Trump trial: defense seeks to discredit Stormy Daniels | Donald Trump facing justice

A liar motivated by money: this is the portrait of Stormy Daniels that Donald Trump’s lawyers drew on Thursday during the second and final day of the ex-porn actress’s appearance at the criminal trial of the former American president.

After a first day of appearance marked in particular by a very tense cross-examination, the defense continued to attack the credibility of the witness, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, insisting at times on the profession she exercised in the pornographic film industry.

You invented everythinglaunched Susan Necheles to Stormy Daniels, who claims to have had a sexual relationship with Donald Trump.

No! sharply replied Ms. Daniels, who appeared combative during cross-examination.

Stormy Daniels claims to have slept with the famous accused on only one occasion, in July 2006, the evening after they met at a golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, which he denies.

Do you have a lot of experience making fake sex stories that seem real? asked Mr. Necheles.

That’s not how I would describe itretorted the witness, repelling certain attacks outright. Sex in movies is real, just like what happened to me in this room from a hotel suite near Lake Tahoe.

If this story was fake, I would have written it to be much better.

On Tuesday, Stormy Daniels did not present herself as a victim, but she appeared to indicate that the alleged sexual relationship with Mr. Trump, 32 years her senior, had not been fully consensual, which she had not never publicly stated before.

According to sources cited by CNN, the defense decided to extend the initially planned duration of the cross-examination due to the turn of the questioning conducted by the prosecutors.

Mr. Necheles has repeatedly attempted to raise contradictions between Ms. Daniels’ testimony in court and the accounts she has given of this evening in recent years, in the media as well as in a book.

Your story has completely changedargued the lawyer.

No! You’re trying to make me say she’s changed, but she hasn’t changedreplied Stormy Daniels.

Susan Necheles, among other things, pointed out that Ms. Daniels, in an interview given to the magazine Vogue in 2018, had not mentioned the presence of a bodyguard outside the room where the sexual encounter allegedly occurred.

Ms. Daniels, now 45, said she doesn’t provide every detail in every interview she gives and said she doesn’t control what the media chooses to publish.

On Tuesday, she told prosecutors that the bodyguard’s presence contributed to a power imbalance that made her feel uncomfortable.

Financial motivations

Susan Necheles accused Stormy Daniels of having been motivated by greed, which the main interested party denied.

You threatened political harm to President Trump if he didn’t give you money for this story? asked the lawyer.

I chose securityreplied Stormy Daniels. The best solution was to protect my story with a written record so that my family would not be in dangershe argued.

Stormy Daniels received US$130,000 from Mr Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen in a non-disclosure agreement days before the 2016 presidential election.

Me Necheles subsequently mentioned the book Full Disclosure (“Full disclosure” in French), in which Stormy Daniels talks about her alleged affair with Donald Trump.

You wanted to make more money, right? insisted the lawyer, claiming that the book had earned Stormy Daniels US$800,000.

Necheles also showed social media posts in which Daniels pointed to her online store, where she sells items like candles and T-shirts related to the impeachment of Donald Trump.

Me Necheles argued that the witness benefits financially from the indictment of the former president.

Trump”,”text”:”Just like Mr.Trump”}}”>Just like Mr. Trumpreplied Ms. Daniels, an allusion to the various items sold by the Republican candidate’s campaign team in connection with his indictments in four criminal trials.

Donald Trump also regularly invokes his indictments in emails soliciting financial contributions from his supporters.

At the end of the cross-examination, Mr. Necheles asked Ms. Daniels if Donald Trump’s financial documents were familiar to her, a way of emphasizing that her testimony is not directly linked to the accusations of falsification of documents brought by prosecutors.

I don’t know anything about his financial documents, no. Why would I know? Ms. Daniels replied.

The ex-president is accused of having falsified documents to conceal the reimbursement made to his former confidant in order to promote his electoral victory.

If the accusations of falsification of documents are not linked to the transfer made to Ms. Daniels, this payment is nevertheless at the center of the narrative of the prosecutors, who accuse Donald Trump of having fomented “a criminal plan to corrupt the 2016 election “.

More sober testimonies linked to the documents

Stormy Daniels’ appearance was followed by testimony of a completely different nature.

Prosecutors notably called an accounting employee of the company to the stand. Trump Organization, a witness whose comments, undoubtedly less contentious, are linked to the alleged reimbursement to Michael Cohen.

Rebecca Manochio clarified that at the start of her former boss’s presidency, she sent him checks for him to sign not directly at the White House but at the homes of two of his collaborators, including his bodyguard Keith Schiller.

Prosecutors argue that Donald Trump repaid Michael Cohen in 11 installments made by check, nine of which he signed himself, for a reimbursement falsely presented as fees.

A previous witness, a former controller of the Trump Organizationsaid Monday that the first two checks were written by the trust created to manage Donald Trump’s business during his presidency and that the nine subsequent checks, signed personally by Mr. Trump, were linked to his personal account.

Then called to the stand, Madeleine Westerhout, who was Donald Trump’s personal secretary and then director of Oval Office operations, admitted that he paid particular attention to financial details.

She further indicated that she emailed Michael Cohen for an invitation to the White House in February 2017 and confirmed his visit. The latter claims that it was during this meeting that he and his former boss agreed on the reimbursement that would be paid to him for the payment made to Stormy Daniels.

The former aide to Donald Trump burst into tears when she testified about her dismissal from the White House in 2019 after she revealed details about Donald Trump’s family.

She painted a flattering portrait of him, describing him as a good boss and a husband who cared about the opinion of his wife, Melania. No one else could put him in his placeshe said.

The judge rejects two defense requests

At the end of the testimony, Judge Juan Merchan refused two requests from the defense, which notably renewed its request to have the trial canceled because of certain statements made in court by Ms. Daniels.

The judge said the defense opened the door to her story when she denied her allegations in her opening statement.

Donald Trump’s lawyers had ample opportunity to object to questions answered by Stormy Daniels harmful to their client, he concluded.

For example, the magistrate said he was stunned by the fact that they did not object to a question from prosecutors about wearing a condom.

The judge also denied their motion to overturn the gag order specifically regarding Stormy Daniels. His goal, he said, is to protect the integrity of this procedure as a whole.

Before the trial, Judge Merchan prohibited the accused from publicly attacking witnesses, jurors and court staff.

As he left the court, Donald Trump jeered at a judge corrupt. It’s a disgrace to New York City, to New York State, and to the country.he commented on one of the two decisions rendered, without specifying which one.

Karen McDougal will not testify

While the defense returned to object to the testimony of another alleged mistress of the ex-president, Karen McDougal, prosecutors indicated that it was not their intention to summon her to the court. rod.

The old playmate for his part received US$150,000 from the American Media Inc. (AMI) press group to remain silent about an affair which allegedly lasted 10 months, from 2006 to 2007.

The first witness of the trial, the ex-CEO of the group FRIENDDavid Pecker, said his company bought his story as part of a strategy, developed with Donald Trump, to buy and suppress information that could harm his election campaign.

With information from New York Times, The Guardian, CNN, Reuters and Agence France-Presse