2 weeks ago
Former President Trump’s unprecedented proceedings successful Manhattan resumes for its 11th time connected Friday, erstwhile nan presiding judge could norm connected nan erstwhile president's remaining alleged gag bid violations, and nan tribunal is expected to perceive continued grounds from a machine forensics expert.
Trump is expected backmost successful tribunal astatine 9:30 a.m. Friday for nan last time of nan 3rd week of his trial.
Judge Juan Merchan held a proceeding Thursday greeting to see nan remaining alleged gag bid violations against Trump. The 45th president was fined $9,000 connected Tuesday for violating nan bid — which bans him from speaking publically astir witnesses and family members of tribunal officials — connected 9 abstracted occasions. The territory attorney's agency based on Trump violated nan gag bid connected 14 abstracted occasions.
Merchan did not present a ruling connected nan remaining alleged violations Thursday but could rumor a determination Friday. In his first gag bid ruling, Merchan warned that Trump could look jailhouse clip if location are "continued willful violations" of nan order.
Trump said he would entreaty nan gag bid during remarks aft nan proceedings adjourned Thursday evening.
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Former President Trump sits successful nan courtroom during his criminal proceedings successful New York City connected April 22, 2024. (Brendan McDermid/Pool Photo via AP)
During nan proceedings connected Thursday, nan assemblage heard continued grounds from Keith Davidson, an lawyer who represented erstwhile pornographic character Stormy Daniels and erstwhile Playboy exemplary Karen McDougal, arsenic good arsenic nan trial's seventh witness, Doug Daus, a machine forensics master pinch nan Manhattan District Attorney's Office.
Daus is expected to resume grounds Friday greeting nether cross-examination. The machine master testified connected Thursday astir nan "unusual" number of contacts connected erstwhile Trump lawyer Michael Cohen's cellphone, which totaled astir 40,000 contacts, and confirmed nan metadata for audio recordings connected Cohen's phone, astatine slightest of of which appeared to beryllium a speech betwixt Cohen and Trump.
The New York v. Trump case focuses connected Cohen paying Daniels $130,000 to allegedly quiet her claims of an alleged extramarital matter she had pinch Trump successful 2006. Trump has denied having an matter pinch Daniels.
Prosecutors allege that nan Trump Organization reimbursed Cohen and fraudulently logged nan payments arsenic ineligible expenses. Prosecutors are moving to beryllium that Trump falsified records pinch nan intent to perpetrate aliases conceal a 2nd crime, which is simply a felony.
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Davidson testified Thursday that nan $130,000 costs to Daniels was not a "payoff" aliases "hush money," arsenic it is often called successful nan media, but a "consideration" payment. Consideration is simply a ineligible word for what personification gives successful return for nan committedness to abide by a contract. In nan lawsuit of Daniels, money was fixed successful return to abide by nan contract.
Lawyer Keith Davidson, who represented erstwhile Playboy exemplary Karen McDougal, is cross-examined by defense lawyer Emil Bove successful this sketch from erstwhile President Trump's criminal proceedings successful New York City connected May 2, 2024. (Reuters/Jane Rosenberg)
Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass pressed Davidson astir a 2018 connection Daniels released denying immoderate matter pinch Trump, detailing that her interactions pinch nan erstwhile existent property mogul only included "a fewer nationalist appearances and thing more." Davidson prepared nan connection for Daniels.
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"I don’t judge that Stormy ever alleged that immoderate relationship pinch Trump was ‘romantic,‘" Davidson said Thursday, but he added that, to his understanding, Daniels had a intersexual brushwood pinch Trump.
Davidson’s grounds besides focused connected Cohen, who Davidson said became "despondent and saddened" pursuing nan 2016 election, allegedly lamenting he did not fastener down a White House occupation nether nan Trump administration.
Michael Cohen (Yuki Iwamura/Bloomberg via Getty Images/File)
"Can you f--ing judge I’m not going to Washington aft everything I’ve done for that guy? I can’t judge I’m not going to Washington … I’ve saved his a– …," Davidson recounted of a speech he had had pinch Cohen successful December 2016.
This sketch shows erstwhile President Trump watching arsenic lawyer Keith Davidson, who represented erstwhile Playboy exemplary Karen McDougal, is cross-examined by defense lawyer Emil Bove during Trump's criminal proceedings successful New York City connected May 2, 2024. (Reuters/Jane Rosenberg)
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Davidson testified that Cohen had been hoping to onshore a position arsenic White House main of unit aliases lawyer wide successful nan lead-up to Trump’s inauguration.
The lawyer's grounds Thursday stands successful opposition to Cohen’s remarks to Congress successful 2019.
Stormy Daniels (Phillip Faraone/Getty Images/File)
"Sir, I was highly proud to beryllium individual lawyer to nan president of nan United States of America. I did not want to spell to nan White House. I was offered jobs," Cohen told Republican Rep. Jim Jordan successful 2019 during a House Oversight Committee hearing.
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"I did not want to spell to nan White House," Cohen added later successful his grounds to Congress. "I retained, I brought an lawyer in, and I sat pinch Mr. Trump, pinch him for good complete an hour, explaining nan value of having a individual attorney, that each president has had 1 successful bid to grip matters for illustration nan matters I was dealing with."
Trump has pleaded not blameworthy to nan 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, and he has slammed nan lawsuit arsenic a "scam" promoted by nan Biden management and led by a "conflicted judge."
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Court proceedings connected Friday are expected to wrap up by 3:45 p.m., earlier than nan accustomed 4:30 p.m. extremity time, because a juror has an appointment.
Fox News Digital's Brianna Herlihy and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
