Porn stars, gag orders, sex scandals and zzzs: A to Z of Trump’s hush money trial | US News

Opening statements will be heard at Donald Trump’s trial for secret payments to a porn star.

A jury has been selected in a New York courtroom that will witness the first criminal trial of a former US president.

Opening comments from the prosecution and defense teams will be followed by witness statements.

donald trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records. They refer to $130,000 paid to a porn star Stormy Daniels to buy his silence over an alleged affair in the days before the 2016 US presidential election, which Trump won.

He is accused of criminally altering business records to cover up the payment. His lawyers say the payment was made to spare him and his family embarrassment, not to help him win the election.

Trump denies the allegations against him.

Below is an A-Z guide to this historic trial:

A is for AMI, a publisher whose portfolio includes National Enquirer magazine. He admitted his involvement in a scheme to suppress damaging stories about Trump before the 2016 election.

B is in favor of Bragg, as is Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney who brought the case. In issuing the indictment, Bragg said: “Someone repeatedly lied to protect their interests and evade the laws for which we are all held accountable.” He has been the target of racist abuse and death threats. Trump called him a “thug” and “degenerate psychopath.”

W is for “Catch & Kill,” the prosecution’s label for the scheme to “capture” stories of Trump’s extramarital liaisons and “kill” them before they can be published.

D is for Daniels, as in Stormy Daniels. The former porn star – whose real name is Stephanie Clifford – claims she had an affair with Trump in 2006 after meeting him at a golf tournament. He denies they had an affair. Daniels claims she accepted $130,000 from Trump’s lawyer to maintain secrecy, days before the 2016 election.

Who is Stormy Daniels, the porn star at the center of Trump’s hush money case?

AND it’s for entries, as in entries in Trump’s company books. The “hush money” payments were made by Trump’s lawyer, who was then reimbursed. The reimbursement was written off as legal expenses – also known as “falsifying business records.”

F It’s for four years. That’s how long Trump could face in state prison for each of the 34 counts he’s accused of, up to a maximum of 20 years. A prison sentence is considered unlikely, however, for a first-time non-violent offender.

G It’s for a gag order. The judge ordered Trump not to make, or order others to make, public statements about witnesses or other participants in the case. The district attorney argues that Trump violated the order and wants a $1,000 fine imposed.

H It’s for Hope Hicks. Trump’s press secretary during the 2016 campaign, and one of his most trusted confidants, is expected to testify. His evidence “in the room” could take us to the heart of the Trump operation as it struggled to suppress the scandal.

I it is for interference, as in election interference. Prosecutors say the falsification of business records was carried out with the aim of influencing the 2016 elections.

J. It’s for the jury. Seven men and five women were selected for service. Another six will participate in the trial as substitutes or substitutes, if necessary. Jury members were subjected to a rigorous assessment of their ability to be impartial, including questions about their political affiliations, news sources and opinions about Trump himself.

K is for Karen McDougal. She is the other woman involved in the silent payments scheme. The former Playboy model claims she had an affair that began in 2006 and that she and Trump had sex “many dozens of times.” Her silence was allegedly bought for $150 thousand.

I It’s for liars. It’s Trump’s description of the witness at the center of the prosecution (see M). Michael Cohen admitted to lying to Congress in 2017 about a Trump project in Russia. His admission is highlighted by Trump in an effort to discredit him.

M is for michael cohen, the “star” witness. He was Trump’s personal lawyer and fixer who made the hush payments. In 2018, he was arrested for his part in the scheme and sentenced to three years in prison for campaign finance violations. He was also convicted of lying to Congress, among other crimes. Cohen once said he would “take a bullet” for Trump, but now calls him a “cheater,” “bully” and “con man.” Trump calls Cohen a “rat” and a “proven liar.”

N it is for a New York jurisdiction. Trump, originally from Queen’s in new York, is being tried at home. However, the jury, from which its members were selected, is not in line with its policy. New York is Democratic territory and that concerns the defense team of a Republican presidential candidate. He tried, but failed, to move the trial to another location.

O is for other cases. Trump’s other three criminal trials have been marred by delays and legal wrangling. On Thursday, the Supreme Court will hear arguments about whether or not he is entitled to immunity from prosecution in connection with the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol. His decision, and how quickly it is made, will determine whether the case is heard before the November elections. The other two – over the misuse of confidential documents and interference in the Georgia elections – appear less likely to proceed in this period.

P is for Pecker, as in David Pecker. The owner of the AMI publication may be a key witness. In a “non-prosecution” agreement, AMI admitted to having made clandestine payments. Pecker, a longtime Trump ally, agreed to identify negative stories about Trump so they could be purchased and their publication prevented.

The main figures in Donald Trump’s case to silence the money

P is for questions about politics in the administration of U.S. justice. In most American states, district attorneys (attorneys) are elected, and Donald Trump points to Alvin Bragg’s Democratic leanings. In a press release the day before the opening statements, Trump’s team wrote that “their legal warfare efforts against President Trump have been the primary focus of their [election] campaign”.

R is to be removed from the presidential campaign – a Trump complaint. He told the media in court: “I’m supposed to be in New Hampshire, I’m supposed to be in Georgia, I’m supposed to be in North Carolina, I’m supposed to be in South Carolina, I’m in different places campaigning, but I’ve been here all day on a trial that’s really a very unfair trial.”

s it’s for the sex scandal that hung over the Trump team in the midst of the 2016 hush-money payment and undoubtedly boosted the scheme. In a tape called “Access Hollywood” that was made public, Trump was heard saying about women: “I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything, grab them by the [genitals]. You can do anything.” Three weeks later the money was paid to Stormy Daniels.

T It’s for testimony. Trump insists he will testify during the trial. If so, prosecutors have asked the judge if they can bring up his previous disagreements with the law, for example, a civil court’s finding on sexual assault, to cast doubt on his credibility.

you It is unanimous. Jury members must deliver a unanimous verdict to convict Trump. He only needs one to disagree.

V it’s about voting, as in the impact a conviction will have on Trump at the polls. While this and other lawsuits have consolidated support for Trump among his MAGA (Make America Great Again) base and fueled fundraising, that is not necessarily the case with voters in general. A recent Politico/IPSOS survey showed that more than a third of independent voters said a guilty verdict would make them less likely to support Trump’s candidacy – potentially significant in a close race.

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W It’s for “witch hunts”. Trump has repeatedly criticized this accusation, and others, as a “political witch hunt.” He sees it as an effort to undermine his presidential election campaign and called it a “fraud” and “an attack on America.”

X It’s to the cross that potential jurors were asked to pit themselves against groups they might have been members of: the QAnon movement, Proud Boys, Oathkeepers, Three Percenters, Boogaloo Boys and Antifa.

s It’s for yellow. That’s how a juror described Trump when he saw him in court. She told MSNBC: “It looked less orange, definitely, more yellowish, more yellow.”

Z it’s for zzzz… During jury selection, some observers said Trump fell asleep in the courtroom, more than once. New York Times journalist Maggie Haberman noted, “Mr. Trump appeared to doze off a few times, his mouth slack and his head falling onto his chest.” Trump aides denied the suggestion.