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Post by Webster on May 6, 2024 16:51:34 GMT -5
(The Guardian) Donald Trump is sitting with his legs crossed in his chair, hands clasped together over his knee and turned towards his attorney Todd Blanche as he starts the cross-examination of Deb Tarasoff, the former Trump Organization accountant. It’s a short exchange. -“You don’t know what Trump did at the White House when he signed checks?” Blanche asked. -“No”, Tarasoff replied. -“He wasn’t in New York?” -“Yes”. -“There was a process with FedEx, but that’s all you know about the process, correct?” -“Yes”. -“You saw emails after he left that Michael Cohen was [Trump’s] personal attorney?” -“Yes”. -“But you never had any reason to believe Trump was hiding anything or anything like that, correct?” -“Yes”. And that’s it. Tarasoff is discharged, and judge Juan Merchan is sending the jurors home for the day.
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Post by Webster on May 6, 2024 16:52:30 GMT -5
(The Guardian) Trump prosecution case to run 'another two weeks'Donald Trump’s New York hush-money trial is in recess until Tuesday morning, after questioning of the day’s final witness, former Trump Organization accountant Deb Tarasoff, concluded without a redirect. Judge Juan Merchan told jurors that testimony was finishing about a half-hour earlier than usual, and dismissed them. Once they were out, he questioned prosecutor Joshua Steinglass about how fast he felt the trial was moving. “We’re doing well,” Steinglass said. “Could you give me a little more than that?” Merchan asked, to laughter in the courtroom. Steinglass said he thought the prosecution’s case will run about another two weeks from Tuesday, as a “very, very rough guess”.
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Post by Webster on May 6, 2024 16:53:24 GMT -5
(The Guardian) 5:01pm Summary--Deborah Tarasoff, a former accountant at the Trump Organization, testified that Trump personally signed reimbursement checks to his “fixer” Michael Cohen, who made the payment to adult movie star Stormy Daniels that’s at the heart of this case. Showing that Trump signed them chips away at the defense claim Trump was detached from the transactions. --Tarasoff was led through a succession of checks to Cohen that she cut, then sent to Trump for signing, some while the former president was in the White House. The purpose appeared to be giving the jury a clear understanding of the regular practices in place at the company and how the hush money payment to Daniels veered outside normal procedures to point of illegality. --This morning, Jeffrey McConney, the Trump Organization’s retired controller and senior vice-president, took the stand. Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo pressed him hard on the company’s accounting and reporting procedures, seeming to make headway on the argument that Trump was in full control of his personal and company finances, and had authorized and was aware of the purpose of the payment to Daniels. --But Trump’s lawyer Emil Bove got McConney to concede he had never spoken with Trump about repayments to Cohen, and had never been directed to register the payments in a certain way, or improperly. --Bove suggested there was no falsification, in part because of the narrow way Trump Organization payments had to be recorded using the drop-down menu of an “antiquated” software recording system. --Additionally, McConney conceded, Cohen was Trump’s personal lawyer, and that he always recorded payments to lawyers as “legal expenses” in the ledger during his 36-plus years with the company. --Judge Juan Merchan found Trump in contempt for breaching a gag order by speaking about the jury, namely how quickly it was seated, and his belief it was made up of “95% Democrats”. Merchan fined Trump $1,000, bringing the total fines to $10,000 for 10 separate breaches, and warned Trump he faced jail for any subsequent infraction.
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Post by Webster on May 7, 2024 13:54:38 GMT -5
(The Guardian) Trump complains about length of trial: 'I thought they would be finished today'Donald Trump’s criminal trial over hush-money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels continues on Tuesday – and it could take at least another two weeks for prosecutors to finish presenting their case. Trump complained about this as he was leaving. Repeating previous false claims, he insisted the trial was merely a ruse to keep the Republican party’s presumptive presidential nominee “off the campaign trail”. “I thought they would be finished today,” Trump said. “The judge is so happy about two or three more weeks because they all want to keep me off the campaign trail. That’s all this is about, election interference”. Trump will have to watch what he says after Monday earned him another $1,000 fine for violating a gag order that bars him from attacking witnesses, jurors and other key people involved in the trial. It was the 10th time he was held criminal contempt and the judge, Juan Merchan, warned him yet again he could face jail for continued violations.
Merchan’s latest gag order ruling came just minutes after Trump walked into the courtroom in Manhattan. And the judge appeared to be getting increasingly exasperated with Trump’s repeated violations: “Mr Trump, as you know the prosecution has filed three separate motions to find you in criminal contempt,” Merchan said. “It appears that the $1,000 fines are not a deterrent.” Merchan continued: “The last thing I want to do is put you in jail. You are the former president of the United States and possibly the next president as well ... but at the end of the day, I have a job to do and part of that job is to protect the dignity of the judicial system.” He also said that Trump’s actions “constitute a direct attack on the rule of law. I cannot allow that to continue”. “So as much as I do not want to impose a jail sanction,” Merchan added sternly, “I want you to understand that I will, if necessary and appropriate.”
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Post by Webster on May 7, 2024 13:55:45 GMT -5
(The Guardian) Stormy Daniels ‘likely’ called as witness today, her lawyer tells APIt is “likely” that Stormy Daniels, an adult film star whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, will be called to testify today, her lawyer told the Associated Press. The $130,000 hush-money payment to Daniels is at the center of this trial. Trump said earlier Tuesday that he was “recently told” who the witness would be on Tuesday and complained he should’ve been given more notice, the Associated Press reports.
Donald Trump’s motorcade has arrived at the Manhattan courthouse. Court is scheduled to get under way at 9.30am ET.
Donald Trump walked into the courtroom, sporting a deep blue suit and buttercup yellow tie.
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Post by Webster on May 7, 2024 13:56:38 GMT -5
(The Guardian) The testimony from Jeffrey McConney, the Trump Organization’s former comptroller and Deborah Tarasoff, the company’s accounts payable supervisor, on Monday sought to place Donald Trump at the center of his company and personal finances – to undermine any defense argument that he was not at the helm of bill-paying. “Who has the authority to approve invoices?” prosecutor Matthew Colangelo asked McConney. “President Trump, before he became president,” McConney said. After Trump became president, those who could sign off on invoices included the former chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg, as well as some of Trump’s adult children. McConney was also asked about a discussion he had with Weisselberg on repaying Michael Cohen. Weisselberg, an unwavering Trump loyalist, was imprisoned after being convicted of perjury for lying in Trump’s civil fraud case. “We have to reimburse Michael,” McConney remembered Weisselberg saying during an early 2017 meeting. During that meeting, they determined that Cohen was owed $420,000 for legal expenses and taxes; the sum included a bonus. “He tossed the pad toward me, I started taking notes on what Allen said.” Colangelo teased out that Trump – whom prosecutors have cast as incredibly cheap – heaped more money on Cohen than was normal for him to do. “Do these notes show that Mr Cohen was receiving $360,000 back on a $180,000 expense?” Colangelo said. “Yes,” McConney replied. “Are you aware of another incident where an expense was doubled because of taxes?” Colangelo continued. McConney said no.
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Post by Webster on May 7, 2024 13:58:03 GMT -5
(The Guardian) Trump attorney asks judge to prohibit Stormy Daniels from testifying about alleged 'sexual act'Trump attorney Susan Necheles reveals that Stormy Daniels is expected to be the prosecution’s second witness for the day. She’s fighting to keep details about the alleged sex act between Daniels and Donald Trump under wraps.
Prosecutors said that they don’t plan on going into any salacious details about the sexual act. “The details of the encounter are important,” Susan Hoffinger argued, saying they provided “reasons for why she did what she did” with signing the NDA. -- The details will be how she ended up having a sexual encounter with him.”It’s not going to involve any descriptions of genitalia or anything of that nature,” Hoffinger said later. Merchan said he didn’t have an issue so long as there wouldn’t be details about the alleged sex act. Hoffinger interjected: Your honor, there will be some details very briefly, very briefly.Merchan agreed that some discussion of the sexual encounter was admissible, citing that Daniels has “got credibility issues,” which necessitated including some information.
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Post by Webster on May 7, 2024 13:59:19 GMT -5
(The Guardian) Judge allows prosecutors to call Stormy Daniels as witnessJuan Merchan allows – over Donald Trump’s objections – the Manhattan district attorney’s office to call Stormy Daniels as the second witness today. Trump, wearing a lemon-yellow tie today, appears unimpressed. First witness calledThe prosecution has called its first witness of the day: Sally Franklin, the senior vice-president and executive managing editor for Penguin Random House publishing group.
Sally Franklin, the first witness called to the stand today, is testifying as a records custodian. Her testimony allows prosecutors to enter into evidence copies of some of Donald Trump’s previous books, including Trump: How to Get Rich.
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Post by Webster on May 7, 2024 14:00:28 GMT -5
(The Guardian) Prosecutor Rebecca Mangold asks Sally Franklin to read a line from Donald Trump’s book, Trump: How to Get Rich, in which Trump wrote that: I am the chairman and president of the Trump Organization. I like saying that because it means a great deal to me.Another excerpt with the chapter title “Pay attention to the details” reads: If you don’t know every aspect of what you’re doing, down to the paperclips, you’re setting yourself up for some unwelcome surprises.
Right now, on direct-examination, the prosecution is asking Sally Franklin, of Random House, about books by Donald Trump that the company has published. Among them is How to Get Rich. Franklin was asked to read excerpts from Trump’s texts. “For many years, I’ve said that if someone screws you, screw them back,” one passage read by Franklin said. -- Like it says in the Bible, an eye for an eye.She was also asked about a portion of text that read, “All the women on the Apprentice flirted with me” and claimed “a sexual dynamic is always present between two people unless [one] is asexual”. One passage also undermines any defense claim that Trump didn’t pay attention to payments as he wrote in his own words: I always sign my checks, so I know where my money is going … I always read my bills, so I know I’m not overcharged.
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Post by Webster on May 7, 2024 14:02:59 GMT -5
(The Guardian) Prosecutors are having Sally Franklin, a Penguin Random House executive, read through a series of passages from some of Trump’s books bragging about his cheapness and how he watched his outflows closely. The thrust here is that Trump, in his own words, paid close attention to his finances – casting doubt on the Trump defense claim that he merely signed the checks to reimburse Michael Cohen for paying the hush money without knowing what it was for.
On re-direct, Sally Franklin was asked to read Donald Trump’s acknowledgments page from How to Get Rich, to show that Trump’s words reflected his real-life speech and behavior, and were not a ghostwriter’s artful turn of phrase. “She’s done a remarkable job helping me put my experiences on paper,” Trump said, in reference to secondary author Meredith McIver. By saying “helping me put my experiences on paper,” Trump is attributing things he described doing in his book to himself.
Sally Franklin has finished testifying and left the witness stand. Judge Juan Merchan is chatting with both sides at the bench right now.
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Post by Webster on May 7, 2024 14:09:13 GMT -5
(The Guardian) Stormy Daniels called to the standThe prosecution calls its next witness: Stormy Daniels. Daniels, an adult film star whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, says she met Donald Trump in 2006 at a celebrity golf tournament. Daniels was 27 at the time and Trump was 60 and Daniels has always said the sex was consensual. Just before the 2016 election, Daniels said she was approached by Michael Cohen, Trump’s lawyer at the time, and offered $130,000 not to disclose the alleged affair. She accepted the money. “The story was coming out again. I was concerned for my family and their safety,” Daniels told 60 Minutes in 2018. After the Wall Street Journal broke the story of the payment, Daniels sued Trump to release her from the non-disclosure agreement. She said it was void because it had not been signed by Trump.
Stormy Daniels has taken the witness stand. She said that she is testifying pursuant to a subpoeana.
Donald Trump is leaning back in his chair with a passive look on his face as Stormy Daniels takes the stand in his criminal trial. In the rows behind Trump, his attorney Alina Habba is sitting with her arms crossed, Eric Trump is looking at the wall, and Trump aide Boris Epshteyn is on his phone.
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Post by Webster on May 7, 2024 14:10:48 GMT -5
(The Guardian) Daniels testifies about her personal biography as prosecutors paint sympathetic portraitSusan Hoffinger, in asking Stormy Daniels about her background, is making her a sympathetic character. The prosecutor knows that Donald Trump’s team is going to try chipping away at Daniels’ credibility, so she is showing that the adult actress is a dynamic, kind, intelligent woman. Daniels testified that she had received a full scholarship for veterinary medicine but didn’t attend, because of the cost. She got into the adult industry in high school, when Daniels met someone at a horse stable where she worked, who turned out to be an exotic dancer. -- I started dancing on the weekends, which was actually kind of cool because I didn’t have to miss any classes, and I could make more in two nights than I did shoveling manure eight hours a day.Hoffinger also prompted Daniels to discuss how she left home early, at age 17. “My mother was very neglectful, she would disappear for days at the time,” Daniels recalled. -- I wish I could say she was some kind of addict, because that would be some sort of excuse...Hoffigner asked Daniels whether she’d supported herself since leaving home as a teen. “Yes,” Daniels said.
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Post by Webster on May 7, 2024 14:12:07 GMT -5
(The Guardian) As Stormy Daniels responds to Susan Hoffinger’s questions, she is looking both toward the prosecutor and addressing jurors directly. At one point, she took a sip of water from a plastic cup.
“I’d like to now direct your attention to July 2006,” says Susan Hoffinger, the prosecutor. Stormy Daniels says she was in Lake Tahoe with Wicked Entertainment, an adult company. “What were you and others from Wicked Entertainment doing in Lake Tahoe in July in 2006?” She said that Wicked was there to promote the company. -- The players would come around, you’d stay at your hole that had your company’s logo, give them water or towels...-Did you meet Donald Trump on the golf course at that celebrity golf tournament?” -Daniels said: “Yes, I did.” She later said “it was a very brief encounter on the course.” -What was discussed? -“It wasn’t very much …”
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Post by Webster on May 7, 2024 14:14:02 GMT -5
(The Guardian) Daniels identifies Trump in courtroomStormy Daniels, asked by prosecutors to pick out Donald Trump in the courtroom during her direct examination, identifies him at the defense table. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger asked: Do you see Mr Trump in the courtroom today?“Uh, navy blue jacket,” Daniels said, pointing to the defense table. Daniels testifies about meeting Trump at celebrity golf tournamentStormy Daniels said that her boss from Wicked introduced Donald Trump to all of his contract workers and when he got to her, revealed that she was also a director. Trump, she recalled, said she must be pretty smart if she directed too. Daniel was asked whether they ran into each other again at the tourament. She said that they did, in one of the gift rooms. -- Like I mentioned, every party came through, there’s so many photos of the girls with all the celebrities that came through that day … He did remember us from the golf course – he remembered me specifically, that I was the smart one.“We did have our DVDs, our adult films there, he did ask for one I directed.” Daniels said it was called Three Wishes. They spoke very briefly. At one point, one of Trump’s bodyguards came over and said “Mr Trump was interested in having me join him for dinner.” Hoffinger asked Daniels: What was your answer? “No.”
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Post by Webster on May 7, 2024 14:14:47 GMT -5
(The Guardian) The court is taking a short break. Before the break, Stormy Daniels was asked what her expectations were about going to Donald Trump’s hotel room after meeting him at the celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe. Daniels testified that she had no expectations other than going for dinner with someone else. Asked to describe their meeting in the penthouse suite of the hotel, Daniels said Trump was wearing silk or satin pyjamas and that she made fun of him for them, asking “Does Mr Hefner know you stole his pyjamas?” She said she asked him to go and change, which he did. When he returned in a suit, they sat at a dining table and began talking. She said they spoke about how she grew up, and he asked whether she had a boyfriend. Daniels said Trump asked her how she got involved in the adult entertainment business, and that he was very interested in how she had segued from being a porn star to writing and directing.
Stormy Daniels testified that most people want to know the salacious details of her work, but that Donald Trump was interested in the business aspects. She said he asked questions including if she had health insurance, or about STD testing.
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