Former President Donald Trump’s criminal trial has wrapped up its second week.
Trump, the first former president to be tried on criminal charges, is facing 34 counts connected to his alleged attempts to hide $130,000 in hush money payments made in 2016 to conceal claims of an extramarital affair with adult film actor Stormy Daniels.
The presumptive Republican presidential nominee is represented by Todd Blanche and Susan Necheles. The prosecution is led by Susan Hoffinger and Joshua Steinglass, who were selected by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to argue the case. Judge Juan Merchan is presiding.
Also present during opening statements was Matthew Colangelo, a lawyer from Bragg’s office, who detailed a “catch and kill” scheme allegedly greenlighted by Trump. In one such scheme, he said, Trump attempted to cover up an alleged affair with Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal.
“When it came time to pay Michael Cohen back for the catch and kill deal, you’ll see he didn’t negotiate it down. He doubled it,” Colangelo said.
Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen — who served a jail sentence over his role in facilitating the payments — is expected to testify, as is Daniels.
Follow along with live updates below:
Trump Claim That Protesters Can’t Get To Courthouse Is ‘Just … Not True’
The claim is easily disproved. On Tuesday morning, NBC’s Vaughn Hillyard shared a short video from outside the courthouse of a street open to traffic and one pro-Trump person standing by themselves in the designated protest zone.
Trump Captured By Photographers Ahead Of Gag Order Hearing
Prosecutors Say Trump Violated The Gag Order Yet Another Time
He said Trump violated the order once again on Monday, during comments made to the press outside the courtroom in which he complained about Cohen and the trial generally. Trump also posted an all-caps screed on the case to Truth Social.
(Editor's note: This post has been updated to reflect Conroy was speaking, not Joshua Steinglass.)
Day 6 Of Trump’s Criminal Trial Is Underway
- A hearing is currently underway for Judge Juan Merchan to rule on the prosecution’s motion to have Trump held in criminal contempt and sanctioned for violating his gag order by attacking two known witnesses: his former personal fixer Michael Cohen and porn star Stormy Daniels.
- Following the conclusion of that proceeding, the jury will be called in to take their seats for the resumption of the hush money trial. David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer, will be back for a second day of questioning.
Trump’s Contempt Hearing Begins
They argued in court filings that Trump should be fined $1,000 for each incident, which have included a claim that “they are catching undercover Liberal Activists lying to the Judge in order to get on the Trump Jury.” Trump has dubbed the trial “Communism at its worst,” called Merchan a “HIGHLY CONFLICTED & CORRUPT JUDGE,” described the court and Bragg as “animals” and labeled Cohen a “sleaze bag” who engages in “lies and misrepresentations.”
Trump has complained endlessly about his gag order.
Trump Attacks Biden Over Pro-Palestinian Protests On College Campuses
“It’s all Biden’s fault and everybody knows it,” he said.
He then went on to call Biden "the worst president in the history of our country."
Trump Arrives For Day 6
Trump Takes Part In Local TV Interviews Ahead Of Court Appearance
Voters in the state are heading to the polls today to cast their ballots in the primary elections.
Timings For Today
Jurors will come back to the courtroom at 11 a.m. and the trial will continue, according to CNN.
Merchan To Hold Hearing On Trump's Gag Order Violations
"Defendant is not above the law, and he cannot simply disregard judicial orders that upset him," Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg wrote in a court filing last week. "And both the public and the participants in the criminal trial deserve reassurance that the judicial system stands ready to protect them and to preserve the rule of law in the face of defendant's extreme and deliberate provocations."
In his filing, Bragg also called on Merchan to warn Trump that if he were to violate the gag order again in the future he could face jail time rather than just more fines.
The gag order was originally imposed on Trump in late March but expanded on April 1 with Merchan explicitly telling the former president that attacks on his family were off limits.
Trump has repeatedly complained about the directive, saying it is depriving him of his right to speak up, and has urged the judge to lift it.
"REMOVE THE GAG ORDER!!! WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO HIDE???" he asked in a Truth Social post Sunday.
Following the conclusion of the hearing, the trial will resume with the jury set to hear more from David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer.
Michael Cohen Says Trump Attack Signals 'Desperation'
"We are all hoping that you take the stand in your defense," Cohen wrote.
It is not yet known whether Trump will do so.
Trump Rants About 'Very Unfair' Case Outside Court
"[Cohen] represented a lot of people over the years. But they take this payment and they call it illegal," Trump said. "This is taking me off the campaign trail."
He added: "I should be in Georgia now. I should be in Florida now ... and I’m sitting here. It’s very unfair.”
Trump Exits
Day 6 Of Trump’s Criminal Trial Starts Today. Here’s What Happened Yesterday.
- Both sides delivered their opening statements, with prosecutor Matthew Colangelo painting Trump as a serial liar who authorized a conspiracy to conceal business records during the 2016 election. Trump attorney Todd Blanche countered that the case is an insignificant non-story.
- Judge Merchan will allow prosecutors to bring up some of Trump’s recent legal struggles should he decide to testify. That includes the February civil fraud ruling, Trump’s losses in the two defamation cases brought by writer E. Jean Carroll, and a 2018 order dissolving the Donald J. Trump Foundation over fraud claims.
- The prosecution called its first witness, former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker. Prosecutors say Pecker bought the rights to stories that would be damaging to Donald Trump’s campaign, then didn’t publish them in what’s called a “catch and kill” scheme.
Jurors Dismissed For The Day
Pecker On Pecking Order
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass asked Pecker to confirm that a health issue has prevented Howard from appearing at the trial, which he did.
Pecker Dishes On 'Checkbook Journalism'
“We used checkbook journalism and we paid for stories,” he said. Pecker said he generally told his editors that they could not spend more than $10,000 on a story without seeking further approval.
Remembering The Time Pecker Tried To Publish Jeff Bezos’ Dick Pics
According to Bezos, Pecker was “apoplectic” about a Washington Post investigation into his companies, particularly on links between AMI and the Saudi royal family.
Bezos called the Enquirer’s bluff in a public blog — and Pecker wilted.
“Rather than capitulate to extortion and blackmail, I’ve decided to publish exactly what they sent me, despite the personal cost and embarrassment they threaten,” Bezos wrote.
“I won’t participate in their well-known practice of blackmail, political favors, political attacks, and corruption. I prefer to stand up, roll this log over, and see what crawls out.”
Private investigators hired by Bezos “concluded with high confidence that the Saudis had access to Bezos’ phone and gained private information” and accused AMI of being “in league with a foreign nation that’s been actively trying to harm American citizens and companies.”
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in 2018 ordered the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in retaliation for negative coverage of the regime.
A separate investigator, meanwhile, said he believed sensitive information had also been leaked by the brother of Lauren Sanchez, whom Bezos is now engaged to.
AMI responded by saying it launched an investigation into Bezos’ claims, though the company denied its conduct reached the level of blackmail and believes it “acted lawfully.”
Pecker stepped down as AMI CEO In August 2020.
Jurors Ask For Note-Taking Materials
Government Calls David Pecker As First Witness
Trump Silent As He Leaves Courtroom
Trump Attorney Paints Case As A Non-Story
He suggested that the “catch and kill” schemes involving the National Enquirer’s publisher were not so unusual and that the evidence involved was ancient history. The conversations at the center of the trial occurred from 2015 to 2017 — or as Blanche put it, "years and years ago."
Trump’s Family Absent From Courtroom
Melania Trump did break her silence Monday — with a sales pitch for a $245 necklace she’s hawking for Mother’s Day.
Trump Attorney Shifts Focus To Stormy Daniels
“So her testimony, while salacious, does not matter,” he said.
Objections Prompt Pause
“He has a goal and an obsession with getting President Trump. I submit to you that he cannot be trusted," Blanche told jurors of Trump's former personal attorney.
Trump Attorney Begins Attacks On Michael Cohen
Blanche also claimed: “Michael Cohen wanted a job in the administration. He didn’t get one.”
In 2019, Cohen testified that he "was offered jobs" in the White House but "did not want to go to the White House." Trump's sons, Donald Trump, Jr. and Eric Trump, claimed Cohen wanted to be chief of staff.
Trump Attorney Suggests ‘Influence’ Over Election Is Part Of Democracy
“Entering into a nondisclosure agreement is perfectly legal,” Blanche said. “You will learn that companies do that all the time with some regularity.”
“There’s nothing illegal about it.”
Trump Distanced From Allegedly Falsified Ledger
Blanche Plays Down 34 Counts Against Trump
“The 34 counts … are really just 34 pieces of paper,” Blanche said. "None of this was a crime."
Trump Team Begins Opening Statement By Humanizing Ex-President
“He’s also a man. He’s a husband. He’s a father. He’s a person just like you and just like me,” Blanche said.
Trump's Own Words Will Be Shown
Cohen’s testimony will be backed up by testimony from Pecker and McDougal attorney Keith Davidson, along with “an extensive paper trial, bank records, emails, text messages, phone logs, business documents and other records that we will show you sometimes at length during this trial,” he said. Trump’s own words on tape, from social media posts, his books and video of his speeches will also be shown.
‘What Have We Done?’
Colangelo says Davidson sent a message to National Enquirer editor Dylan Howard expressing unease: “What have we done?”
Details On Trump’s Cohen Reimbursement
“That was a double lie,” he said. “There was no retainer agreement... It was instead what they thought was a clever way to pay Cohen back without being too obvious about it.”
Trump agreed to pay Cohen a total of $420,000: They started with the $130,000 hush money payment, added $50,000 that Cohen said he was owed for campaign tech services, then agreed to double that amount to account for taxes Cohen would owe, and then added $60,000 as a year-end bonus. Colangelo noted that it was highly unusual for the Trump Organization to pay anyone double what they’re owed “for anything.” Trump's willingness to do so allegedly highlighted how important the matter was to him.
“You will see evidence at trial that Donald Trump is a very frugal businessman,” he said.
Prosecutor Introduces Stormy Daniels Payment
Trump allegedly directed Cohen to try and delay finalizing the deal as long as possible. He also allegedly tried to get AMI to cover the payment, as they did for McDougal.
But Pecker was unhappy that he had never been paid back for the McDougal deal, Colangelo said. That’s why Cohen ended up transferring the $130,000 to Daniels.
"It was election fraud, pure and simple," Colangelo said.
Prosecutor Reads Part Of ‘Access Hollywood’ Transcript
Prosecutor Outlines 'Catch And Kill' Deals
The first came from a former Trump Tower doorman who claimed that Trump had fathered a child out of wedlock. After Pecker’s publishing company, AMI, determined the story was not true, Cohen allegedly told him to wait to release the doorman from his nondisclosure agreement until after the 2016 election, when it could no longer hurt Trump’s campaign.
The second “catch and kill” deal was the account from former Playboy playmate Karen McDougal, who says she had an affair with Trump for around a year while he was married. Cohen allegedly asked AMI to make arrangements to purchase McDougal’s story quickly and confidentially, and AMI ultimately agreed on a sum of $150,000. Trump initially intended to pay AMI back, Colangelo said, and had his attorney Cohen set up a shell company in order to facilitate that payment, but the deal fell apart.
Colangelo told jurors they will hear a recorded phone call that Cohen made between himself and Trump regarding that payment.
Prosecutors' Opening Statement Continues
"Those three men formed a conspiracy at that meeting to influence the presidential election by concealing negative information about Trump in order to help him get elected,” Colangelo said.
The meeting allegedly resulted in three decisions: that Pecker would act as the “eyes and ears” for the Trump campaign, that he would use his publications to push flattering stories about Trump, and that he would also use them to attack Trump’s political enemies.
“As the man in charge of AMI, Pecker had the ultimate say over publication decisions,” Colangelo said, noting that Trump’s team was allowed to review stories before they were published and have a say in any accompanying illustrations. He also explained the concept of "catch and kill," wherein publishers buy damaging information from a source in order to prevent its release.
Opening Statements Begin
Jurors Can Only Tell Family, Employers That They Are On The Jury
Lawyers Can't Comment On Witnesses' Testimony, Judge Says
"That happens on TV and in the movies, that does not happen in real trials," he said.
Meanwhile, HuffPost's Sara Boboltz reports the 12 jurors are giving Merchan their full attention, with some looking somber.
Jury Takes Their Seats
Judge Allows Some Of Trump's Past Legal Issues To Come Up In Trial
They will be able to bring up the February verdict finding that Trump fraudulently stated the value of his assets for economic benefit, including two instances in that case in which Trump was fined a total of $15,000 for violating a court order by attacking the judge’s law clerk.
Prosecutors can also bring up the outcome of two defamation-related cases brought by the writer E. Jean Carroll, and a 2018 order dissolving the Donald J. Trump Foundation, the former president's charitable organization, over fraud claims.
See Trump Seated Inside The Courtroom
Trump Lashes Out At New York AG Letitia James Ahead Of Trial Start
"Nobody is gonna be listening or coming to New York anymore. Businesses are gonna be fleeing because people are treated so badly,” Trump said.
He continued: “It’s got to be the most unfriendly place to do business and that’s why businesses are leaving and people are leaving.”
Meanwhile, Trump ignored shouted questions from reporters on topics including his wife’s whereabouts, whether he plans to take the witness stand and whether he is stressed about the prospect of getting convicted in the case.
Another Juror Voices Concerns About Media Attention
Opening Statements Will Be Roughly 1 Hour Total
Donald Trump Arrives For Opening Statements
Trump Claims His Supporters Aren't Allowed To Protest Outside Court
"But why aren’t Country Loving Republicans allowed to peacefully protest around the Courthouse, where I am right now. It’s like an armed camp. MAGA2024!" Trump wrote.
Trump Heads To The Courthouse
Trump Takes To Truth Social Ahead Of Week 2
Early Monday morning, he appeared to encourage MAGA fans to protest "at the front steps of Courthouses, all over the Country." He claimed that "Palestinian protesters, and even rioters" are allowed to "basically do whatever they want."