After taking jurors through the dark inner workings of the Donald Trump-allied tabloid National Enquirer, prosecutors in the New York hush-money trial against the former president are pursuing the money trail that runs through their indictment of Trump on criminal election conspiracy charges.
The scene outside the courthouse in Manhattan on Tuesday.
Sean Piccoli
A banker is scheduled to resume testimony today about a shell company that Michael Cohen, Trump’s then-personal attorney, set up to funnel $130,000 to adult film actor Stormy Daniels. Using the catch-and-kill principle perfected by last week’s key witness, former tabloid publisher David Pecker, Cohen in 2016 protected his boss from a potential October surprise by securing exclusive story rights to Daniels’ extramarital affair claim acquired a sexual encounter with Trump. Cohen pleaded guilty in a federal case related to the scheme and is expected to testify in the Manhattan case.
By compensating Cohen through a series of payments billed as legal fees, Trump violated New York’s federal business and campaign laws in an illegally coordinated secret attempt to keep Daniels out of the news, according to the district attorney’s indictment Manhattan. Trump denied having sex with Daniels and said he paid Cohen for routine legal work.
Jurors also heard Friday from Rhona Graff, a former Trump executive assistant who sometimes appeared on his hit reality show: The Apprentice. Graff testified that she had seen Daniels in the Trump Tower offices in New York on more than one occasion and had a “vague memory” of seeing her there a few days before President-elect Trump’s inauguration in January 2017, citing Trump’s interest in her as possible apprentice Candidate.
Outside the courthouse this morning, about two dozen people gathered in the park across the street – some to show their support for Trump in his rematch against President Joe Biden. One group raised a banner that read “Finish The Wall” and “Trump 24.” Others leaned against metal barricades, hoping to catch a glimpse of the defendant – although their view was likely blocked by an NYPD dump truck strategically parked off the narrow side street where Trump enters the courthouse.
Monday’s trial was grim, but there was still news. Cohen’s legal team announced a settlement with One America News Network, a right-wing media ally of Trump. OAN retracted a story alleging that Cohen had an affair with Daniels.