Former President Donald Trump’s “hush money” trial continues in New York on May 9.
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Trump: ‘I’m Innocent’
President Trump left the courtroom the end of the day telling reporters the judge was “corrupt.”
He said he didn’t think he needed to do any explaining of that statement, was “not allowed to anyway.”
“He’s a corrupt judge. This judge what he did, or what his ruling was is a disgrace,” he said, likely referring to Justice Merchan’s denying two motions after testimony ended for the day.
“And I gotta get back to the campaign trail. I’m not supposed to be here. We are so innocent,” he said. “I’m innocent, and I’m being held in this court with a corrupt judge who’s totally conflicted.”
Reporters asked several questions about Ms. Clifford and her testimony, which President Trump is prohibited from commenting on due to the gag order.
Judge Denies Motion for Mistrial
Justice Merchan noted that Mr. Blanche denied there was a sexual encounter in the opening statement, thus the jury did not know whom to believe unless testimony addressed this question. He supported the prosecutors’ choices in eliciting testimony.
The judge also said that the defense had not objected to the “trailer park” comment and he struck it from the record himself. He added that he did not understand why Ms. Necheles did not object to the condom question and answer.
Justice Merchan denied the defense’s motion for a mistrial.
Defense Argues for Mistrial
Mr. Blanche then argued for a mistrial after the judge rejected a motion to amend the gag order.
He said there was “a whole host of questions that got way beyond what happened” in a case about business records, such as “Ms. Daniels having a hard time growing up” and a “spanking” anecdote she told.
“This is extremely prejudicial testimony… There was a question asked about what the inside of a bathroom looked like … ‘what was your reaction to seeing him like that?’”
Mr. Blanche cited Ms. Clifford’s testimony where she noted the height difference and how there was an “imbalance of power,” and pointed to the prosecutor’s line of questioning.
“The People didn’t stop there. They asked if she remembered how her clothes came off,” Mr. Blanche said. “We didn’t know these questions were coming.”
Justice Merchan said some of the objections the defense made during this testimony were sustained.
Mr. Blanche cited a question prosecutors asked about wearing a condom.
“That has nothing to do with business records, that is so prejudicial, it’a a dog whistle for rape,” he said.
Prosecuting attorney Joshua Steinglass argued that there is no change of story, as many of these details came out in Ms. Clifford’s interview with Anderson Cooper.
Mr. Steinglass added that they did not give Ms. Clifford a chance to explain the “spanking” incident, because Ms. Necheles would have tried to use it to discredit her during cross-examination, to suggest that Ms. Clifford made things sexual before the bedroom incident.
Judge Says Trump Can’t Comment on Stormy Daniels Testimony
Justice Merchan said he did not see any new set of facts of new theory in the case to change his order.
“My concerns is not just protecting Ms. Daniels,” he said. “My concern is with protecting the integrity of the proceedings as a whole.”
The judge defended his gag order.
“Your client’s track record speaks for itself,” he said, denying the motion for alteration of the gag order.
Defense Asks Judge’s Permission for Trump to Comment on Stormy Daniels Testimony
After court adjourned, Mr. Blanche raised issues with the judge.
He said that the government has disclosed to him they no longer plan to call Karen McDougal as a witness.
He also asked the judge’s permission for President Trump to comment publicly on what Ms. Clifford has said in court the last two days of trial, as her testimony has concluded.
Mr. Blanche argued there has been wide coverage of “this new false allegation” from Ms. Clifford’s testimony, one dealing with a very different issue from a story that has been around since 2006.
“He’s going to be asked repeatedly over the next week or two about this new allegation around consent,” Mr. Blanche said of President Trump.
He argued that there will be political shows and articles taking up the new allegation from Ms. Clifford that the encounter was not consensual.
Mr. Blanche asked the judge to remove the gag order.
Prosecutors say the order was issued to protect citizens serving as jurors. They argued that responses to these allegations can happen in court, and that President Trump has defenders outside of court.
Prosecuting attorney Christopher Conroy accused President Trump of repeatedly violating the gag order “selfishly” and said there were “very real consequences for witnesses when they express fear in court.”
He cited a “barrage of threats” that show the gag order is warranted, and said the D.C. appeals court decision supported a gag order on ground of how threats can undermine judicial proceedings.
“Modifying the gag order now to allow the defendant to attack the gag order would seriously undermine the integrity of these proceedings,” he argued.
Mr. Blanche rebutted, citing Ms. Clifford’s testimony where she highlighted the fear she said she felt. She said “at first I was just startled. Jump scare. Then I felt the room spin … I just think I blacked out.”
Trump Leaves Without Comment After Day of Emotional Testimony
In an unusual move, President Trump left the courtroom without any comment after court adjourned for the day. He held his fist up as reporters shouted questions but did not give any remarks.
Westerhout Cross-Examined
Ms. Westerhout confirmed that when she began working to help with the transition into office, she still did not really know Donald Trump.
She affirmed that the Access Hollywood tape rattled the RNC but that Mr. Trump kept working toward the presidency.
“And, so, the Access Hollywood tape belw over in a couple of days, right?” Ms. Necheles asked.
“Yes,” Ms. Westerhout said.
She affirmed this transition period was a “busy and hectic” time. Ms. Westerhout had been nicknamed “greeter girl” in the press as she welcomed and escorted people coming to Trump Tower for cabinet position interviews. She scheduled as many as three interviews a day, as hundreds of positions needed filling, but was not involved in the vetting process.
“These people were coming in for the most important interview of their lives,” Ms. Westerhout said.
Ms. Necheles asked about her job after moving to the White House.
“That was the first time you were really working closely with President Trump, and what was that like?” Ms. Necheles asked.
“It was amazing. I really hadn’t spent any time with him, but I don’t know if anybody should really feel like they deserve to be in the West Wing, but he never made me feel like I didn’t belong there. Especially in an office filled with older men,” she said. “I just found him very enjoyable to work for.”
Ms. Necheles asked what she observed about the president’s relationship with his wife.
“Sometimes I would look down at my phone, knew if the red line was on he was on the phone. There were times I could kind of figure out he was on the phone with Mrs. Trump. He would say ‘come to the window’ and they would kind of wave at each other. He just wanted to say hi and check in,” Ms. Westerhout said.
Court adjourned for the day.
Westerhout Testifies About Book
Ms. Westerhout wrote a memoir titled “Off the Record” after she lost her White House position. Attorneys showed the cover in court.
She continued her testimony while audibly crying.
“I wrote the book to process what I had just been through, but I also wanted to document for myself and my family the incredible experience I had working in the White House,” she said.
Westerhout Testifies About Stormy Daniels Story
“Now focusing on early 2018, do you remember a story coming out about Trump and a woman named Stormy Daniels?” Ms. Hoffinger asked.
“Yes, I remember he was very upset by it,” she said. She affirmed she believed President Trump and Mr. Cohen had spoke around that time.
Ms. Hoffinger asked about President Trump’s relationship with his wife.
“I found their relationship one of mutual respect. He cares about her opinion. I just remember thinking that their relationship was really special. They laughed a lot when she came into the Oval Office, and once in a while she asked me to call and say he was running late, just like in any marriage,” she said.
She continued to describe a 2019 White House dinner, then began to cry.
“In August 2019 I was invited by a White House colleague of mine to what I understood to be an off the record dinner. I got the dinner, I said some things I should not have said. That mistake ultimately cost me my job. I regret my indiscretion but I feel I learned a lot,” she said before she stopped, crying.
“Sorry, do we need a minute?” Ms. Hoffinger asked.
“I’m OK,” Ms. Westerhout said, continuing her testimony while crying.
Prosecutors Establish Contact Between Cohen, Pecker, Weisselberg With Trump in White House
Ms. Westerhout confirmed that she was more likely to patch a call through to the president if it came from someone on the list provided by Ms. Graff.
“Was it your understanding that Mr. Cohen and President Trump had a close relationship in 2017?” Ms. Hoffinger asked.
“At that time, yes,” Ms. Westerhout said.
Attorneys showed an email Ms. Westerhout sent to Mr. Cohen, requesting his personal information so he could attend a meeting.
In another communication, Ms. Westerhout texted Ms. Hicks, “Hey – the president wants to know if you called David pecker again?”
She confirmed she knew that Mr. Weisselberg had “worked for the president for a very long time.” An email from Ms. Westerhour to Ms. Graff was admitted, reading “Can you please send this to alan weisselberg from the president?”
Ms. Westerhout said checks for the president to sign originally went to Mr. Schiller, but later they went through her.
“A manilla folder with a stack of checks,” she said. She would bring them to the president to sign. “I didn’t really dig around the folder, but I believe there were invoices attached to the checks sometimes.”
She said the frequency of receiving checks to sign was “consistent, maybe twice a month.”
She said to her knowledge, she saw him sign the checks by hand, and did not recall any instances where he didn’t sign all the checks brought to him in a folder.
Attorneys showed communications between Ms. Westerhout and Ms. Graff about expenses for golf clubs and photo frames.
Westerhout: Graff Put Together Contact Shortlist
Ms. Westerhout confirmed that Trump Organization employees sometimes had questions for her and sometimes had questions for the president that she was asked to pass along.
“When I got to the White House, I naively assumed that the operators had everybody’s phone number, and that was not the case. So the president would often ask, call John Smith, call so and so, and I didn’t have their phone numbers,” she said. “So four days in, I asked Rhona to put together a list of people he called often, I thought that would be helpful.”
Attorneys showed an email exchange about this.
David Pecker was listed on row 41. “At the time I knew him as just a tabloid person,” Ms. Westerhout said.
Michael Cohen was listed on row 13.
“I believe I entered all of these contacts into my contacts,” she said.
Westerhout Details Twitter Post Procedure
Ms. Hoffinger asked about the @realdonaldtrump Twitter account. Ms. Westerhout said she knew that the president and his aide Dan Scavino had access to it.
“I didn’t see Dan or the president post every single tweet,” she said. “If there was a video recap of an event or something, it might have gone out without the president’s approval, but it was my understanding that the president liked to see tweets before they went out.”
“Once in a while if Dan wasn’t around, the president would dictate a tweet to me, and I would quickly scribble it and sometimes print it back out so he could look at it,” she said.
Ms. Hoffinger asked, “but would he edit the hard copy printout?”
“Sometimes,” Ms. Westerhout said. “My recollection is that there were certain words he liked to capitalize, words like ‘country’ and he liked to use exclamation points.”
“It’s my understanding that he liked to use the Oxford comma,” she said.
Westerhout: Trump Signed With Sharpies
Ms. Hoffinger asked whether the president used an automated signature or preferred to sign things himself.
“He preferred to sign himself,” Ms. Westerhout said. “My recollection is that he preferred to use Sharpies or a felt tip pen.”
Westerhout Describes Trump Communication Habits
She affirmed she was familiar with the way he interacted with others in the White House, with his family, and on social media.
“He liked speaking to people in person or on the phone. He took calls as early as six in the morning,” she said.
She described different ways callers would be connected to the president, such as through her desk phone versus on a secure line. Calls typically went to Ms. Westerhout after screening before they went to the president.
“Did Mr. Trump have a computer?” Ms. Hoffinger asked.
“Not to my knowledge,” Ms. Westerhout said. She said similarly about and email account.
“After a few weeks he kind of moved his space to a room known as the dining room,” she said. “I remember wanting to keep the Resolute desk just very pristine and ready for meetings.”
“Were the hard copy documents that he liked to read kept in the dining room?” Ms. Hoffinger asked.
“Yes,” Ms. Westerhout said. “He knew where things were and he kept things organized, but he did have a lot of papers … brought to his residence or on Air Force One.”
Westerhout Testifies About White House Job
Ms. Westerhout confirmed she was offered a job at the White House.
“My boss at the time came to me and said do you have any interest in sitting outside the Oval Office,” she said.
“I said yes, I do, that sounds like a very cool job,” she said. “I really didn’t care what my title was.”
“After the inauguration, I went to a government building across the street from the White House. I went through security, and then we were taken to the West Wing, kind of shown around a little bit, and then I was taken to my desk, which was right outside the Oval Office,” she said.
Attorneys showed a floorplan of the West Wing, and Ms. Westerhout pointed out where her desk was.
She said others sat in the same area: Hope Hicks, the president’s communications director; and aides John McEntee and Keith Schiller.
At the time, Ms. Westerhout was special assistant to the president and executive assistant to the president.
She worked in the White House two and a half years, ending August 2019.
Madeleine Westerhout Testifies About Access Hollywood Tape
Madeleine Westerhout, former Director of Oval Office Operations, took the witness stand.
She outlined her background, including a role at the Republican National Committee.
Ms. Westerhout affirmed that she became aware of what was known as the Access Hollywood tape in 2016.
“At the time I recall it rattling RNC leadership,” she said. “It’s my recollection that there were conversations about how to, how it would be possible to replace him as a candidate if it came to that.”
“After Mr. Trump was elected, I went and spent some time in New York, working out of Trump Tower,” she said.
“Once the party has a nominee, that campaign and the RNC really combine forces and work together seamlessly. So I worked in Trump Tower and helped schedule interviews with people who were being considered for cabinet-level positions,” she said.
Ms. Westerhout said Rhona Graff was “integral” to helping the RNC schedule interviews with Mr. Trump.
Publisher Testifies About Trump Book
Kristin Menzies with Harper Collins took the witness stand. She has been with the publishing company for 25 years and is the senior vice president of production and creative operations.
The company distributed the book “Think Big: Make It Happen in Business and Life” by Donald J. Trump and Bill Zanker.
Ms. Menzies testified that the sections in serif font are written by Donald Trump and the sections not in serif font are by Bill Zanker.
She read several excerpts from the book:
“I used to say, ‘Go out and get the best people, and trust them.’ Over the years I have seen too many shenanigans, and now I say, ‘Get the best people and don’t trust them.’”
“As a matter of fact, I value loyalty above everything else.”
“My motto is: Always get even. When somebody screws you, screw them back in spades.”
Defense attorney questioned Ms. Menzies, who confirmed it was possible that both authors had help from other writers, such as ghostwriter Meredith McIver, whom Donald Trump thanked in the acknowledgements.
Trump Organization Bookkeeper Testifies
Rebecca Manochio, a junior bookkeeper who has worked at The Trump Organization for 11 years, took the witness stand. In 2021 her role changed to executive assistant.
She sat outside former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weiselberg’s office.
“I did not pay bills. I put checks with their backup together and gave them to Mr. Weisselberg to sign,” Ms. Manochio said.
She said Deb Tarasoff in accounts payable cut the checks that President Trump would sign.
Ms. Manochio testified about the process by which checks were mailed to Washington for President Trump to sign, what would happen if a signed check was not mailed back.
She read emails regarding the end of Mr. Schiller’s employment.
After a lunch break, Ms. Manochio testified that Mr. Weisselberg spoke to President Trump about once a day, but not during the 2016 campaign.
She confirmed she did not know the reason for Mr. Schiller’s leaving.
Attorneys Draw Parallels Between Trump, Clifford Posts
Prosecutors questioned Ms. Clifford about the social media posts, eliciting testimony that they were largely in response to other social media users criticizing her with foul language.
“I was defending myself,” Ms. Clifford said.
Prosecutors showed President Trump’s Truth Social post that read, “IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I’M COMING AFTER YOU,” tying them to a lawsuit he filed in Florida over the money Ms. Clifford owes him.
Defense attorneys also equated this post with what Ms. Clifford was also doing on social media.
“That’s what you’ve been doing consistently, right?” Ms. Necheles said.
“Replying on Twitter or paying my bills? When someone attacks me I’m going to defend myself,” Ms. Clifford said.
The judge called for the next witness.
Clifford Unclear About Charges
Ms. Clifford affirmed that she was not in contact with President Trump about the non-disclosure agreement she signed wherein she was paid $100,000 for her story.
“You understand that in this case, President Trump is charged with how the payment is listed,” Ms. Necheles said. “Even though you tweeted and celebrated about his indictment, you don’t know what he’s indicted for?”
“There’s a lot of indictments,” Ms. Clifford said.
The defense moved to strike that from the record and the judge overruled.
Clifford Says She Gave ‘Too Many Details’ to Magazine Reporters
After a break, Ms. Necheles continued to question Ms. Clifford about details she shared in previous interviews about the encounter versus ones she shared in the testimony this week.
Ms. Clifford described the layout of the hotel suite and the distance between the bedroom and front door.
“Is your testimony that one of the things that went through your mind about why you couldn’t just leave was that Keith Schiller was outside the hotel suite?” Ms. Necheles said, referring to President Trump’s bodyguard.
“Absolutely. I would have had to pass to the elevator and wait for the elevator beside a very large man,” Ms. Clifford said.
“Do you recall saying ‘if I had taken off running, there’s no way he could have caught me’?” Ms. Necheles said.
“Vogue is an entertainment magazine and a fashion magazine. Sometimes I give too many details,” Ms. Clifford said.
Defense Says Inconsistencies in Clifford Interview, Testimony
Ms. Necheles said that Ms. Clifford said in her 2011 interview that Donald Trump himself asked her to dinner, whereas she testified that it was his bodyguard who invited her. Ms. Clifford pushed back saying that a “his handler speaking on his behalf is the same.”
“It’s an entertainment magazine, it is an abbreviated, entertainment version of the event,” Ms. Clifford said.
Ms. Necheles also noted that Ms. Clifford said multiple times in her testimony that she never actually ate dinner after she went to see Mr. Trump, and that was a “big point,” but she said the opposite in her 2011 interview.
“I remember ordering, or asking to order,” Ms. Clifford said. “I maintain that I didn’t see any dinner … I definitely would have mentioned when I ate. In all these interview, I would have talked about the food.”
“Do you recall that during that Anderson Cooper interview, you again said you had dinner?” Ms. Necheles said.
“Where’s the rest of the conversation? I went up to his room to have dinner, yes. I maintain in every interview that we never actually got to have food,” Ms. Clifford said.
Ms. Necheles read from the interview, “We ended up having dinner in the room. I cannot remember what we ordered … I had dinner with him, but I can’t remember what we had.”
Ms. Clifford argued she was saying they had “dinner time in the room.”
Ms. Necheles also pointed out inconsistencies in what Ms. Clifford described after she came out of the bathroom and the sexual encounter during testimony versus earlier interviews. Several details, such as what Mr. Trump said to her, were different. Ms. Clifford said there were “parts in the middle that I didn’t remember.”
“You made all this up, right?” Ms. Necheles asked.
“No,” Ms. Clifford said.
Ms. Necheles asked Ms. Clifford to affirm that in her 2018 Slate interview she had told the reporter that she was not a victim and the worst thing Mr. Trump did was break promises he never would have fulfilled.
“And nothing about a power imbalance or you were scared,” Ms. Necheles said. “You didn’t say anything about feeling faint in there when this happened, right?”
Ms. Clifford chalked it up to the question asked in the interview.
“No, because the question was what Mr. Trump did. The worst thing he did was lie in that moment,” Ms. Clifford said.
“In 2018 there was nothing he did that made you feel like you had to have sex with him,” Ms. Necheles said. “But on Tuesday you said he made nasty comments and stood over you.”
“My own insecurities made me feel that way,” Ms. Clifford said. “I maintain that I was not physically threatened or drugged.”
Ms. Necheles also elicited testimony of Ms. Clifford having a second conversation with Mr. Trump and that she believed he really wanted to put her on the Celebrity Apprentice. She had told Jimmy Kimmel that President Trump believed it would be great for ratings.
“You asked also for tickets to the beauty pageant,” Ms. Necheles said.
“My assistant did, yes,” Ms. Clifford said.
The court took a break.
Defense Scrutinizes Witness Credibility
Ms. Clifford confirmed that she has acted in some 200 adult films and written and directed some 150 adult films, and Ms. Necheles asked whether she had a lot of experience making up stories, including the story about President Trump.
“If that story was untrue, I would have written it a lot better,” Ms. Clifford said.
Ms. Necheles pointed to Ms. Clifford’s testimony earlier this week when she gave extensive detail about the foyer of Mr. Trump’s hotel suite. The prosecuting attorney had asked if she noticed anything about the floor, and Ms. Clifford mentioned symmetrical black and white tiling.
“Had that been part of your prep?” Ms. Necheles asked.
“There’s nothing wrong with preparing a witness, I would hope any attorney would do that,” Ms. Clfiford said.
“You prepared with a prosecutor that you would try to match things with your book, so that you would appear more credible,” Ms. Necheles said.
Clifford Pushed Merch After Trump Indictment
“When President Trump was indicted on this case, you celebrated on Twitter by repeatedly tweeting and pushing merch you were selling in your store, right?” Ms. Necheles asked.
“I tweeted about his being indicted, yes,” Ms. Clifford said.
Some of the posts were shown in court.
“Thank you to everyone for your support and love. I have so many messages coming in that I can’t respond…also don’t want to spill my champagne,” read one from March 30, 2023.
“You’re celebrating the indictment by selling things from your store,” Ms. Necheles said.
“Not unlike Mr. Trump,” Ms. Clifford said.
Clifford Testifies About ‘Stormy’ Documentary
Ms. Clifford confirmed she received $100,000 as part of the payment she was owed for an NBC documentary about her.
“They paid me $100,000 for back footage,” she said.
“And you’ve been hosting viewing parties at bars, and selling tickets,” Ms. Necheles said.
“It’s all part of promotions for the film,” Ms. Clifford said.
“You have become a hero at those parties to Trump haters, right? Didn’t you say people come up and put so much on me,” Ms. Necheles said.
Ms. Clifford said she said that about women at strip clubs during her tour, not about the documentary promotion.
“But you are continuing to this day to make money from selling a story that you promised would put President Trump in jail, right?” Ms. Necheles asked.
“No,” Ms. Clifford, arguing over the use of the word “instrumental.” The defense showed a tweet by Ms. Clifford that read “Exactly! Making me the best person to flush the orange turd down.”
Defense Questions Clifford Over How Much She Made Via Trump Story
Ms. Necheles walked Ms. Clifford through the non-disclosure agreement she signed, and she affirmed she signed it understanding the terms.
Ms. Clifford also confirmed she signed the 2018 statement denying a relationship, adding that “I did not write it.”
“There was no election in 2018. He was already president. But you understand he was concerned about his family, and you understood also that President Trump as a brand, right?” Ms. Necheles asked.
“Yes,” Ms. Clifford said.
“And you understood that he’s concerned about protecting his brand, right?” Ms. Necheles said.
“I wouldn’t know what he wants to protect,” Ms. Clifford said.
“So, now, even though you had agreed that you would not discuss this supposed story, and you had received a lot of money for that agreement, you then decided you wanted to publicly say that you had sex with President Trump, right?”
“No, I wanted to publicly defend myself,” Ms. Clifford said.
“But you wanted to make more money,” Ms. Necheles said.
“No, that’s why I decided to do 60 Minutes for free,” Ms. Clifford said.
“But the interview generated a ton of publicity for you?” Ms. Necheles said.
“A ton of bad publicity,” Ms. Clifford said.
“Michael Avenatti was helping you get all this publicity, right?” Ms. Necheles asked.
“No, he arranged for me to go on CNN. Everything else he took for himself,” Ms. Clifford said.
“After Anderson Cooper you were able to negotiate a book contract, and it was for $800,000,” Ms. Nechelesa said. “And that was in addition to the $130,000 that you had been paid previously.”
“I didn’t receive the $800,000,” Ms. Clifford argued.
“You believed [the sex story] was the reason people would buy your book?” Ms. Necheles asked.
“Sadly, that’s what I thought a lot of people would turn to first,” Ms. Clifford said.
Ms. Necheles said Ms. Clifford further capitalized on the story by doing a strip tour after she had written the book, and Ms. Clifford argued those were mostly clubs she had already been to. Ms. Clifford said that the marketing that played on President Trump’s image and campaign had nothing to do with her.
“Never used that title, I hated it,” she said.
Ms. Necheles referred to statements Ms. Clifford made that the audience during that tour included women who were angry. Ms. Necheles said “the climate of clubs had changed, but I was not selling myself to a certain demographic.”
Clifford Furious Over Payment Delay
Ms. Clifford confirmed she was “furious” when Mr. Cohen failed to pay the money he agreed to.
“And didn’t you scream at your lawyer Keith Davidson and call him … and say that if it didn’t come out before the election, your story would be worthless?” Ms. Necheles said.
Ms. Clifford asked to review the transcript.
After a technical mishap, the court played testimony from Mr. Davidson saying that someone was screaming and cursing at him to come out with the story.
“Do you recall, now, that you made those statements?” Ms. Necheles asked.
“No, I do not, actually. I never yelled at Keith Davidson on the phone. This says that Gina Rodriguez’s boyfriend was going to yell and scream,” Ms. Clifford said.
Clifford: ‘Everyone Wanted to Publish the Story’
Ms. Clifford confirmed that in 2016, while her attorney was negotiating the non-disclosure agreement, she was also talking to a reporter from Slate.
“He was my backup in case the NDA fell through and we ran out of time,” Ms. Clifford said. “Everyone wanted to publish the story. I could have had anybody publish the story.”
“But they weren’t willing to give you money, right?” Ms. Necheles asked.
“No,” Ms. Clifford said.
She said she did not remember saying that she should have come forward anyway even if Slate didn’t pay for sources. She also said she did not remember saying that one of her motives was anger for the candidate’s opposition to abortion and gay marriage.
“You were threatening that you would try to hurt President Trump politically if he didn’t give you money for this story,” Ms. Necheles claimed.
“False,” Ms. Clifford said.
Clifford Says She Wanted Press Conference, Not NDA
Ms. Clifford pushed back on the idea that she willingly entered a non-disclosure agreement, and said she ultimately believed it was the safer decision.
“I was asking to sell my story to a publication, to get the truth out,” Ms. Clifford testified.
“But you entered into a negotiation over an NDA, right?” Ms. Necheles asked.
“My attorneys did, yes,” Ms. Clifford said.
“And that was your choice, right?” Ms. Necheles asked.
“Not necessarily, I wanted to do a press conference,” Ms. Clifford said.
“Then why didn’t you do that?” Ms. Necheles asked.
“Because we were running out of time,” Ms. Clifford said.
“You were running out of time to get money?” Ms. Necheles asked.
“I chose to be safe,” Ms. Clifford said.
“You chose to make money, right?” Ms. Necheles asked.
“I chose to take the NDA,” Ms. Clifford said.
Clifford Back on Witness Stand
Ms. Necheles began by addressing a E Online interview Ms. Clifford gave in 2011, prompting immediate objections. The parties conferred with the judge, who sustained the objection.
“At this point, you wanted money from President Trump,” Ms. Necheles said.
“No, I never asked for money from President Trump,” Ms. Clifford said. “I never asked for money from anyone in particular. I asked for money to tell my story.”
Prosecution Object to Introducing Clifford Arrest Record
Defense attorneys sought to introduce Stephanie Clifford’s (Stormy Daniels) arrest record and prosecutors objected.
“Your honor, her then-husband accused her of assaulting him,” said defense attorney Susan Necheles.
“Your honor, it has nothing to do with credibility,” said prosecuting attorney Rebecca Mangold.
Justice Merchan said anyone could be arrested, so it doesn’t prove anything.
“It didn’t result in a conviction, it’s not probative,” he said.
Photography No Longer Allowed in Courtroom
Justice Merchan is no longer allowing photographers in the courtroom.
“It’s not happening today,” court clerk Al Baker told pool reporters.
Trump Appeals Gag Order
President Trump announced that the defense filed a new motion in the appellate division about the gag order.
“I’m not allowed to talk to you about anything meaningful in the case, many good things are coming in the case,” he said.
He read from legal commentary, attacking the charges in the crime and not referencing any witnesses.
“They’re not for me, they’re for justice,” President Trump added.
Trump Criticizes Biden Comment on Israel
President Trump greeted the press this morning and started off by criticizing President Joe Biden’s recent statement about potentially withholding weapons from Israel.
“If any Jewish person voted for Biden they should be ashamed of themselves,” he said. “Totally abandoned Israel, nobody can believe it.”
Long Lines for Cross-Examination
The pending cross-examination of Stormy Daniels in the criminal trial of Donald J. Trump draws international attention and fosters fervent anticipation about the revelations to come this morning.
Turnout is very high this morning. Lines of reporters and curious members of the public extended all the way from the entrance to the park opposite 100 Centre St. to the very back of the park, and court officers came out twice to tell those waiting that no one else would be admitted to the line and anyone who left the line would not be allowed back on it.
Trial This Week
On May 7, key witness Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, testified about her encounter with former President Donald Trump nearly 20 years ago, which became the subject of an alleged “hush money” agreement.
Ms. Clifford was deemed a difficult-to-control witness by Justice Juan Merchan, who interrupted her testimony at Manhattan criminal court in New York City multiple times to instruct her to only answer the questions posed. Ms. Clifford has shared extensive detail beyond the scope of what was asked, to the point that defense counsel argued she had colored her testimony with “extreme prejudice” against President Trump in a way that would distract the jury from core facts tied to charges in the case.
Justice Merchan said he agreed with the defense that Ms. Clifford had gone into more detail than necessary but rejected the motion for a mistrial. He found that the prejudice issue could be remedied through cross-examination.
During cross-examination, the defense pointed out inconsistencies in Ms. Clifford’s public statements and testimony. At times she said she had kept quiet about her encounter with President Trump because she was threatened in a parking lot in 2011, and other times she said she had told “a lot” of people and that it was “no secret.”
Motivations for sharing her story also shifted as she recounted events in her testimony and responded to public statements she had made previously. Defense attorneys sought to cast Ms. Clifford as an opportunist, eliciting testimony that she does “hate” President Trump and owes him more than $600,000 in legal fees she hopes she won’t need to pay.
From The Epoch Times
