NY. Former porn film actress Stormy Daniels began testifying this Tuesday as a witness in the trial of former US President Donald Trump, accused of falsifying documents to hide payment for his silence about an alleged extramarital relationship.
“The prosecution calls Stormy Daniels”, one of the most anticipated witnesses in this historic trial that puts a former United States president on the stand for the first time, who is also the current candidate for the country’s presidency in November. Trump is accused of hiding the payment of $130,000 to the former actress in the final stretch of the 2016 election campaign, which the magnate won against Hillary Clinton.
Daniels claims she had a sexual encounter with the former president a decade before the 2016 election. Trump denies it.
Trump returned to court Tuesday as he faces the threat of jail time if he continues to violate a gag order and prosecutors prepare to call key witnesses.
A lawyer for Daniels, Clark Brewster, had previously told The Associated Press that it was “likely” that the actress, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, would be called to testify on Tuesday. Trump commented that he was “recently told” who would be the witness on Tuesday and complained in a post on his Truth Social social network that he later deleted saying that he should have been given more notice.
In the final weeks of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, his then-lawyer and confidant, Michael Cohen, paid Daniels $130,000 to keep quiet about what she says was a sexual encounter with Trump in July 2006. Trump denies having sexual relations with Daniels.
Daniels’ testimony, even sanitized so it can be heard in court and stripped of revealing details, is by far the most anticipated act in a trial that has alternated between sensational elements and dull administrative details. His turn as a witness will represent a notable moment from a legal and political point of view. An adult film actress’s court testimony about an intimate encounter she says she had with a former U.S. president adds to the long list of historical firsts in this case.
Meanwhile, Trump is facing a stern warning from Judge Juan M. Merchan that additional violations of a gag order prohibiting Trump from making extrajudicial inflammatory comments about witnesses, jurors and other people closely related to the case could result in a prison sentence. jail.
The judge has fined Trump ten times in recent days with sanctions of $1,000 each, nine last week and one more yesterday for violating the court order to reserve his statements.
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– 2024-05-08 11:22:32
