Trump hush-money trial live: Stormy Daniels back on stand after warning by judge - BBC News
Madeline Halpert, Kayla Epstein and Nada Tawfik were present at court in New York to provide reports.
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"Daniel Breaks Agreement To Assert Himself"
We're moving on to another part of the controversy.
Daniels gave testimony stating that at a later time, she engaged the services of a different attorney named Michael Avenatti in order to terminate the non-disclosure agreement.
According to her, she took this action "to be able to assert myself."
During her testimony, Daniels stated that she was eventually released from the contract when Michael Cohen promised not to carry out its terms.
Afterwards, Daniels' attorney, Avenatti, was incarcerated for cheating Daniels.
In the meantime, the prosecutors appear to be experiencing a more positive turn of events this afternoon following their guidance to Daniels.
The prosecution team is posing an increased amount of inquiries that can be responded to with a simple "yes" or "no", and Daniels is providing brief and concise responses.
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Trump doesn't seem to be reacting strongly to Daniels' testimony like he did this morning.
He remains motionless on his seat, with his gaze seemingly fixed ahead.
The man's child is sitting only two rows back from him, hearing all the complex specifics regarding his dad's supposed sexual encounter with Daniels.
Eric Trump's disposition resembles that of his dad; he has a serious and unresponsive countenance.
Daniels Claims She Was Shunned After Wall Street Journal Piece
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Daniels kept her promise to remain silent about the alleged sexual incident and did not disclose it for several years.
However, in the year 2018, she was contacted by the Wall Street Journal regarding a piece of information concerning the contract, according to her statement.
In previous testimony, we discovered that she agreed to a statement for the media, denying any occurrence of an event between herself and Donald Trump. However, she admits that she felt uncomfortable signing the statement because it was not true. Additionally, she was obligated by her confidentiality agreement to not make any comments.
Daniels had expressed that once the article from Wall Street Journal was released, she found herself and members of her family being excluded and avoided in various social gatherings.
Daniel Receives $96K In The End
Daniels claimed that she was left with a sum of approximately $96,000 after her lawyer, Davidson, and manager, Gina Rodriguez had their share of the fees deducted from the hush-money payment of $130,000 that was received from Michael Cohen.
"Daniel Cancels Hush Money Deal," She Reveals
Let's pick up where we left off - talking about how the payment of hush money to Daniels was overdue.
We have observed an email sent by her legal representative, Keith Davidson, to Michael Cohen stating that the agreement to keep quiet was terminated since she had not obtained the payment.
At the moment, Daniels expressed that she had conversed with the media platform Slate regarding her account.
Consequently, Daniels claimed that a fresh contract was prepared and she also provided her signature to it.
Daniels Is Back, Warning Ahead
Following some discussion, prosecutor Susan Hoffinger went outside to speak with Daniels. She reminded her to only answer the questions being asked and not provide any additional, irrelevant details. Justice Merchan informed the court of this.
Daniels has just returned to the room and has now seated herself at the podium.
Judge Acknowledges Difficulty Of Daniels' Testimony In No Mistrial Decision
According to Justice Merchan, there is no need for a mistrial.
He concurs with the attorneys of Trump that there were certain remarks made during the testimony of Stormy Daniels this morning that would have been more prudent to avoid.
He expresses that Daniels has been a challenging witness for the prosecuting team to manage, and he acknowledges that he's been upholding objections raised by Trump's attorneys.
Prosecutors Respond To Criticism Of Daniels' Testimony
The prosecutors are currently presenting their arguments.
It is being said that Justice Merchan gave her testimony without any restrictions.
According to Susan Hoffinger, many of the information being disclosed by Daniels are not fresh or original.
According to her, the team has been very cautious in asking for her statement, and she also mentions that the opposing side can introduce any concerns they have while questioning her in court.
"Judge Expresses Frustration In Court"
In the past, Trump's attorneys attempted to appeal for a mistrial in his trial involving civil business fraud. We'll soon discover the ruling of Justice Merchan on this matter.
Earlier today, he expressed annoyance during the prosecutor's interrogation of Daniels. Trump's legal team raised numerous objections and he cautioned Daniels to stay on topic and provide concise responses.
Trump's Lawyer Seeks Mistrial
Trump's attorney, Todd Blanche, is advocating for a retrial.
According to him, Daniels' testimony had certain boundaries set by the court, but those boundaries were disregarded.
He said that Daniels' statement unfairly biased and unsuitable against Trump, while also arguing that Daniels has altered her version of the supposed altercation.
Trump Goes Back To Court
Donald Trump just entered the courtroom again following his lunch break.
Alina Habba, the lawyer, is still present alongside his son Eric.
Trial Basics Explained
As the court is taking a midday break, it is a good idea to jog our memory on the purpose of this trial.
Business fraud allegations have been raised against Trump in relation to a payment made to Stormy Daniels, an adult-film actress, to keep quiet about a certain matter.
According to Daniels, she had sexual intercourse with Trump and received a payment of $130,000 (£104,500) from his ex-lawyer before the 2016 election so she wouldn't disclose the incident.
According to prosecutors, it is claimed that Trump directed his own personal attorney, Michael Cohen, to execute the payment. The prosecutors also accuse Trump of deceitfully recording the payments made to Cohen in his company’s financial records as legitimate expenditures. Afterwards, Trump supposedly reimbursed Cohen.
Providing money to keep someone quiet is not against the law, but according to the prosecution, they consider the way in which the payment was documented as a form of electoral deceit.
Ever since the accusations were made in 2018, the ex-president has refused to accept any sexual engagement with Daniels.
The person is being accused of committing 34 fraud-related charges under the campaign finance laws of New York. However, he denies any wrongdoing and has pleaded not guilty to all of the accusations.
Curious to learn what Trump has been doing outside of the courtroom? Anthony Zurcher, who reports on North America, explains the White House contest in his weekly bulletin called US Election Unspun.
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Trump Urges Loyalists: 'Stay By Me' During Ongoing Trial
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When Trump appeared in a court in New York earlier today, his campaign group dispatched an email requesting their supporters' allegiance and financial contribution.
The electronic message contains numerous statements that we have previously heard from the ex-president, including discussion about the judge's political affiliation, referring to the trial as a baseless inquiry, and accusing Joe Biden of being corrupt.
The email message states that the Judge appointed by the Democratic Party, Mr. Biden, believes that he can intimidate me into going to prison, and that as a result, you will leave me behind!
He is aware that if you withdraw your support, it will be a DEVASTATING DEFEAT, which will ultimately lead to the failure of my campaign.
According to reports, Trump had asked his supporters to promise that they would never abandon him. He then followed this by encouraging them to contribute to his campaign by being directed to a donation webpage.
What's Happened?
Oh my goodness, what a start to the day.
Many people doubted the significance of Stormy Daniels' evidence because it does not relate to the main issue in this criminal case, which is Donald Trump's financial records.
They were greatly mistaken.
This morning, we witnessed a conversation that had its moments of unease between Daniels, the judge, and the attorneys representing each party.
Justice Merchan had to remind Daniels multiple times to stick to the main point as she tended to give lengthy answers. Additionally, Daniels was requested to speak at a slower pace for the stenographer to accurately transcribe the proceedings.
The judge reprimanded prosecutors and asked Susan Hoffinger to ask less graphic questions to limit explicit responses.
The lawyers of Trump had objections toward almost every inquiry posed by Hoffinger, and Justice Merchan frequently agreed with them.
A lot of what we listened to was not fresh - Daniels has offered discussions in the past, and also created a manuscript.
She considered the payment made to keep the encounter undisclosed as beneficial for both parties involved. She didn't want her significant other to discover the supposed sexual liaison, and she would acquire some money.
The payment was made after the due date, and she endorsed the contract under a false identity - Peggy Peterson.
Throughout his presidency, Trump constantly refuted any allegations of engaging in sexual activity with Stormy Daniels.
Lunch Recess In Court
According to Stormy Daniels, the payment she was promised to keep quiet about an alleged affair was not delivered to her in a timely manner.
According to her, Donald Trump made excuses to Michael Cohen, who then informed her lawyer Keith Davidson regarding the delay.
And so, we declare that it's time for us to have a break for lunch.
Daniels steps down from the witness stand and briskly passes by the defense table - without seeming to cast a glance towards Trump.
Remain in our company as we keep reporting about the eagerly awaited witness statement.
Daniels' Use Of Fake Name On Hush-money Agreement
We are revisiting the agreement and official papers from 2016 that were designed to make sure that Daniels would not speak out about her experience. These were created by Keith Davidson, who was her lawyer at the time, and Michael Cohen.
As per the agreement, an amount of $130,000 was agreed to be paid to her and she was not allowed to disclose her experience of engaging in sexual activity with Trump in public.
We've previously been made aware of these papers, which include the settlement agreement as well as a side letter agreement, during Davidson's testimony in the earlier phase of the legal proceedings. Davidson spoke about how he came to an arrangement during the negotiation.
Currently, there is news surfacing regarding Daniels' encounter with the act of putting her signature on a written agreement under the pseudonym "Peggy Peterson." Daniels declares that she used a fake name to maintain the confidentiality of those involved in the agreement.
Daniels Indifferent To Money Amount: Claim
Daniels is starting to share her perspective on the confidential payment arrangement that was made in October of 2016.
According to her, she eventually realized that Trump and his lawyer, Michael Cohen, were attempting to purchase her account of a supposed intimate encounter. She credits her manager, Gina Rodriguez, with bringing this to her attention.
According to Daniels' testimony, she comprehended that Cohen was acting as an agent for Trump and that his intention was to pay her for sharing her story.
According to her, the agreement would've been beneficial for both parties as she was reluctant to reveal her alleged encounter with Trump to her partner, and also stood to receive payment.
She explained that she did not attempt to bargain for the $130,000 amount that Cohen eventually paid for her tale. The reason is simply that Daniels had no interest in the money, as she claimed.
During her testimony, Daniels affirmed that she was experiencing prosperity in terms of her finances at the time.
"Trump's Book In Spotlight: Court Sketch"
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We have received a court drawing in our media office featuring Sally Franklin, the first witness in today's trial. However, attention is shifted towards the front cover of one of Trump's publications.
During a trial, Sally Franklin from Penguin Random House was questioned about the variety of book choices available. One topic discussed was the collaborative effort between Donald Trump and another writer. The prosecutors aimed to utilize Trump's own statements against him, while the defense attempted to disassociate him from specific parts of the text.
Daniels' Trump Story Sells For Big Money
Let's jump ahead to 2015, when Trump had not yet announced his candidacy for the presidency.
Daniels claims that she has received numerous requests to share her story about the alleged sexual encounter. However, she feels unsure of how to handle these offers due to the danger she faced in a car park in Las Vegas, as revealed in our previous blog post.
In court, she shared that she gave her manager, Gina Rodriguez, permission to attempt to market her narrative.
