money payment became public.
Trump videos played for the jury in court
Prosecutors used records custodians to enter several video clips into evidence Tuesday morning.
Three C-SPAN clips of Trump speaking at public events were played for the jury in open court. Two clips from October 2016 campaign events showed then-candidate Trump vehemently denying allegations from women who publicly accused him of sexual assault after the “Access Hollywood” tape was released earlier that month.
“As you have seen, right now I’m being viciously attacked with lies and smears. It’s a phony deal. I have no idea who these women are,” Trump says in one clip.
In a clip from January 11, 2017, President-elect Trump said, “Michael Cohen is a very talented lawyer. He’s a good lawyer in my firm.”
Snippets from Trump’s October 2022 deposition taken for his E. Jean Carroll defamation lawsuits were also admitted into evidence and played in court.
Prosecutors also played a clip from the deposition where Trump described that Truth Social was a platform he opened as an alternative to Twitter. In another clip Trump responds to questions confirming that he is married to Melania Trump, since 2005.
Jurors also saw Trump identify himself as the speaker in the “Access Hollywood” tape during that deposition – although no video clip was played in relation to the question about the “Access Hollywood” tape, nor the tape itself. (The judge previously ruled only a transcript of the audio could be admitted into evidence – not the video footage.)
Tuesday is a family affair
Trump had several visitors in the gallery behind him in court on Tuesday, beyond the typical accompaniment of aides there each day.
His son, Eric Trump, attended the trial – the first family member of the former president to appear during the trial. Susie Wiles, Trump’s senior campaign adviser, was sitting beside the former president’s son.
Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general, and David McIntosh, who has cofounded conservative political groups including the Club for Growth, stopped into the courtroom for some of Tuesday’s session, too.
Tuesday’s appearances could be the beginning of a new kind of pilgrimage for Trump’s allies: instead of visiting him at Mar-a-Lago, they come to see the presumptive GOP nominee stand trial in New York.
Trump also got another dose of family friendly news: Before the trial began his attorneys had asked for May 17 off so that Trump could attend his son Barron’s graduation. The judge had said he didn’t know yet if that was possible – but on Tuesday, Merchan said things were moving quickly enough that he was comfortable having no court that day so Trump could attend graduation.
Trump had previously attacked the judge for preventing him from attending Barron’s graduation, even though the judge had only previously said he was withholding a decision on the request.
By Jeremy Herb, Kara Scannell and Lauren del Valle, CNN
April 30, 2024
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.
The judge also warned the former president in his written order that continued violations could also lead to imprisonment – a striking reminder of the historic and surreal nature of this trial.
Once the trial itself began Tuesday, jurors heard from the attorney who negotiated both the Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal hush money agreements, Keith Davidson, who detailed his tribulations with Trump’s then-fixer Michael Cohen in the final days of the 2016 campaign to get the money promised to Daniels for her to stay quiet.
Davidson testified that a tabloid editor believed Daniels’ story would be the “final nail in the coffin” for Trump’s presidential aspirations in October 2016 after the Access Hollywood tape came out. 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.
Here are the takeaways from day nine of the Trump hush money trial:
Trump is fined – and faces more later this week
Before the jury was called in Tuesday morning, Merchan levied a $9,000 fine against the former president for multiple violations of the judge’s gag order barring public discussion of witnesses in the case or the jury.
Merchan fined Trump for nine violations – $1,000 each, the maximum allowed by law – after prosecutors had filed a motion to hold the former president in contempt over his social media posts and public comments about Cohen, Daniels and the makeup of the jury pool.
This won’t be Trump’s last run-in with Merchan’s gag order, either. Last week, the district attorney’s office cited another four comments from Trump that allegedly violated the order. Merchan has scheduled a hearing on those violations for Thursday.
The comments cited by prosecutors pointed to Trump’s continued commentary about witnesses, including that he thought AMI chief David Pecker was “nice.” Prosecutors argued that the remark was a message to other witnesses to “be nice” on the stand.
In his order, the judge warned Trump that he could be imprisoned if he continues to willfully violate the gag order. Merchan could jail Trump for 30 days for finding him in contempt.
“The Court will not tolerate continued willful violations of its lawful orders and that if necessary and appropriate under the circumstances, it will impose an incarceratory punishment,” Merchan wrote.
Stormy’s lawyer takes the stand
Davidson, an LA-based attorney, represented both McDougal and Daniels when they were shopping stories about their romantic relations with Trump in 2016.
He described in detail his conversations with American Media Inc.’s then-chief content officer Dylan Howard – aided by text exchanges between the two rich in detail to help freshen up Davidson’s memory – as he cut a $150,000 deal with AMI for McDougal’s story and then struck a $130,000 deal directly with Cohen for Daniels after AMI backed out.
Davidson said Daniels’ manager, Gina Rodriguez, approached him and asked him to close the deal. “It’s going to be the easiest deal you’ve ever done in your entire life,” Davidson said, before pausing and letting out a little laugh.
Rodriguez told him it had already been negotiated. “All you have to do is talk to that a**hole Cohen,” Davidson recalled.
Davidson walked jurors through the contracts he drew up with Cohen and the excuses he got when Cohen initially didn’t pay.
“I thought he was trying to kick the can down the road until after the election,” Davidson testified about Cohen’s excuses for not coming up with the funding, which prompted him to tell Cohen at one point that the deal was off.
Davidson’s testimony also provided some lighter moments. In the contract, he used pseudonyms: Peggy Peterson for Daniels because she was the plaintiff and David Dennison for Trump because he was the defendant.
Assistant district attorney Joshua Steinglass asked if Dennison was a real person. “Yes, he was on my high school hockey team,” Davidson said.
“How does he feel about you now?” Steinglass asked.
“He’s very upset,” Davidson said, holding back a laugh.
Daniels’ attorney also had some choice words for Cohen. Asked to describe Cohen’s demeanor while negotiating the payment with him, Davidson said, “He was highly excitable, sort of a pants on fire kind of guy.”
Cohen, Davidson added, was like the cartoon dog who yells “squirrel!”
Jurors hear about the Stormy Daniels payment paper trail
Cohen’s former banker Gary Farro returned Tuesday morning to walk the jury through Cohen’s bank activity around the payment to Daniels.
Records show it took Cohen less than 24 hours to open an account for a shell company and use it to wire the money to Daniels’ attorney.
On October 27, 2016, Cohen pushed his bank to expedite a $131,000 advance on the home equity line of credit tied to his personal property he shared with his wife. That was approved and the money was transferred to the new Essential Consultant LLC account Cohen opened, telling his banker at the time it was for a rushed real estate deal.
The next morning Cohen wired $130,000 to an account facilitated by Daniels’ lawyer.
Farro testified that when he dealt with Cohen, 90% of the time it was an “urgent matter.”
The banker also said First Republic Bank closed all of Cohen’s accounts, leaving only his existing mortgages with the institution, after news of the Daniels hush money payment became public.
Trump videos played for the jury in court
Prosecutors used records custodians to enter several video clips into evidence Tuesday morning.
Three C-SPAN clips of Trump speaking at public events were played for the jury in open court. Two clips from October 2016 campaign events showed then-candidate Trump vehemently denying allegations from women who publicly accused him of sexual assault after the “Access Hollywood” tape was released earlier that month.
“As you have seen, right now I’m being viciously attacked with lies and smears. It’s a phony deal. I have no idea who these women are,” Trump says in one clip.
In a clip from January 11, 2017, President-elect Trump said, “Michael Cohen is a very talented lawyer. He’s a good lawyer in my firm.”
Snippets from Trump’s October 2022 deposition taken for his E. Jean Carroll defamation lawsuits were also admitted into evidence and played in court.
Prosecutors also played a clip from the deposition where Trump described that Truth Social was a platform he opened as an alternative to Twitter. In another clip Trump responds to questions confirming that he is married to Melania Trump, since 2005.
Jurors also saw Trump identify himself as the speaker in the “Access Hollywood” tape during that deposition – although no video clip was played in relation to the question about the “Access Hollywood” tape, nor the tape itself. (The judge previously ruled only a transcript of the audio could be admitted into evidence – not the video footage.)
Tuesday is a family affair
Trump had several visitors in the gallery behind him in court on Tuesday, beyond the typical accompaniment of aides there each day.
His son, Eric Trump, attended the trial – the first family member of the former president to appear during the trial. Susie Wiles, Trump’s senior campaign adviser, was sitting beside the former president’s son.
Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general, and David McIntosh, who has cofounded conservative political groups including the Club for Growth, stopped into the courtroom for some of Tuesday’s session, too.
Tuesday’s appearances could be the beginning of a new kind of pilgrimage for Trump’s allies: instead of visiting him at Mar-a-Lago, they come to see the presumptive GOP nominee stand trial in New York.
Trump also got another dose of family friendly news: Before the trial began his attorneys had asked for May 17 off so that Trump could attend his son Barron’s graduation. The judge had said he didn’t know yet if that was possible – but on Tuesday, Merchan said things were moving quickly enough that he was comfortable having no court that day so Trump could attend graduation.
Trump had previously attacked the judge for preventing him from attending Barron’s graduation, even though the judge had only previously said he was withholding a decision on the request.
Trump, Venting About Lawyer in His Criminal Trial, Seeks More Aggression
Todd Blanche upended his career to represent Donald J. Trump and has been the former president’s favorite. But Mr. Trump has made him a focus of his episodic wrath.
By Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan
April 30, 2024
www.nytimes.com
Todd Blanche upended his career to represent Donald J. Trump, and has been called a true believer in his innocence
Judge in hush money trial threatens Trump with jail after holding him in contempt for violating gag order
Judge Juan Merchan warned that if Trump continues to violate the order, he could impose “an incarceratory punishment.”
By Zoë Richards, Dareh Gregorian and Matt Korade
April 30, 2024
www.nbcnews.com
Todd Blanche upended his career to represent Donald J. Trump and has been the former president’s favorite. But Mr. Trump has made him a focus of his episodic wrath.
By Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan
April 30, 2024
Trump, Venting About Lawyer in His Criminal Trial, Seeks More Aggression
Todd Blanche upended his career to represent Donald J. Trump and has been the former president’s favorite. But Mr. Trump has made him a focus of his episodic wrath.
Todd Blanche upended his career to represent Donald J. Trump, and has been called a true believer in his innocence
Judge in hush money trial threatens Trump with jail after holding him in contempt for violating gag order
Judge Juan Merchan warned that if Trump continues to violate the order, he could impose “an incarceratory punishment.”
By Zoë Richards, Dareh Gregorian and Matt Korade
April 30, 2024
Judge in hush money trial threatens Trump with jail after holding him in contempt for violating gag order
Judge Juan Merchan warned that if Trump continues to violate the order, he could impose “an incarceratory punishment.”
"Shaking his head": Trump "in disbelief" as lawyer admits he went out of his way to bash witnesses
"Trump shot around and glared at his own lawyer in disbelief, his mouth hanging open," ABC News reports
By CHARLES R. DAVIS
Deputy News Editor
MAY 2, 2024
Former US President Donald Trump, standing with attorney Todd Blanche (R), speaks to the press as he leaves for the day during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments linked to extramarital affairs, at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City on April 25, 2024.
4 big takeaways from Day 10 of Trump's hush money trial
Stormy Daniels' ex-attorney clashed with the defense in Thursday's proceedings.
ByAaron Katersky, Lucien Bruggeman, Olivia Rubin, and Peter Charalambous
May 2, 2024
abcnews.go.com
Attorneys for Donald Trump in his criminal hush money trial on Thursday attempted to frame Keith Davidson, a Los Angeles-based attorney who represented Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, as an unsavory figure who made a career of extorting wealthy celebrities for shady clients.
Jurors also heard the voice of a man whose name has come up repeatedly in these proceedings: Trump's former attorney, Michael Cohen. Both parties played audio recordings of phone conversations he surreptitiously recorded, including one in which Cohen said Donald Trump told him: "I hate the fact that we did it," referring to the nondisclosure deal with Stormy Daniels.
Meanwhile, Judge Juan Merchan is yet again considering motions to hold Trump in criminal contempt for violating a gag order after prosecutors on Thursday accused him of making public statements about witnesses and the jury that are "corrosive to this proceeding."
Trump is on trial for allegedly falsifying business records to hide the reimbursement of a hush money payment Cohen made to Daniels in order to boost his electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential election. The former president has denied all wrongdoing.
Here are the top takeaways from Day 10 of the proceedings.
Cohen said Trump told him 'I hate' that we paid off Daniels
Michael Cohen developed a practice of recording his phone conversations, and on Thursday, jurors heard some of them -- including one that featured his former boss.
In one recording, introduced into evidence by prosecutors during Keith Davidson's testimony, Cohen could be heard telling Davidson: "I can't even tell you how many times he [Trump] said to me, 'I hate the fact that we did it.'"
Davidson said Cohen was referring to Trump's nondisclosure agreement with Stormy Daniels -- an important piece of evidence that further suggests Trump had awareness of the transaction.
A custodial witness, Douglas Daus, testified about a September 2016 recording of Donald Trump discussing the arranged purchase of Karen McDougal's story. This recording was made public in 2018.
Defense tries to paint Davidson as extortionist
Donald Trump's legal team spent several hours cross-examining Davidson about his record of negotiating settlements with high-profile Hollywood figures -- repeatedly invoking words like "extortion" and "leverage" to undermine his credibility and suggest a pattern of conduct.
Defense attorney Emil Bove and Davidson jousted for hours, each man growing frustrated at times as Bove ticked through a series of clients and negotiations Davidson brokered, including a settlement with Charlie Sheen, an alleged sex tape featuring Tila Tequila, and a TMZ leak about Lindsey Lohan.
"By 2016, you were pretty well-versed in getting right up to the line without committing extortion, right?" Bove asked.
Davidson stubbornly rebuffed those efforts, reluctant to cooperate with Bove's yes-or-no-style questions and eager to filibuster, obfuscate, and claim not to recall basic details from his past.
'What have we done?' Davidson asked
"What have we done?" Davidson texted National Enquirer editor Dylan Howard on election night 2016 as it became clear that Donald Trump had secured the presidency.
Davidson told the jury this was an attempt at "gallows humor," but added, on a more serious note, that "there was an understanding that our activities may have in some way assisted the presidential campaign of Donald Trump."
Davidson, on the stand, divulged behind-the-scenes details about brokering the hush payments, what happened as details of the arrangements emerged in the press, and his efforts to protect Stormy Daniels from Michael Cohen's "legal threats" as she underwent a change of heart.
In early 2018, as Daniels prepared to appear on Jimmy Kimmel, Davidson said he penned a statement on her behalf in the Marilyn Monroe suite at the iconic Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, denying an affair with Trump.
Hours later, on national television, Daniels suggested the statement was not true, prompting Cohen to make repeated threats to sue.
Judge weighs additional gag order violations
Judge Juan Merchan withheld ruling on four additional contempt motions filed by prosecutors, who accused Trump of violating the court-imposed limited gag order by making public statements about the impartiality of the jury and several witnesses in the case.
Trump attorney Todd Blanche argued that his client was entitled to respond to "repeated attacks on President Trump's campaign for president" -- saying that "part of the campaign takes place outside of this courtroom."
But Merchan pushed back, reminding Blanche that "nobody forced your client" to go talk to cameras outside the courthouse.
Later in the day, Susan Necheles, another attorney for Trump, handed the judge a series of articles "which President Trump would like to post on his Truth [Social account]," Necheles said.
"We think they are perfectly fine, but we think there is ambiguity in the gag order," she said, asking the judge to "take a look at them" before Trump posted them.
Merchan did not seem inclined to take up the matter, telling Necheles, "There is no ambiguity in the order."
"I am not going to give an advanced ruling on this," Merchan said. "When in doubt, steer clear."
Former President Donald Trump sits inside Manhattan Criminal Court room, in NYC, May 2, 2024.
"Trump shot around and glared at his own lawyer in disbelief, his mouth hanging open," ABC News reports
By CHARLES R. DAVIS
Deputy News Editor
MAY 2, 2024
Former US President Donald Trump, standing with attorney Todd Blanche (R), speaks to the press as he leaves for the day during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments linked to extramarital affairs, at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City on April 25, 2024.
4 big takeaways from Day 10 of Trump's hush money trial
Stormy Daniels' ex-attorney clashed with the defense in Thursday's proceedings.
ByAaron Katersky, Lucien Bruggeman, Olivia Rubin, and Peter Charalambous
May 2, 2024
4 big takeaways from Day 10 of Trump's hush money trial
Stormy Daniels' ex-attorney clashed with the defense on Day 10 of former President Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial in New York.
Attorneys for Donald Trump in his criminal hush money trial on Thursday attempted to frame Keith Davidson, a Los Angeles-based attorney who represented Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, as an unsavory figure who made a career of extorting wealthy celebrities for shady clients.
Jurors also heard the voice of a man whose name has come up repeatedly in these proceedings: Trump's former attorney, Michael Cohen. Both parties played audio recordings of phone conversations he surreptitiously recorded, including one in which Cohen said Donald Trump told him: "I hate the fact that we did it," referring to the nondisclosure deal with Stormy Daniels.
Meanwhile, Judge Juan Merchan is yet again considering motions to hold Trump in criminal contempt for violating a gag order after prosecutors on Thursday accused him of making public statements about witnesses and the jury that are "corrosive to this proceeding."
Trump is on trial for allegedly falsifying business records to hide the reimbursement of a hush money payment Cohen made to Daniels in order to boost his electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential election. The former president has denied all wrongdoing.
Here are the top takeaways from Day 10 of the proceedings.
Cohen said Trump told him 'I hate' that we paid off Daniels
Michael Cohen developed a practice of recording his phone conversations, and on Thursday, jurors heard some of them -- including one that featured his former boss.
In one recording, introduced into evidence by prosecutors during Keith Davidson's testimony, Cohen could be heard telling Davidson: "I can't even tell you how many times he [Trump] said to me, 'I hate the fact that we did it.'"
Davidson said Cohen was referring to Trump's nondisclosure agreement with Stormy Daniels -- an important piece of evidence that further suggests Trump had awareness of the transaction.
A custodial witness, Douglas Daus, testified about a September 2016 recording of Donald Trump discussing the arranged purchase of Karen McDougal's story. This recording was made public in 2018.
Defense tries to paint Davidson as extortionist
Donald Trump's legal team spent several hours cross-examining Davidson about his record of negotiating settlements with high-profile Hollywood figures -- repeatedly invoking words like "extortion" and "leverage" to undermine his credibility and suggest a pattern of conduct.
Defense attorney Emil Bove and Davidson jousted for hours, each man growing frustrated at times as Bove ticked through a series of clients and negotiations Davidson brokered, including a settlement with Charlie Sheen, an alleged sex tape featuring Tila Tequila, and a TMZ leak about Lindsey Lohan.
"By 2016, you were pretty well-versed in getting right up to the line without committing extortion, right?" Bove asked.
Davidson stubbornly rebuffed those efforts, reluctant to cooperate with Bove's yes-or-no-style questions and eager to filibuster, obfuscate, and claim not to recall basic details from his past.
'What have we done?' Davidson asked
"What have we done?" Davidson texted National Enquirer editor Dylan Howard on election night 2016 as it became clear that Donald Trump had secured the presidency.
Davidson told the jury this was an attempt at "gallows humor," but added, on a more serious note, that "there was an understanding that our activities may have in some way assisted the presidential campaign of Donald Trump."
Davidson, on the stand, divulged behind-the-scenes details about brokering the hush payments, what happened as details of the arrangements emerged in the press, and his efforts to protect Stormy Daniels from Michael Cohen's "legal threats" as she underwent a change of heart.
In early 2018, as Daniels prepared to appear on Jimmy Kimmel, Davidson said he penned a statement on her behalf in the Marilyn Monroe suite at the iconic Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, denying an affair with Trump.
Hours later, on national television, Daniels suggested the statement was not true, prompting Cohen to make repeated threats to sue.
Judge weighs additional gag order violations
Judge Juan Merchan withheld ruling on four additional contempt motions filed by prosecutors, who accused Trump of violating the court-imposed limited gag order by making public statements about the impartiality of the jury and several witnesses in the case.
Trump attorney Todd Blanche argued that his client was entitled to respond to "repeated attacks on President Trump's campaign for president" -- saying that "part of the campaign takes place outside of this courtroom."
But Merchan pushed back, reminding Blanche that "nobody forced your client" to go talk to cameras outside the courthouse.
Later in the day, Susan Necheles, another attorney for Trump, handed the judge a series of articles "which President Trump would like to post on his Truth [Social account]," Necheles said.
"We think they are perfectly fine, but we think there is ambiguity in the gag order," she said, asking the judge to "take a look at them" before Trump posted them.
Merchan did not seem inclined to take up the matter, telling Necheles, "There is no ambiguity in the order."
"I am not going to give an advanced ruling on this," Merchan said. "When in doubt, steer clear."
Former President Donald Trump sits inside Manhattan Criminal Court room, in NYC, May 2, 2024.
Hope Hicks breaks down chaos of Trump’s 2016 campaign during hush money trial
Hicks broke down and cried on the stand as she was testifying about a call she had with Trump, in which he told her that Michael Cohen made the payment to Stormy Daniels out of the goodness of his heart. Hicks appeared to have doubts that Cohen did so with that purpose, calling it “out of character.”
BY THE HILL.COM
05/03/24
Hicks broke down and cried on the stand as she was testifying about a call she had with Trump, in which he told her that Michael Cohen made the payment to Stormy Daniels out of the goodness of his heart. Hicks appeared to have doubts that Cohen did so with that purpose, calling it “out of character.”
BY THE HILL.COM
05/03/24
Hope Hicks breaks down chaos of Trump’s 2016 campaign during hush money trial
Former President Trump’s ex-political adviser Hope Hicks testified for hours Friday in his hush money trial in Manhattan where she detailed the chaos that enveloped his 2016 campaign. Hicks, once a…
thehill.com
Hope Hicks is set to walk down the aisle this summer
DailyMail.com can reveal that Hope Hicks, 35, is preparing get married this summer. She traveled to New York on Friday to appear as a witness at Trump's hush money trial.
The messages that claim Trump tried to silence Stormy Daniels in 2012
Donald Trump threatened to put a celebrity publicist out of business if she helped Stormy Daniels sell her story in 2012, according to messages entered into court evidence this week.
Hope Hicks breaks down in tears while Trump shows no emotion
Donald Trump's one-time confidant Hope Hicks kept her eyes directed away from the boss she still clearly loves as she appeared in court on Friday afternoon.
Judge Cites Trump for Contempt, and Says He Is Attacking the Rule of Law
Donald J. Trump again broke a gag order meant to bar him from attacking participants in his criminal trial, Justice Juan M. Merchan ruled. He threatened the former president with jail.
By Alan Feuer, Ben Protess, Jonah E. Bromwich and William K. Rashbaum
May 6, 2024
www.nytimes.com
Donald J. Trump again broke a gag order meant to bar him from attacking participants in his criminal trial, Justice Juan M. Merchan ruled. He threatened the former president with jail.
By Alan Feuer, Ben Protess, Jonah E. Bromwich and William K. Rashbaum
May 6, 2024
Judge Cites Trump for Contempt, and Says He Is Attacking the Rule of Law
Donald J. Trump again broke a gag order meant to bar him from attacking participants in his criminal trial, Justice Juan M. Merchan ruled. He threatened the former president with jail.
Stormy Daniels Testifies in Trump Trial, He & Melania Sleep in Different Rooms
Stormy Daniels is testifying in Donald Trump's hush money trial -- and she says he told her he and his wife, Melania Trump, don't really sleep together ... and this was back in 2006.
www.tmz.com
Judge Denies Donald Trump’s Request For A Mistrial After Stormy Daniels’ Testimony About 2006 Sexual Encounter
Stormy Daniels took the stand in Donald Trump's hush money trial in New York.
deadline.com
Trump’s ‘hush money’ NYC trial live updates: Stormy Daniels ‘difficult to control’ on witness stand, judge says
Follow the Post’s live updates for the latest news, analysis and photos from the Trump trial in NYC.
nypost.com
Stormy Daniels tells court she ‘hates’ Trump and wants him ‘held accountable’ – live
Adult film star cross-examined by defense; judge denies Trump attorney’s motion for mistrial
How Donald Trump Could Benefit From Stormy Daniels' Sex Testimony
Stormy Daniels has seemingly favored Donald Trump’s defense by testifying that she passed out during sex with Donald Trump.
theblast.com
The Donald - "My sex game was so good ..."
The Stormy One - "Huh?"
The Stormy One - "Huh?"
Trump trial live updates: Ex-White House executive assistant testifies
The porn star went into lurid and salacious detail on Tuesday about the night with the former president in a hotel room in 2006 where they allegedly had sex.
'Sleazebags': Trump tempts fate with possible gag order violation in hush-money case
Donald Trump has been held in contempt 10 times and warned about jail if he violates his gag order again as recently as Monday. Now, a new post by Trump on Truth Social may have crossed the line.
lawandcrime.com
Donald Trump | Law & Crime
lawandcrime.com
Law & Crime - Law and Crime News
Watch the courtroom drama unfold live and get in depth legal analysis on the day's biggest crime and legal stories.
lawandcrime.com
Takeaways from Stormy Daniels’ testimony at the Trump hush money trial
Adult film star Stormy Daniels dished out salacious details of her alleged sexual encounter with former President Donald Trump in 2006 from the witness stand on Tuesday, describing how they met at a celebrity golf tournament and what she says happened when she went to Trump’s Lake Tahoe hotel room.
By Jeremy Herb, Lauren del Valle and Kara Scannell, CNN
May 7, 2024
amp.cnn.com
Stormy Daniels testified she had ‘brief’ sex with Donald Trump in his hotel suite. The former president has denied having an affair with her
Adult film star Stormy Daniels dished out salacious details of her alleged sexual encounter with former President Donald Trump in 2006 from the witness stand on Tuesday, describing how they met at a celebrity golf tournament and what she says happened when she went to Trump’s Lake Tahoe hotel room.
By Jeremy Herb, Lauren del Valle and Kara Scannell, CNN
May 7, 2024
Takeaways from Stormy Daniels’ testimony at the Trump hush money trial | CNN Politics
Adult film star Stormy Daniels dished out salacious details of her sexual encounter with former President Donald Trump in 2006 from the witness stand on Tuesday, describing how they met at a celebrity golf tournament and what she says happened when she went to Trump’s Lake Tahoe hotel room.
Stormy Daniels testified she had ‘brief’ sex with Donald Trump in his hotel suite. The former president has denied having an affair with her
Judge denies Trump request to narrow gag order to respond to Stormy Daniels
Trump’s gag order limits his attacks against witnesses, among others, forcing the former president to stop pummeling some of his frequent targets on social media or risk jail time.
BY ZACH SCHONFELD
05/09/24
Trump’s gag order limits his attacks against witnesses, among others, forcing the former president to stop pummeling some of his frequent targets on social media or risk jail time.
BY ZACH SCHONFELD
05/09/24
Judge denies Trump request to narrow gag order to respond to Stormy Daniels
Former President Trump’s hush money judge rejected the former president’s request to narrow his gag order so he can speak publicly about porn actor Stormy Daniels now that she has completed her tes…
thehill.com
Stormy Daniels’ Testimony Ended Amid Tense Exchange With Trump’s Lawyer
Stormy Daniels had a heated face-off with Donald Trump’s attorney while concluding her testimony in his hush money trial.
theblast.com