One week review of Donald Trump's secret trial

WASHINGTON (AP) Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's secret trial, including a California lawyer who brokered deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.

Jurors heard a potentially crucial piece of evidence, a 2016 recording of Trump discussing a plan to buy a Playboy model, as well as testimony about wrestler Hulk Hogan and hurricanes, both literally and figuratively.

Outside of the jury's presence, Trump was fined for violating the judge's order of silence. Additional sanctions could await the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

A look at some of the highlights from last week:

A POLITICAL HURRICANE…AND REAL

Hope Hicks, a former Trump confidant who played a central role in his orbit for years, detailed a defining moment from the 2016 campaign: The Washington Post leaked a 2005 Access Hollywood recording in which Trump bragged about grabbing women's genitals without their permission.

Hicks admitted to being worried, very worried, when a reporter asked him for comment before breaking the story.

I had a good feeling of believing that this was going to be a massive story and that it was going to dominate the news cycle over the next few days, Hicks said. This was a damaging development.

The recording, made public just days before a debate with Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, is relevant to the case because prosecutors say it helps explain the frenzied efforts by Trump and his allies in the final weeks of campaign to try to suppress any new damaging stories that might arise. .

FILE – Hope Hicks, former White House communications director, arrives to meet with the House Intelligence Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, February 27, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

In fact, following the release of the tapes, Hicks said he asked Michael Cohen, then Trump's lawyer and personal fixer, to track down a rumor about another potentially damaging recording. No such tape existed anyway, Hicks said, but he sort of looked it up for me.

Regardless, the immediate impact of the Access Hollywood story was so intense, Hicks recalls, that it distracted from a perfect storm. Hurricane Matthew was dominating the news cycle when Hicks was contacted about the upcoming story. It didn't last long.

Did the Access Hollywood tape make the hurricane disappear from the news? » asked prosecutor Matthew Colangelo.

Yes, Hicks replied.

TRUMP THE TARGET OF EXTORTION?

Trump may be a criminal defendant, but a piece of his defense emerged last week when one of his lawyers suggested that Trump might actually have been a victim.

Lawyer Emil Bove suggested during a particularly tense cross-examination that his client had indeed been targeted for extortion by Keith Davidson, a crucial witness and the lawyer who negotiated hush money deals for two women, porn actor Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal, claiming to have had sex with Trump. Trump denies it.

Bove cited a group of celebrities who he said had been forced over the years to pay huge sums to Davidson's clients to remove harmful videos or stories. Among them was actor Charlie Sheen, from whom Bove, according to Davidson, had extorted money; Davidson disputed the word excerpt, but said he had been involved in valid settlements with Sheen.

Emil Bove, attorney for former President Donald Trump, sits in the courtroom at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York, Friday, May 3, 2024. (Jeenah Moon/Pool Photo via AP)

Davidson also acknowledges that he was investigated by the FBI, but never charged, for allegedly trying to extort Hogan to prevent the release of the professional wrestling stars' sex tape.

In 2016, Bove suggested, Davidson was familiar with the concept of trashing celebrities such as Trump.

And you've done everything you can to get as close to that line in these negotiations as possible without crossing it, right? » asked Bové.

I did everything I could to make sure my activities were legal, Davidson responded.

What do we have to pay for that?

The prosecution's key witness, Cohen, has yet to testify and Trump may never do so, but their voices were heard in the courtroom in perhaps the most striking piece of evidence yet now.

Prosecutors played loudly a September 2016 recording Cohen made of himself informing the then-presidential candidate of a plan to buy McDougal's silence with a $150,000 payment. McDougal was ready to reveal her account of an extramarital affair with Trump, a revelation that Trump and his allies were determined to prevent in the final days of the election.

What are we going to pay for this? One hour fifty? Trump can be heard saying at one point.

FILE – Michael Cohen arrives at the New York Supreme Court on October 25, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, file)

They discuss whether payment should be made in cash or by check. Then the recording stops.

Although the existence of the recording surfaced in the summer of 2018 and had long been publicly known, its disclosure to the jury was a dramatic moment intended to establish that the secret payment was made with Trump's knowledge.

He seemed visibly irritated as the recording played. The jurors seemed fascinated.

THE JERK

The recording wasn't the only time Cohen surfaced in court over the past week. When he did, it was usually in a negative light.

Davidson said his introduction to Cohen came in 2011, when he was told he had to respond to an angry call from Cohen about a blog post linked to Daniels and Trump. Davidson said that Cohen was described to him by Daniels' talent manager as a jerk who had been very, very aggressive and had threatened to sue me.

When Davidson called Cohen and introduced himself, I was met with a barrage of insults, innuendoes and allegations. This lasted quite a while.

Davidson also recounted a memorable phone conversation with Cohen a month after the 2016 election, during which the Trump lawyer seemed depressed and discouraged and complained about being passed over for a role in the new Trump administration.

He said something like: Jesus Christ. Can you (exhaustive) believe I'm not going to Washington, Davidson said in describing Cohen. After everything I did for that (expletive) guy. I can't believe I'm not going to Washington. I've saved these guys (expletive) so many times you don't even know it.

The uncharitable characterizations could help Trump's team in its efforts to undermine Cohen's credibility. But they could also help prosecutors distance themselves from Cohen, subtly telling jurors that he is not a teammate but rather someone who simply has information.

TO GET A PRESIDENT

A side issue throughout the trial is what to do about Trump's comments outside of court. He repeatedly slandered witnesses and suggested jury bias, all despite a judge's order of silence intended to bar him from any verbal tirades against key players in the case.

Trump was fined $9,000 ($1,000) for each of nine separate violations of the silence order identified by the judge. Prosecutors then sought an additional $4,000 fine for what they said were additional violations of the order.

Still, it's unclear what Judge Juan M. Merchan can do about continued violations. Merchan raised the possibility of prison time, an unprecedented outcome for a former U.S. president. It would also risk inflaming Trump's base as he runs for president and further upend the race for the White House in 2024.

Former President Donald Trump, center, speaks with defense attorney Emil Bove, left, before the start of the trial in Manhattan Criminal Court, Friday, May 3, 2024 in New York. (Mark Peterson/Pool photo via AP)

Trump's lawyers insist he needs some leeway to respond to relentless criticism, including from witnesses, and that his candidacy means he is subject to scrutiny. continued media coverage.

Merchan didn't seem convinced, but prison, at least for now, doesn't seem to be the outcome anyone wants.

Because each of these statements was made before the Court found the defendant in contempt for violating this order on nine occasions, and because we prefer to minimize the disruption of this proceeding, we are not yet seeking prison , said prosecutor Chris Conroy.

But, he added, last Tuesday's court decision will inform the approach we take to any future violations.

Sources 1/ https://Google.com/ 2/ https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-hush-money-stormy-daniels-cohen-9be06e3d33c25af7060552a44001cc1a The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos