Prosecutors play a video #Trump put out right after the #AccessHollywood tape was made public. He acknowledged in the video that he made the comments on the tape. The video statement was recorded after he had earlier refused to apologize, though his aides told him to.
“I’ve said some foolish things, but there’s a big difference between the words & actions of other people,” Trump says in the video, then he attacks Hillary & Bill Clinton.
Prosecutors enter a series of tweets into #evidence:
Trump attacking Senator John McCain
Trump insisting he never inappropriately touched 2 women who claimed he had
Trump complaining he’d lost female supporters, all from 2016
Defense lawyers fought the admission of these tweets.
Georgia Longstreet describes the posts from the stand.
There’s now a TruthSocial post from March 2023 in which Trump, in colorful terms, denies an affair w/ #StormyDaniels.
The evidence appears designed to lay out #Trump’s tendency to lie, his vulnerability among female voters, & motives for the cover up.
Trump lawyer #Blanche is now cross-examining Georgia Longstreet, asking her about #MichaelCohen & whether she tracked his #socialmedia as part of her job. She says she followed his tweets & his podcast. Asked if she listened to every episode of the podcast, Longstreet responds “absolutely not,” getting a big laugh in the courtroom.
Blanche implies that someone else is writing Trump’s social media posts, the ones Trump posts under his handle on a website that he routinely tells people is the “true voice of America.” lol 😂
#criminal #law #Trump #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #HushMoney #StormyDaniels #KarenMcDougal
The people call #HopeHicks, Matthew #Colangelo, one of the prosecutors, says.
She is visibly uncomfortable. She is testifying under subpoena. She says she's "nervous.”
Hope Hicks refers to #Trump as “Mr. Trump.” Notably, she says she’s paying for her own lawyer. She says the last time she spoke to Trump was summer or fall of 2022.
That was around the time when text messages she exchanged w/a colleague criticizing the #Jan6 attack were made public.
Prosecutor #Colangelo begins questioning #HopeHicks about participating in key meetings.
Hicks acknowledges that she was frequently involved, going in & out of Trump’s office.
Hicks calls #Trump “a very good multitasker & a very hard worker.” 💨🍑
#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #HushMoney #StormyDaniels #KarenMcDougal
#HopeHicks continues flattering her old boss, saying that the #TrumpOrganization was big & successful, but run “like a small family business.” Because of that, she says, “Everybody that works there in some sense reports to Mr. Trump.”
This is good for prosecutors showing #Trump personally ran his affairs; Hicks can come off as praising him while simultaneously harming him.
#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #HushMoney #StormyDaniels #KarenMcDougal
#HopeHicks is asked about #KeithSchiller, who was #Trump’s longtime bodyguard. Schiller is a fmr NYPD detective.
Hicks is asked about others who were in Trump's close circle, such as the #TrumpOrganization's fmr CFO, #AllenWeisselberg, & Trump’s assistant, #RhonaGraff.
Trump’s eyes are glued onto Hicks as she begins her testimony. This is the most alert he’s been since the trial started.
#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #HushMoney #NodFarter
Colangelo keeps asking #HopeHicks to acknowledge that #Trump oversaw every aspect of her job: “I reported to Mr. Trump” & “Mr. Trump was responsible” are two things she’s just said. Again, this is key for prosecutors, showing that Trump is a hands-on manager — & hoping to convince the jury he would have taken the same hands-on approach as #MichaelCohen brought him news of negative stories to quash.
#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #HushMoney
#HopeHicks is emphatic when asked if she checked w/ #Trump before issuing statements about him. “Absolutely,” she says.
Hicks testified that when she began working for Trump in 2015 during his first campaign, the media team consisted of only the 2 of them.
"It was just me & Mr. Trump," Hicks said.
She went on to say that later in the general election there was a larger staff that dealt w/phone calls & other needs around the office.
#HopeHicks is testifying in detail how #Trump praised David #Pecker, then the publisher of The #NationalEnquirer, after the tabloid ran a story saying one of his #GOP presidential rivals, Dr. Ben Carson, had left a sponge in a young girl’s brain. “Mr. Trump was congratulating him on the great reporting,” she recalls. “This is Pulitzer-worthy,” Hicks says she recalls him saying.
#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference
Asked to describe the #NationalEnquirer article attack on #TedCruz’s father, #HopeHicks looks like she is going to laugh: “His father may have been involved with Lee Harvey Oswald” — the man who shot John F. Kennedy — “or something like that.”
Hope Hicks is now being questioned about the “#AccessHollywood” tape & her expression is no longer jovial. She swallows hard & says that yes, she was familiar.
#criminal #law #Trump #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference
#HopeHicks is shown an email that reporter David Fahrenthold sent her on 7 Oct, 2016, seeking comment on the #AccessHollywood tape. The email contained a transcript of what was said on it.
“I was concerned. Very concerned.…I was concerned about the contents of the email, I was concerned about the lack of time to respond, I was concerned that we had a transcript but not a tape. There was a lot at play.”
#criminal #law #Trump #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #HushMoney
#HopeHicks is then shown a copy of her email forwarding the message to to “campaign leadership.” The email went to, among other people, Kellyanne Conway & Steve Bannon.
In it, she says: “Need to hear the tape to be sure,” & “Deny, deny, deny.” She describes it to prosecutor Colangelo as a “reflex.”
#criminal #law #Trump #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #HushMoney #MobTactics #NodFarter #GagOrder #StormyDaniels #KarenMcDougal
#HopeHicks says that when she shared the email from The Washington Post w/ #Trump, one of his initial reactions was to say that his comments about assaulting women “didn’t sound like something he would say.” [he later admits it was him, so = liar]
Hicks says she went to conference room to discuss #AccessHollywood tape & Trump came to see what was happening:
"Everyone was just absorbing the shock of it."
#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #HushMoney
The prosecution played the video #Trump recorded on 7 Oct, 2016, when he acknowledged that he’d said the words on the #AccessHollywood tape & apologized.
Months after being elected, Trump was telling people the tape was a fake.
If a tape came out today, there’s no doubt that Trump would claim it was AI & his voters would believe him. It’s impossible to imagine him apologizing now.
2024 ≠ 2016
#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #HushMoney
#HopeHicks testified that the media response to the #AccessHollywood tape was “intense” & that it “dominated coverage.” She recalled that a Category 4 hurricane was anticipated to make landfall at that time but she doesn’t think anyone remembers where or when the hurricane landed. “It was all #Trump all the time for the next 36 hours,” she said.
#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #HushMoney
#HopeHicks testified that she thought that the #AccessHollywood tape was going to be a massive story that would dominate the news cycle for at least the next several days.
She said it was a “damaging development” for the campaign, w/lots of layers that “complicated where we were trying to go in a way that was going to be hard to overcome.”
“There was consensus among us all that the tape was damaging & that this was going to be a crisis," she said.
👀👀👀
#HopeHicks says she called #MichaelCohen to make sure there wasn't ANOTHER tape.
She says she asked Cohen to “chase down a rumor,” she says, about another tape he had heard about that could be problematic for the campaign. This could be the beginning of hearing what Hicks has to say about the. #HushMoney payment to #StormyDaniels, which was made by Cohen & where the charges against #Trump stem from.
#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference
Prosecutor: Did you become aware of reports regarding #Trump's behavior w/ women?
#HopeHicks: After the tape yes.
Hicks confirms she first heard about additional stories at a 15 Oct rally.
Hicks says she first heard #KarenMcDougal's name when she got an inquiry from the WSJ on 4 Nov, 2016.
Hicks says she heard about #StormyDaniels a YEAR before WSJ story.
#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #HushMoney
#HopeHicks says she heard #KarenMcDougal's name in an email from the WSJ on 4 Nov, 2016 saying:
She told #Trump, & forwarded to #JaredKushner because he had a good relationship w/ #RupertMurdoch.
"We need comment as soon as possible..."
Kushner said he couldn’t reach Murdoch so she reached out to #MichaelCohen because she knew he had a relationship w/ David #Pecker.
#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #HushMoney
#HopeHicks re the email to #JaredKushner:
she said, bc of Kushner’s good relationship w/ #RupertMurdoch — who owned the WSJ— maybe he could “buy a little extra time to deal with this.” Kushner responded that “he wasn’t going to be able to reach Rupert & we should just work on responding & dealing with it.”
The first question asked in the email: “Did Mr. #Trump have an extramarital affair w/ #KarenMcDougal?”
#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #HushMoney
#StormyDaniels was also going to be mentioned in the WSJ artice, #HopeHicks testifies, & says that she spoke not only to #MichaelCohen about Daniels's claims, but to #Trump too.
This fits w/ the banker’s testimony & Daniels’s lawyer’s testimony about Cohen becoming increasingly frantic in seeking to quiet Daniels once they knew a reporter was on the trail of the story.
#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #HushMoney
#HopeHicks said she worked w/ #MichaelCohen on a stmnt in response to WSJ's story on #KarenMcDougal & the #NationalEnquirer
Hicks wrote things like,“We deny each & every accusation”
Cohen’s version:
"These accusations are completely untrue & just the latest despicable attempt by the liberal media & the Clinton machine to distract the public from the FBI’s ongoing criminal investigation into Secretary Clinton & her closest associates” acc/to a court exhibit of the email
#HopeHicks is expected to return to the stand soon to resume her testimony. She likely won’t be up there much longer today.
Friday’s #TrumpTrial will adjourn around 3:45PM ET US due to a juror having an appointment.
So it is likely Hicks will be back on the stand Monday not only for cross, but possibly for further direct.
#criminal #law #Trump #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #StormyDaniels #KarenMcDougal #HushMoney #MobTactics #NodFarter
#TrumpTrial resumes
#HopeHicks continues her testimony, she says she denied that #Trump had a relationship w/ #StormyDaniels to The WSJ.
Prosecution asks if she witnessed conversations between Trump & #MichaelCohen
“I believe I heard Mr. Trump speaking to Mr. Cohen shortly after the story was published,” she says.
If prosecutors can show the Cohen-Trump relationship, it’ll be easier to convince jurors that Cohen was doing Trump’s bidding & not acting on his own as defense is arguing.
#HopeHicks explains how the Trump campaign responded to the story about #KarenMcDougal, who was paid $150k + work by #AMI the parent company of The #NationalEnquirer as #HushMoney.
Hicks says that she was told by #Trump that he had not had an affair w/ McDougal, but that she did not remember him “verbatim” saying that he had no knowledge of that hush-money deal.
This is testimony of a lie shared w/the media & public.
#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference
Prosecution introduces texts between #HopeHicks & #MichaelCohen on 4 Nov, 2016, after the WSJ article about #Trump’s affairs w/ #KarenMcDougal & #StormyDaniels was published.
Texts show Cohen repeatedly & urgently asking Hicks for an updates.
In the texts, Cohen is monitoring how other outlets are picking up the WSJ story.
When Cohen mentions how little coverage the story was getting, Hope replies to Cohen, “Keep praying!! It’s working!”
One text from #MichaelCohen to #HopeHicks is particularly damaging to #Trump:
Cohen says he’s got a denial from #StormyDaniels, whom he calls “Storm,” but is holding it in reserve.
Hicks says Trump was very concerned about the WSJ story about his affairs & the #HushMoney payments. He was worried about his wife’s reaction & asked Hicks to make sure newspapers weren’t delivered to their residence.
#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference
Prosecutor Colangelo asked further about Trump’s reaction to the WSJ article, specifically if #Trump was concerned about the campaign.
#HopeHicks acknowledged that Trump was concerned about that & asked her how the story “was playing” — given this was only a few days before the election.
The testimony about Melania is what the Trump defense will seize on. It provides an alternative motive for the cover up.
#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference
#HopeHicks describes reaction to the WSJ article on the $130k paid to #StormyDaniels & says she can’t recall certain facts about this period.
Hicks said she believes she overheard #MichaelCohen, #Trump & #ReincePriebus talking as they were in a car at the airport on their way to a campaign rally in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Hicks said she heard Trump but doesn’t remember what was said.
Priebus is on the list of witnesses, expect him to be questioned about the conversation.
#HopeHicks testifies about her time at the #WhiteHouse, after #Trump was elected.
Hicks described how she worked in the "outer #OvalOffice" in a small vestibule along w/ Madeleine Westerhout, Trump's ofcl WH exec asst.
This could lead to testimony or evidence concerning Westerhout's role in Trump's receipt & signing of checks to #MichaelCohen.
#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference
#HopeHicks was Trump's WH communications director when #KarenMcDougal sued to be released from her #AMI contract that barred her from speaking about her relationship w/ #Trump.
Hicks testifies Westerhout, Trump's exec asst, texted her, "Hey - the president wants to know if you called David #Pecker again?"
She adds that when she spoke to Trump after McDougal was interviewed on CNN by Anderson Cooper, she didn’t “recall him mentioning Mr. Pecker in those conversations."
#HopeHicks testifies that the morning after #MichaelCohen told The NYT that he had paid #StormyDaniels w/o Trump’s knowledge, #Trump told her Cohen made the payment to protect Trump from false allegations & did it “out of the kindness of his heart”.
Hicks is asked what she made of what Trump said.
Hicks says, “I’d say that would be out of character for Michael. I did not know Michael to be an especially charitable or selfless person; he is a kind of person who seeks credit.”
2X defense tried to object to the prosecutor asking #HopeHicks whether it would have been in character for #MichaelCohen to have paid the #HushMoney w/o telling #Trump. The judge overruled the objections.
The testimony goes directly to Trump being behind the payment to #StormyDaniels, not Cohen.
Then, Hicks bolsters another part of the state's case, saying that it would have been bad if the scandal came out before the election.
#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #conspiracy #ElectionInterference
The direct examination concludes & Emil #Bove, one of Trump's lawyers, stands up to cross-examine Hicks.
#HopeHicks just suddenly began to cry when Bove asked about her time at the #TrumpOrganization.
#Trump, who had been avoiding looking at Hicks, locks his eyes on her when she broke down. He’s furious.
Bove asked if the court should take a break & Hicks answered, "Yes, please."
She appeared to start crying when Bove brought up that Trump gave her opportunities.
#HopeHicks cross-examination resumes.
Bove, the defense lawyer asks about her relationships w/the #Trump family & employees of the #TrumpOrganization.
The questions may be designed to remind Hicks of her fondness for the family or that she owes them somehow.
Bove asks about #MichaelCohen not having an ofcl role w/Trump's 2016 campaign.
“He would try to insert himself at certain moments," she says, feeding into the defense's argument that Cohen was freelancing.
#Bove builds on the #MichaelCohen was freelancing angle, he gets #HopeHicks to agree that Cohen "went rogue" & did things that were “unauthorized."
Hicks helps the defense out by saying, "He liked to call himself a fixer, or Mr. Fix-it, & it was only because he first broke it."
Bove, moves on to when Hicks worked on #Trump's 1st campaign saying the work she did for Trump, & the work done by #Pecker, ( #NationalEnquirer) was all standard operating procedure for a candidate.
#Bove predictably asks #HopeHicks about #Trump's concern over how his wife would react to the #AccessHollywood tape.
Hicks says, “President Trump really values Mrs. Trump's opinion, & she doesn't weigh in all the time, but when she does, it's really meaningful to him. He really, really respects what she has to say. I think he was just concerned of what her perception of this would be."
This goes w/defense's laughable "family man" argument.
#Bove asks his last question of #HopeHicks:
"While you were focused on your job at the White House, you didn't have anything to do w/the business records of the #TrumpOrganization 200+ miles away in NYC, did you?"
Hicks said she didn't.
This brings attention to the fact that the actual charges of falsifying business records have yet to be discussed.
Hicks is excused & leaves the courtroom.
#Trump doesn't look at her as she leaves.
Neither does she look at him.
Testimony & jurors are done but court isn’t. Prosecutors have asked whether they can question #Trump, if he testifies, about his 9 violations of his #GagOrder.
Todd #Blanche, defense, asks Justice Merchan to bar such questioning.
🤣Blanche slips & calls Trump "Mr. Trump," before correcting himself & using Trump's preferred label: "President Trump."
#Colangelo, the prosecutor, responds, saying the judge’s findings that Trump violated his #GagOrder are directly relevant to Trump's #credibility if he takes the stand & points out there is case #law supporting his argument.
Justice Merchan has responded well to #CaseLaw - #precedent - in the past & has expressed frustration w/the defense when they don't cite any.
But Merchan agrees w/defense, saying it would be too prejudicial for a jury to hear that he held Trump in #contempt.
@Nonilex
I doubt that would matter; he'll be unable to control his temper and tongue, and will promptly incriminate and/or perjure himself beyond all recovery.
Which is why his lawyers will do their damndest to keep him off the witness stand.
Nonilex
Steve Hersey