Lawyer: Trump Paid Porn Star for “Protecting Family, Reputation

The trial of former President Donald Trump began with prosecutors outlining their case against him and his defense team countering their claims. The trial, held in lower Manhattan, involves 34 felony counts alleging Trump falsified business records to cover up a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels to silence her claims of a sexual liaison.

The prosecutors accuse Trump, his attorney Michael Cohen, and David Pecker of a criminal conspiracy to influence the 2016 election. The trial takes place as Trump, seeking to return to the White House in a rematch with President Joe Biden, faces multiple prosecutions.

His defense team dismisses the accusations as election interference and a witch hunt by Democrats, while asserting that the payment to Daniels was to protect Trump’s reputation, not for any illicit purpose. The trial includes insider accounts by Cohen and Pecker, as well as emails, text messages, and recordings of Trump discussing the repayment.

The prosecution argues that Trump falsely claimed the payments to Cohen were for legal fees and that the goal was to conceal damaging information ahead of the election and tarnish Trump’s opponents with scurrilous stories. Former President Trump’s defense team portrays him as a victim of overreaching prosecutors and attacks the credibility of key witnesses, including Cohen and Daniels.

They argue that Cohen, with his criminal record and book deals, is obsessed with Trump and cannot be trusted as a witness. The defense also undermines Daniels’ testimony, stating that it does not relate to the financial transactions at the heart of the case and that she still owes Trump money from legal judgments.

Despite the salacious nature of her account, the defense contends that it does not matter in the context of the trial.