#TrumpTrial 🧵 Thurs, May 2
charges are falsifying business records to hide #HushMoney payments in lead up to 2016 election to #influence electorate
just one Trump supporter at the courthouse draped in a Trump flag.
#StormyDaniels's lawyer, #KeithDavidson, to return to stand. He negotiated the hush-money payment at the center of the case, & is expected to lay out details of the deal.
#criminal #law #Trump #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #KarenMcDougal
Davidson’s testimony on Tues ended w/how he had started to doubt #MichaelCohen would pay the $130k.
Before the day ended, Davidson said Cohen forwarded him an email from First Republic Bank vouching for his solvency.
In addition to #StormyDaniels, Davidson represented #KarenMcDougal, a Playboy model who had a year-long affair w/ #Trump. McDougal also received #HushMoney —$150k from the parent company of The #NationalEnquirer.
#criminal #law #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference
Before the jury is called back in, Justice #Merchan plans to hold a hearing on whether #Trump has again violated the #GagOrder in the case.
Trump went to his social media platform this morning to again saying:
"We cannot let this radical left, corrupt & highly conflicted New York Democrat judge interfere w/the presidential election of 2024 — the most important election in the history of our country. The USA is truly a nation in decline! Remove the unconstitutional gag order."
#Trump also attacked Justice #Merchan at a rally in Wisconsin last night & said that the #jury in this trial was drawn from a county —Manhattan — which is “a 95% or so Democrat area.”
Trump continued the same line of attack in the courthouse hallway. According to a pool report, he referred to Justice Merchan as conflicted & bragged about yesterday's rallies.
#criminal #law #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #MobTactics #GagOrder #TrumpTrial
Gag order hearing is underway
Moments into the prosecutors' argument, #Trump slapped the arm of his lead lawyer, Todd Blanche, and gestured with his hands. They spoke briefly and then Trump sat back and immediately shut his eyes.
#criminal #law #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #MobTactics #GagOrder #TrumpTrial
Regarding #Trump’s comments about David #Pecker being nice, prosecutor Conroy argued it was a threat to other witnesses “be nice or else face attacks” not sure that will work. Conroy called Trump’s statements as “air of menace” I agree, but if we’re supposed to infer for a #GagOrder that gets a little tricky.
#criminal #law #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #MobTactics #TrumpTrial
Conroy re #MichaelCohen,:
The judge, in ruling against #Trump after the first hearing, warned that #witnesses could not use the #GagOrder as a “sword,” attacking Trump while knowing that he would be fined for attacking them back. Conroy acknowledges that: “We understand the court's concern about Michael Cohen.” But he wants the violation recognized, as he says Trump is trying to “disrupt” the process & that his statements are “corrosive to this proceeding”
#Trump atty #Blanche argues the purpose of the #GagOrder is to “protect the integrity of these proceedings” & that none of the 4 statements at issue were disruptive to the trial, & continues to say Trump’s statements are responses to political attacks.
Blanche mentions a comment from President #Biden at the WH Correspondents' Dinner in which the president made an oblique reference to #StormyDaniels, saying that Trump had been experiencing “stormy weather.”
But the judge asks, isn’t it possible to respond to #Biden without actually mentioning #StormyDaniels, a potential #witness?
[also Biden isn’t under a #GagOrder, threatening any #witnesses or facing multiple #criminal charges]
#Trump appeared to get frustrated during this exchange & motioned w/his hands.
#law #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #MobTactics #TrumpTrial
#Blanche complains about media coverage in the argument, but #Trump seeks out the media, he gives multiple stmnts outside the courtroom & constantly discusses the trial. He’s running on his #criminal charges.
Justice #Merchan says he doesn’t understand Blanche’s argument comparing Trump’s inability to speak out freely w/journalists' ability to report freely on him everyday. “They’re not defendants in this case," Merchan says forcefully. "They’re not subject to the #GagOrder.”
#Blanche is arguing that #Trump has to respond to reporters who ask him about #witnesses.
Justice #Merchan replies, “It was your client who went down to that holding area & stood in front of the press & started to speak. It wasn’t the press that went to him. He went to the press. He didn’t need to go in that direction.” He adds, “Nobody forced your client” to go talk to reporters in the courthouse hallway when he attacked #MichaelCohen.
After Justice #Merchan pointed out that no one is forcing #Trump to talk to the #press, #Blanche’s response, “I agree with that.”
Merchan continues to express concern about Trump’s rights to free speech, particularly as a political candidate. He says that a whole press area has been set aside for Trump in the hallway so that “your client, as candidate for the presidency, has the opportunity to speak about absolutely anything he wants.”
Justice #Merchan seems very mindful of #Trump painting himself as a #martyr, & is trying to emphasize Trump’s #FreeSpeech rights as a candidate.
Merchan says he’s not that concerned w/the potential violation where Trump referred to David Pecker as “a nice guy.”
Blanche moved on to #MichaelCohen.
Who has really been relentless & isn’t doing the prosecution any favors.
Blanche shows some of Cohen’s tweets.
#criminal #law #CatchAndKill #ElectionInterference #MobTactics #GagOrder #TrumpTrial
#Blanche discusses #MichaelCohen’s Tik-Tok videos, saying, “This is not a man that needs protection from the gag order.”
This is a serious concern for prosecutors. Their #witness, who had said that he would be silent after having attacked #Trump, has not. + Justice #Merchan has already written that he is somewhat sympathetic to the defense’s argument here.
#criminal #law #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #MobTactics #GagOrder #TrumpTrial
Justice #Merchan signals he continues to have little patience for #Trump’s comments about the #jury, saying they were mostly #Democrats.
Pretty sure he’ll be penalized for at least those comments.
The #GagOrder violations hearing is over.
Hopefully Merchan will give a ruling soon on it.
Short break.
#KeithDavidson, #StormyDaniels's lawyer, is back on the stand for more questioning from prosecutors.
#criminal #law #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #MobTactics #TrumpTrial
#KeithDavidson starts off by reminding the jury how bad things had gotten between him & #MichaelCohen. #DylanHoward, the editor of The #NationalEnquirer, had to step in because Davidson believed Cohen was “not telling me the truth” about the delay in receiving a #HushMoney payment for #StormyDaniels’s story.
Prosecution next shows Davidson text to Howard saying he has received the #HushMoney payment: “funds received.”
#criminal #law #Trump #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference
Side note, while Todd #Blanche was arguing against penalizing #Trump for violating the #GagOrder inside the courtroom, Trump was literally fundraising off it. In a message sent to supporters, Trump wrote that he’s “been FULLY GAGGED” & “stuck in court all day.”
The message included a link to a survey asking whether “you support President Trump more or less after every single witch hunt, raid, indictment, & arrest.“
#KeithDavidson is asked to go over the specifics of the #HushMoney contract w/ #StormyDaniels & #MichaelCohen, which was signed “on behalf of” #Trump.
Davidson confirmed that Daniels' contract had a $1M liquidated damages provision, meaning that Daniels would be obligated to pay $1M if she breached the contract.
Davidson added that Cohen was the person who insisted the provision contain an amount so high.
#criminal #law #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference
More on #MichaelCohen signing “on behalf of” #Trump:
#KeithDavidson said Cohen signed the documents instead of “David Dennison”, which was the alias they used for Trump.
Prosecutor #Steinglass showed the doc in court & the signatures from Cohen, #StormyDaniels, & Davidson, but there wasn’t one from Trump.
#criminal #law #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #TrumpTrial
👀👀
#KeithDavidson is asked about a text he sent #DylanHoward (#NationalEnquirer) on election night as the election was about to get called for #Trump.
“What have we done?” Davidson texted.
Howard responded: “Oh my god.”
Davidson describes his text as “gallows humor,” but explains that “there was an understanding” that their “activities may have in some way assisted the presidential campaign of Donald Trump.”
#criminal #law #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #TrumpTrial
As results came in on election night, #DylanHoward called #MichaelCohen, who invited him to celebrate at the Hilton in Times Square. He went w/one of his #NationalEnquirer reporters.
Davidson on Cohen:
"He said something to the effect of, Jesus Christ, can you f---ing believe I'm not going to Washington... I've saved that guy's a-- so many times you don't even know."
Defense will love that testimony.
#criminal #law #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #TrumpTrial
Nonilex
Eddie Knight
Mr. Bruno 
Marc Geffen
KC-DOZ