Trump trial: Former president 'innocent,' says defense as DA charges him with 'criminal conspiracy'

Defense attorneys connected Monday based on that erstwhile President Trump "is innocent," maintaining that he "had thing to do" pinch nan alleged hush money payments that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg argues he orchestrated.  

Opening statements were delivered successful nan historical and unprecedented criminal proceedings of nan erstwhile president connected Monday. 

Trump, the presumptive Republican statesmanlike nominee, has been charged by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg pinch 34 counts of falsifying business records successful nan first degree. The charges are related to alleged hush money payments made to big movie character Stormy Daniels up of nan 2016 statesmanlike election. 

Republican statesmanlike campaigner and erstwhile U.S. President Donald Trump sits successful nan courtroom arsenic his criminal proceedings complete charges that he falsified business records to conceal money paid to soundlessness porn prima Stormy Daniels successful 2016 continues, astatine Manhattan authorities tribunal successful New York City, U.S., April 22, 2024.  (REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/Pool)

Trump has pleaded not blameworthy to each counts. He has blasted nan proceedings arsenic axenic politics, a "political persecution" and maintains his innocence. The erstwhile president, and nan first ever to beryllium a suspect successful a criminal trial, vowed to "tell nan truth" if he takes nan stand. 

Defense lawyer Todd Blanche connected Monday said location was thing forbidden done, and based on that Trump was protecting himself against mendacious allegations. 

"Trump fought backmost to protect his family, reputation, brand," Blanche said. "And that is not a crime." 

"Those 3 men formed a conspiracy to power nan election," Colangelo argued.

Colangelo claimed Cohen paid big movie character Stormy Daniels $130,000 to "silence" her and make judge nan nationalist did not study of an alleged intersexual brushwood pinch Trump. Colangelo claimed that aft nan election, Trump reimbursed Cohen done a bid of monthly checks from his businesses but claimed that he disguised those payments arsenic payments for ineligible services. 

Colangelo alleged that Pecker, Cohen and Trump "conspired to power nan 2016 statesmanlike election," and said Pecker would stitchery harmful accusation and forestall it from going public. Colangelo alleged he only published flattering stories astir Trump and antagonistic stories astir opponents. 

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks during a property convention astatine nan Louis J. Lefkowitz State Office Building connected March 21, 2024 successful New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Colangelo claimed that nan men utilized a believe called "catch & kill," saying they bought damaging information, had nan seller of that accusation motion a non-disclosure agreement, and past blocked nan accusation from being published. 

Colangelo said nan believe was utilized 3 times — erstwhile to artifact a communicative a erstwhile Trump Tower doorman was trying to waste astir an alleged out-of-wedlock child. Colangelo said nan costs was $30,000. The doorman’s communicative was yet proven to beryllium untrue. 

The adjacent costs was to erstwhile Playboy exemplary Karen McDougal, who claimed a romanticist and intersexual narration pinch Trump. Colangelo alleged that Cohen asked AMI to bargain nan story. Colangelo said AMI paid McDougal $150,000 successful speech for "unlimited life rights" to her story. 

Colangelo besides alleged location was a costs made of $130,000 to big movie character Stormy Daniels. 

Michael Cohen, erstwhile individual lawyer to US President Donald Trump, extracurricular national tribunal successful New York, US, connected Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023.  (Yuki Iwamura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Colangelo said that erstwhile it came clip to salary Cohen back, Trump "didn’t discuss nan value down — he doubled it." Colangelo alleged that his "willingness to do this shows nan value of hiding nan payments" and alleged "overall predetermination conspiracy." 

Colangelo said nan payments were made successful a bid of $35,000 per period successful 2017. Colangelo alleged Cohen sent a "bogus" invoice for his ineligible work. 

Colangelo besides pointed to nan infamous "Access Hollywood" tape, which was revealed weeks earlier nan 2016 election.

"This lawsuit is astir an forbidden conspiracy to undermine a statesmanlike predetermination and nan steps Trump took to conceal predetermination fraud," Colangelo told jurors. "As you see nan evidence, usage communal sense, attraction connected facts, attraction connected evidence, perceive to testimony." 

He added: "After each grounds is in, we’ll speak to you again and explicate that grounds leads to only 1 conclusion — Donald Trump is blameworthy of 34 counts of falsifying business records successful nan first degree." 

"President Trump is innocent," Blanche said, arguing that nan erstwhile president built a large, successful institution anterior to his presidency. After being elected successful 2016, he "put up a wall betwixt him and his company." 

Blanche based on that immoderate of Trump’s labor continued to thief grounds individual expenses, and pointed to Cohen, who sent an invoice for $35,000 for ineligible work. 

Blanche said that invoice was processed and nan checks were signed, and said Trump was nan only signatory connected his individual account. 

Blanche based on that nan 34 counts "are really conscionable 34 pieces of paper," pointing to nan invoices Cohen sent to Trump Tower, nan checks and nan ledger entries. 

"None of this was a crime," Blanche said. "People opportunity that Trump is trying to screen up payments — think…President Trump did not salary Cohen backmost $130,000. He paid Cohen $420,000." 

Stormy Daniels sat down pinch Piers Morgan for an question and reply disposable connected Fox Nation (Fox News)

He added: "Would a frugal businessman repay a $130,000 indebtedness to nan tune of $420,000?" 

Blanche said that nan $35,000 "was not a payback." 

"Cohen was Trump’s individual attorney," Blanche said, noting that Cohen’s signature artifact was branded astatine nan clip "personal lawyer to President Trump." 

"There’s thing fancy astir a ledger account," Blanche said, adding that Trump "had thing to do pinch nan invoice, pinch nan cheque being generated, aliases pinch nan introduction connected nan ledger." 

"Trump had thing to do pinch nan 34 pieces of insubstantial — isolated from that he signed nan checks," Blanche argued. "The reality is Trump is not connected nan hook." 

"There is thing forbidden astir it," Blanche said, arguing that Daniels was attempting to effort to embarrass Trump pinch "all sorts of allegations" that could beryllium "damaging to him and damaging to his family." 

"Trump fought backmost to protect his family, reputation, brand," Blanche said. "And that is not a crime." 

As for Cohen’s allegations, Blanche said Cohen worked arsenic a individual lawyer to Trump, and erstwhile Trump was elected, wanted a occupation successful nan Trump administration.

Michael Cohen, left, and Donald Trump, right. (AP)

"He didn’t get one," Blanche said. "He was loyal for many, galore years and defended Trump. But he was besides a criminal. He cheated connected his taxes, lied to banks, lied astir broadside businesses and, successful 2018, he sewage caught." 

Cohen, successful 2018, pleaded blameworthy to run finance violations, making mendacious statements to Congress, making mendacious statements to Congress and taxation evasion. He was sentenced to 3 years successful prison.

"After getting caught, he made a determination to blasted President Trump for each of his problems," Blanche said, noting that Cohen was disbarred and is simply a "convicted felon" and a "convicted perjurer." 

"Cohen was obsessed pinch Trump," Blanche said. "He’s obsessed pinch President Trump, moreover to this day." 

Blanche added that Cohen goes connected societal media to rant astir Trump and talks astir his desire to spot nan erstwhile president spell to prison. 

"Last night, Cohen said he had a intelligence excitement astir this trial," Blanche said. "He cannot beryllium trusted." 

Blanche, again, pointed to Cohen’s blameworthy plea to lying nether oath. 

Playboy exemplary Karen McDougal, right. 

"You cannot make a superior determination astir President Trump relying connected Michael Cohen," Blanche said. 

As for Stormy Daniels, Blanche reminded that she "denied having an improper relationship" pinch Trump "in writing." 

"Weeks starring up to 2016, she saw her chance to make a batch of money, and it worked," Blanche said, adding that since her sanction became associated pinch Trump, she has made "hundreds of thousands of dollars." 

Blanche told nan assemblage that courts person sided pinch Trump successful ineligible disputes pinch Daniels. 

Blanche said Daniels "doesn’t cognize anything" astir nan charges, what Cohen wrote connected nan invoice, aliases astir nan checks. 

"Her testimony, while salacious, does not matter," Blanche said. 

"President Trump is not charged pinch immoderate conspiracy," Blanche continued. "There is thing forbidden astir what happened. This benignant of point happens regularly." 

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Blanche went connected to reason that it "is not a strategy unless a strategy intends thing that doesn’t matter." 

"Listen to nan information to waste magazines, if it lines up pinch ‘catch & kill.’ Listen to nan evidence, nan grounds of Cohen, whether it rings true," Blanche said. "Listen to nan folks who still activity astatine Trump Tower, whether that has thing to do pinch AMI, drawback & kill."

He added: "You’ll scope nan conclusion it does not."