Stormy Daniels testifies on the stand as Judge Juan Merchan looks on in Manhattan Criminal Court.Keystone
This testimony is at the heart of an affair which could cost the former President of the United States dearly. Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, claims to have had sex with the billionaire in his hotel suite, which the Republican categorically denies.
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Former porn star Stormy Daniels, a central figure in Donald Trump’s politically charged trial in New York, began testifying on Tuesday. She told the court the story of her meeting with the former president of the United States.
A little nervous, the 45-year-old actress began to detail in great detail that day in 2006 when, on the sidelines of a golf competition, she met the man who was then a figure in the world of business and the jet set.
“It was a very brief encounter,” and then, security “(told me) ‘Mr. Trump would like to know if I wanted to have dinner with him.’she said, in front of jurors visibly absorbed by her story.
The former President of the United States remained impassive when she entered the courtroom.
Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, claims to have had sex with the billionaire in his hotel suite, which the Republican categorically denies. During his testimony, prosecutors showed a now-famous photo of them posing together.
The actress detailed the conversation they had in the hotel suite, “a hotel room that was three times the size of my apartment,” where she found Trump “dressed in silk pajamas or satin,” which she remembered being made fun of. She talks about a rather playful conversation, during which the billionaire takes an interest in her, while confiding in her, she says, that with his wife Melania “we don’t sleep in the same room”.
A place in his reality show
Then, as she has already said, the Republican candidate would have dangled an appearance on his famous reality TV show, “The Apprentice”.
The meeting is at the heart of the matter. Ten years later, at the end of the 2016 presidential campaign, the former porn star received $130,000 to keep quiet about this episode, a payment hidden at the center of the file.
The money was paid by the billionaire’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, via a shell company. He was reimbursed in 2017 by the Trump Organization, expenses recorded in “legal fees” which are at the center of the lawsuits.
Stormy Daniels is expected to testify for several hours and will likely face intense cross-examination from the defense.
The sexual act at the heart of the trial
One of Donald Trump’s lawyers, Susan Necheles, pleaded from the outset Tuesday morning that Stormy Daniels could not discuss a sexual relationship with her client. “It’s excessively damaging,” she added.
Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger responded that the details could be left out but that it was “important to establish that there was a sexual act and what she felt.”
Since the payment was revealed by the Wall Street Journal in January 2018, in the middle of his presidential term, the latter has always denied a relationship with the former American pornographic film star.
Hours earlier Tuesday, a post on Trump’s account on his Truth Social network was deleted. The former President of the United States complained, without naming him, about the witness expected in the morning, protesting the lack of time given to his lawyers to prepare for this moment.
The judge forbade him from publicly attacking witnesses or jurors outside the courtroom and has already imposed ten fines of $1,000, the maximum amount, for as many violations of this ban.
On Monday, he threatened for the second time to incarcerate him if he did it again. (ats/jch)
