Hush Money trial judge doubles down on efforts not to show Trump's 'Access Hollywood' tape to jurors

The judge presiding over former President Trump's secret trial has doubled down on his ruling that footage from the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape would not be shown to jurors.

“I remain convinced at the moment that the recording should not be broadcast,” Judge Juan Merchan told the court on Monday.

The 2005 “Access Hollywood” tape was revealed before the 2016 election and showed Trump boasting about hosting Billy Bush that he could kiss and grope women thanks to his star power.

Merchan had previously refused the prosecution to show the tape to jurors, saying in March, “there is no need for the tape itself to be introduced into evidence or played for the jury.”

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Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass on Monday pushed back against including evidence surrounding the video, which he said constitutes an “admission of sexual assault” and “living proof that the defendant was not speaking at all.”

“It’s more than just sexual comments,” Steinglass said, adding that when the video surfaced in 2016, it sent Trump’s presidential campaign into a “waterfall.”

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Trump's lawyer said the video was damaging and too salacious to show to the jury.

“People will get everything they need to prove the charges in this case based on what Your Honor has already ruled,” Blanche said.

Although Merchan said the video cannot be shown to jurors, prosecutors can present Trump's exact words from the video, as well as an email relating to the tape.

The secret trial officially began Monday morning in Manhattan, where Trump faces 34 counts of first-degree falsifying business records.

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The lawsuit centers on payments made by Trump's former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, to former pornographic actor Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. The $130,000 payment was allegedly intended to allay his allegations of an alleged affair extramarital affair she allegedly had with Trump in 2006.

However, Trump has denied the affair and pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.

The charges stem from checks written by the Trump Organization to Cohen over a period of approximately 12 months to reimburse him for the payment to Daniels. Prosecutors say the checks were falsely recorded as legal fees.

Falsifying business records is a misdemeanor, and prosecutors are working to prove that Trump falsified records with the intent to commit or conceal a second crime, which is a felony.

Trump could face more than 10 years in prison if convicted, although legal experts have speculated that the former president would likely receive probation of up to four years if convicted by the jury.

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The trial begins with jury selection, during which potential jurors will be asked a series of questions to determine whether they can fairly weigh in on the case. Jury selection is expected to last at least a week, while the trial is expected to continue for at least six weeks.

Upon arriving at the courthouse Monday, Trump called the case a “political persecution.”

“Nothing like this has ever happened before,” he said in Lower Manhattan. “This is political persecution. … This is a case that should never have been brought.”

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“This is an attack on America and that’s why I’m very proud to be here,” Trump added. “This is actually an attack on a political opponent.”