Stormy Daniels grilled about intercourse story in hush cash case
Former US President Donald Trump speaks to the press earlier than his trial for allegedly protecting up hush cash funds linked to extramarital affairs, at Manhattan Legal Courtroom in New York Metropolis, on Might 9, 2024.
Angela Weiss | Reuters
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Porn star Stormy Daniels on Thursday scoffed on the suggestion by Donald Trump‘s lawyer that she would ever wish to inform the world about having intercourse with the previous president, regardless of receiving a hush cash fee on his behalf.
“Though you had agreed that you wouldn’t focus on this supposed story and also you had obtained some huge cash for that settlement, you then determined that you just needed to publicly say that you just had intercourse with Donald Trump,” protection lawyer Susan Necheles stated as she questioned Daniels in courtroom.
Daniels shot again: “No person would ever wish to publicly say that.”
Daniels’ dig at Trump from the witness stand got here on her combative second day of cross-examination within the prison hush cash trial in Manhattan Supreme Courtroom.
Necheles continued her efforts to undermine Daniels’ credibility and lift doubts about her account of getting intercourse with Trump in 2006. The alleged one-night stand is a key element of the case, which facilities on a $130,000 hush cash fee to Daniels from Trump’s then-personal lawyer Michael Cohen shortly earlier than the 2016 presidential election.
At one level, Necheles advised Daniels, “You might have quite a lot of expertise making phony tales about intercourse.”
Daniels replied, “Wow. That is not how I’d put it. The intercourse within the movies may be very a lot actual, identical to what occurred to me in that room.”
She added that if her declare of sleeping with Trump was unfaithful, “I’d’ve written it to be lots higher.”
Earlier than the jury got here in, Decide Juan Merchan advised Necheles that she can’t deliver up Daniels’ report of being arrested in 2009 after her then-husband accused her of assault. The cost was reportedly dismissed with out a conviction or plea.
GOP Sen. slams decide’s daughter, D.A.’s spouse exterior courtroom
Whereas the trial was underway, Sen. Rick Scott appeared exterior the courthouse to slam the decide’s daughter and the spouse of Trump’s prosecutor, Manhattan District Lawyer Alvin Bragg.
“Let us take a look at who’s concerned in doing this,” stated the Florida Republican, who had entered the courtroom alongside Trump on Thursday morning.
“The lead prosecutor was a No. 3 person who Biden — the Biden Justice Division. The decide’s daughter is a political operative and raises cash for Democrats. You’ve got bought the lead prosecutor’s spouse is a major donor to Democrats and I feel to Biden,” he stated.
Trump is barred by a gag order from talking about all three of these individuals, along with witnesses and jurors, courtroom workers members and their households. The gag order additionally prohibits Trump from “directing others to make public statements” about these events.
“So that is only a bunch of Democrats saying, ‘We wish to be sure that Donald Trump cannot discuss,'” Scott stated.
Requested if Scott was showing on the trial due to Trump’s gag order, the senator stated, “No, I am fed up.”
Merchan has held Trump in contempt of courtroom for violating his gag order 10 occasions. On Monday, the decide warned Trump that he might be put in jail if he continues to violate courtroom orders.
Trump will get mad at Daniels
Daniels’ first day of testimony drew an offended response from the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
On Tuesday, Merchan warned Trump’s attorneys that the previous president needed to cease cursing and shaking his head throughout Daniels’ testimony, as a result of he would possibly intimidate her or affect the jury.
Stormy Daniels arrives at Manhattan Legal Courtroom on Might 09, 2024 in New York Metropolis.
Michael M. Santiago | Getty Photographs
“I perceive that your consumer is upset at this level, however he’s cursing audibly, and he’s shaking his head visually and that is contemptuous,” Merchan stated throughout a break in Daniels’ testimony.
“It has the potential to intimidate the witness and the jury can see that,” Merchan stated, in response to a courtroom transcript shared Tuesday night. “It is advisable communicate to him. I will not tolerate that.”
The decide delivered that warning on the bench, out of earshot from reporters within the courtroom, as a result of he stated he didn’t “wish to embarrass” Trump.
The previous president’s flashes of anger got here as Daniels testified — in vivid element — about her alleged sexual encounter with Trump in 2006 shortly after assembly him at a celeb golf event in Lake Tahoe.
Trump is charged with falsifying enterprise data associated to a $130,000 hush-money fee made to Daniels. Prosecutors say the cash was a part of an illegal scheme to profit Trump’s 2016 presidential marketing campaign.
Cohen paid Daniels for her silence concerning the alleged intercourse lower than two weeks earlier than that election. Trump reimbursed Cohen after changing into president.
The hush cash case, whereas typically thought of the least critical of the 4 prison indictments Trump faces, is more and more prone to be the one one to make it to trial earlier than the Nov. 5 presidential election.
On Wednesday, a Georgia appeals courtroom probably delayed a state-level election interference case towards Trump by agreeing to take up his request to disqualify his prosecutor, District Lawyer Fani Willis.
On Tuesday night, federal Decide Aileen Cannon indefinitely postponed Trump’s trial on expenses that he illegally took labeled paperwork after which tried to hide them from authorities.
A federal election interference case towards Trump in Washington, D.C., in the meantime, is on maintain whereas the Supreme Courtroom considers whether or not Trump is immune from the fees as a result of they he was president on the time the alleged crimes occurred.
