Stormy Daniels, the adult film actress who says she had sex with former President Trump in 2006, was the central figure once again Thursday at her trial in New York.
Daniels was subjected to tough cross-examination before completing his testimony, which began on Tuesday. In total, she was on the stand for about eight hours over those two days. (Wednesdays are days off at the trial.)
Daniels’ claim that she had sex with Trump at a celebrity golf event in Lake Tahoe set off a series of events that led to the first criminal trial of a former president.
Trump is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
The alleged offenses stem from efforts to prevent Daniels from telling his story in the final stretch of the 2016 presidential campaign.
The adult actress received $130,000 from Trump’s then-lawyer and mediator, Michael Cohen, with the intention of buying her silence.
Cohen was later repaid and received a $60,000 bonus in a series of payments from Trump and a Trump fund.
Prosecutors say these reimbursements were falsely classified as legal expenses to hide their true purpose – to keep Daniels’ story secret and increase Trump’s chances of winning the election.
Trump denies having sex with Daniels and also denies any illegality, arguing that the payments to Cohen were in fact legal expenses.
Here are the key takeaways from Thursday’s proceedings.
Trump’s team seeks to destroy Stormy Daniels’ credibility
Most of the day was taken up with the questioning of Daniels by the only lawyer on Trump’s team, Susan Necheles.
Necheles tried hard to damage Daniels’ credibility.
She suggested that Daniels had given different accounts at different times about her alleged encounter with Trump in 2006; she has implied that she is motivated by a combination of financial greed and personal animosity; and seemed dismissive of the idea that Daniels would have been shocked – as she testified – to find a man in bed after a dinner party.
Necheles focused on Daniels’ roles, as star and director, in several adult films. At one point, the lawyer said Daniels was talented at “making fake sex stories seem real.”
Daniels disagreed, saying that “sex in movies is very real.”
Necheles also sought to impugn Daniels more broadly, referencing his beliefs in the supernatural.
Trump’s lawyer raised a metaphorical eyebrow over Daniels’ belief that she can communicate with dead people. There was also a story about unfounded suspicions that the house Daniels lived in was haunted. The culprit turned out to be “a giant opossum that was under the house,” Daniels acknowledged.
Daniels stands firm
Daniels resisted the Trump team throughout his testimony, both Tuesday and Thursday.
She often did this by referencing the former president.
Necheles, for example, drew attention to the fact that one way Daniels capitalizes on his Trump-related notoriety is by selling merchandise online.
“Not unlike Mr. Trump,” Daniels responded.
Implied criticism of Daniels for attacking Trump on social media may also struggle to gain traction with the jury, given Trump’s track record of doing exactly the same.
Daniels forcefully rejected the general thrust of Necheles’ argument – that she is an unreliable opportunist.
She accused Trump’s lawyer of trying to “trick” her into saying things and of “putting words in my mouth.”
Judge refuses to change gag order to let Trump attack Daniels
Trump’s ability to respond to negative or mocking stories was severely limited during the trial — much to his displeasure.
Like any defendant, he cannot appear in court unless he decides to testify. Additionally, a gag order prevents you from attacking witnesses, court staff, lawyers, or the judge’s family members.
Trump’s team sought on Thursday to amend the gag order — in essence, to allow the former president to strike back at Daniels.
Trump’s team argued that any danger of intimidation of the adult film actress had passed now that she had completed her testimony.
Judge Juan Merchan rejected that argument.
“My concern is not just protecting Ms. Daniels or a witness who has already testified,” he said. “My concern is to protect the integrity of these processes as a whole.”
Trump’s team separately sought a mistrial on the grounds that some of Daniels’ testimony was gratuitous and harmful to Trump.
This request – like a similar previous effort – was rejected by Merchan.
A window into Trump’s tweets
It wasn’t all Daniels on Thursday. The court heard from three other witnesses – a Trump Organization accountant, a publishing executive and Trump’s former White House personal secretary, Madeleine Westerhout.
None of the three dropped any real bombshells, but Westerhout’s testimony offered some interesting details about the Trump White House.
The court was shown a list of people that another aide, from the Trump Organization, told Westerhout the then-president might want to speak to.
It included tennis superstar Serena Williams, NFL legend Tom Brady and media figures such as Fox News’ Sean Hannity and Bret Baier.
Westerhout also provided some insight into Trump’s habit of posting on Twitter, the social platform now known as X, while in the White House. She noted that Trump adviser Dan Scavino was authorized to post from Trump’s official account but would generally get approval before doing so.
Westerhout said he sometimes typed up Scavino’s drafts for Trump to review.
She testified that there were certain words that Trump liked to capitalize and noted that “he liked to use exclamation marks.”
Trump’s friends – and alleged enemies – appear in court
Trump’s trial was a spectacle from the start.
On Thursday, Senator Rick Scott (R-Florida) accompanied Trump in court, having declared his support and sympathy for the former president during a morning interview with Fox News.
Fox News’ Jeanine Pirro, a vigorous Trump supporter, was reportedly watching from a packed room.
There were also well-known names whose presence seems much less pleasing to Trump.
The Associated Press reported that he at one point pointed to CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins, who was present in the courtroom.
The New York Times noted that he “looked” in the direction of George Conway, a vocal critic who was once married to Trump’s 2016 campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway.
The couple announced in March 2023 that they were in the final stages of their divorce. George Conway is covering the trial for The Atlantic, the Times noted.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
