3 weeks ago
Donald Trump’s hush money trial was backmost successful action yesterday, and location was news correct retired of nan box.
Judge Juan Merchan, to perfectly nary one’s surprise, ruled that Trump had violated his gag bid – and fined him $9,000.
Now that’s conscionable pouch alteration for him, but nan larger constituent is that Merchan ruled against nan erstwhile president connected 9 of nan 10 accusations, a 1000 bucks a pop. The bid barred him from attacking witnesses, but Trump has many times said it’s unfair and unconstitutional to support him, arsenic a statesmanlike nominee, from speaking retired and responding to attacks from nan likes of Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels.
COLUMBIA PROTESTORS OCCUPY BUILDING AS TRUMP BLAMES BIDEN FOR ANTISEMITIC DEMONSTRATIONS
The judge had castigated Trump for breaching nan gag bid during oral arguments, and scolded his lawyer Todd Blanche for "losing each credibility" successful defending his client. So it didn’t return a soothsayer to divine really he would rule.
Merchan ordered Trump to region nan offending posts, and said he would beryllium taxable to further fines and perchance incarceration (which is up to 30 days). No measurement I spot that happening, moreover if Trump punched a witnesser successful nan nose. That would origin a surge successful nationalist sympathy, moreover among immoderate Trump critics, and give nan suspect thing to return to nan appeals tribunal successful arguing that nan judge was blatantly biased against him.
The first witness, Gary Farro, Cohen’s erstwhile banker, delivered grounds that was very damaging to Trump’s fixer. It’s judge to beryllium cited erstwhile Cohen, a disbarred lawyer who has served situation time, takes nan stand.
But Michael Cohen isn’t connected trial. Donald Trump is. And nary of nan grounds sewage to nan cardinal allegation–which Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg has stretched into a felony–that Trump falsified disbursal records to reimburse Cohen.
Farro said he had nary denotation that nan relationship Cohen was establishing – pinch $131,000 from his location equity statement – was related to a governmental candidate. That, he said, mightiness person required further scrutiny.
Nor did Farro cognize nan relationship was related to personification successful nan big movie business. "It is not an manufacture we do activity with," he said.
In Former President Donald Trump's criminal hush-money proceedings successful nan authorities of New York, nan names Michael Avenatti and Michael Cohen are often heard successful nan courtroom.
Next, Cohen created an relationship nether Essential Consultants, and transferred it to an relationship that lawyer Keith Davidson maintained for Stormy Daniels. Cohen, he said, listed it arsenic "retainer," an evident falsehood.
If he had known, Davidson said erstwhile he took nan stand, that this was a ammunition institution and not an operating business, he would not person approved it.
Davidson besides represented Karen McDougal, nan Playboy playmate, and what followed seemed to belie her later proclamation that she didn’t want to beryllium "the adjacent Monica Lewinsky." She told him her 10-month narration pinch Trump was "sexual successful nature" (which he denies).
Davidson started shopping her story.
He texted Enquirer Editor Dylan Howard successful June 2016: "I person a blockbuster Trump story."
And: "Did he cheat connected Melania?"
Davidson was besides pitching McDougal to ABC.
He arranged a gathering pinch David Pecker’s American Media Inc., but nan institution declined, citing a deficiency of evidence.
Later on, though, Davidson offered an AMI woody that would salary McDougal for fittingness columns. "She did not want to show her story," nan lawyer testified. "She liked nan AMI deal, which wouldn’t unit her to do that." Yep, we now cognize why.
Davidson asked for an first million-dollar payment. Howard cautioned it would beryllium much hundreds than millions.
A mates of clips were played, 1 from nan E. Jean Carroll deposition and 1 from a North Carolina rally, weeks earlier nan election, successful which Trump said: "I’m being viciously attacked pinch lies and smears. It’s a phony deal. I person nary thought who these women are."
Former President Donald Trump leaves Trump Tower connected his measurement to Manhattan criminal court, Monday, April 15, 2024, successful New York. The hush money proceedings of erstwhile President Donald Trump originates Monday pinch assemblage selection. It's a singular infinitesimal for American history arsenic nan first criminal proceedings of a erstwhile U.S. commandant successful chief. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
In nan AMI deal, McDougal was granted authorities to an "affair pinch a joined man," who Davidson testified pinch Trump.
They yet sewage to Stormy Daniels, whose head told Davidson that "some naughty called maine and was very, very aggressive." It was Cohen.
Davidson said his telephone to Cohen was met pinch "a dispute barrage of insults, insinuations and allegations… He was conscionable screaming."
When nan "Access Hollywood" portion came out, location was a "crescendo" of liking successful nan Stormy story, said Davidson. His ain position of nan candidacy: "Trump is F***ed."
"Final nail successful nan coffin," said Howard.
Davidson testified that he was handed disconnected to Cohen erstwhile again, pinch Dylan Howard "washing his hands of nan deal.
Former President Donald Trump attends nan first time of his criminal trial, astatine Manhattan Criminal Court successful New York City connected April 15, 2024. (Angela Weiss/AFP via AP Pool)
"The civilized of nan communicative is cipher wanted to talk to Cohen," Davidson said. But nan $130,000 woody yet sewage done erstwhile Cohen said he’d salary nan money himself.
And yet it wasn’t a blockbuster day. One pet peeve: Since we’re each limited connected reporters’ feeds from wrong nan courtroom, aft nan networks spell to break, they jump up to what’s happening astatine that infinitesimal and you miss what you missed. At 1 point, CNN sewage saturated and switched to constabulary and protestors confronting each different astatine nan University of North Carolina astatine Chapel Hill–though thing was happening isolated from a standoff. Fox switched to Columbia anti-Israel demonstrators continuing to inhabit a building.
At nan trial, location were method witnesses for illustration nan C-SPAN archive head and a tribunal newsman official. This was truthful dull that I would person fallen dormant faster than Trump could adjacent his eyes.
Sure, these are building blocks, but you’d deliberation nan Bragg prosecutors would want to support nan momentum from nan damaging grounds past week of David Pecker, nan Enquirer’s erstwhile publisher.
But it bears repeating: Pecker (who has immunity) isn’t connected trial. McDougal isn’t connected trial. Stormy isn’t connected trial.
Footnote: One personification is kinda, sorta connected trial, pinch his celebrated client, Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan report.
Trump has "griped" that his lead lawyer Todd Blanche has been "insufficiently aggressive" and wants him to "attack witnesses, onslaught what nan erstwhile president sees arsenic a dispute assemblage pool, and onslaught nan judge." He’s besides complained astir precocious ineligible fees.
They constitute successful the New York Times that Trump views himself arsenic his ain champion ineligible strategist and casts astir for attorneys who will do what he wants, specified arsenic title nan 2020 election. He has told associates he needs "a Roy Cohn," who represented him early successful his profession and was many times indicted and later disbarred.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Trump run spokesperson Jason Miller said their squad was "focused wholly connected fighting a ‘ridiculous’ lawsuit and that ‘anonymous comments from group who aren’t successful nan room are conscionable that…I would beryllium highly skeptical of immoderate rumors aliases hearsay surrounding this case."
Howard Kurtz is nan big of FOX News Channel's MediaBuzz (Sundays 11 a.m.-12 p.m. ET). Based successful Washington, D.C., he joined nan web successful July 2013 and regularly appears connected Special Report pinch Bret Baier and different programs.
