Trump trial replay: Stormy Daniels finishes combative cross-examination in hush money case
Stormy Daniels finished hours of combative cross-examination by Donald Trump's lawyer Thursday in the former president's New York hush money trial, while lawyers said former Playboy model Karen McDougal would not testify.
Trump attorney Susan Necheles raised minor inconsistencies in how Daniels has told the story of her alleged sexual encounter with Trump over the years. Necheles has also pressed Daniels on the ways she has profited from her story.
Stay posted with the latest news Trump trial live updates: Ex-Oval Office aide who testified on checks returns to stand
Daniels' story of that 2006 evening formed the basis for a $130,000 hush money payment she got from Trump lawyer Michael Cohen less than two weeks before the 2016 presidential election. Prosecutors allege the payment violated federal campaign finance laws and that Trump falsified records to cover it up.
After Daniels' defiant testimony wrapped, prosecutors called less controversial witnesses, including Madeleine Westerhout, who was Trump's White House special assistant before she was fired in 2018 for dishing on the Trump children with reporters. Judge Juan Merchan also rejected the former president's request for a mistrial.
Catch up with USA TODAY's live updates from inside and outside the Manhattan courtroom:
Proceedings end for Thursday
The jury was sent home early today, but proceedings for everyone else ran late. After denying for a second time the Trump team's request for a mistrial based on Stormy Daniels' testimony, the judge sent everyone home. Proceedings will start again at 9:30 a.m. EDT on Friday.
– Aysha Bagchi
Judge uses Trump lawyer's words against him, denies motion for mistrial
Judge Juan Merchan said he went back to the transcript of opening statements at the trial after the Trump team asked for a mistrial on Tuesday. He said Trump lawyer Todd Blanche denied Trump and Daniels ever had sex.
That denial was, indeed, clear and emphatic: Blanche said Daniels was paid for her agreement not to publicly spread "false – false – claims" about Trump, placing emphasis on the first word.
"Your denial puts the jury in a position of having to choose who they believe," Merchan said Thursday. The prosecution, he said, had the right to rehabilitate Daniels' credibility after that opening statement, which had "immediately attacked it."
Merchan also disputed the Trump team's claim that they didn't object earlier in Daniels' testimony because they believed Merchan had ruled in advance that it was permitted. He said, looking back at the record, Trump lawyer Susan Necheles objected very early on, and so she can't say she didn't object because of his ruling. He said there were many times when she could have objected and didn't, and he pointed to specific page numbers in the transcript.
– Aysha Bagchi
Donald Trump lashes out at judge over gag order preventing him from talking about Stormy Daniels
Donald Trump stormed out of the courtroom on Thursday blasting Judge Juan Merchan, who refused to modify his gag order so that Trump could respond to the testimony from porn actress Stormy Daniels.
“Everybody saw what happened today,” Trump told reporters in a one-minute statement. “I don’t think we have to do any explaining. I’m not allowed to anyway because this judge is corrupt.”
Merchan refused Trump lawyer Todd Blanche’s request to change his order prohibiting Trump from talking about witnesses or jurors in the trial.
Daniels had detailed a sexual encounter that Trump has denied outside court ever happened. But Merchan said if Trump wanted to rebut her testimony, he should do so in court rather than outside.
– Bart Jansen
Prosecutor says Stormy Daniels' story is why Donald Trump 'tried so hard to prevent the American people from hearing about this'
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass argued that the bad light Daniels' story puts Trump in is core to the entire election interference case, alleging that Daniels' story was Trump's "motive" for the hush money arrangement.
The fact that "the testimony is prejudicial and messy, according to Mr. Blanche – that is why Mr. Trump tried so hard to prevent the American people from hearing about this."
Steinglass added that the prosecution kept out many embarrassing details about Trump. He said he could submit a private document to the court on those details, and he specifically referenced details of the alleged sexual encounter. He characterized the earlier alleged dinner as a "relatively harmless conversation," by comparison.
– Aysha Bagchi
Stormy Daniels used a 'dog whistle for rape,' Trump lawyer says
Defense lawyer Todd Blanche ? who is urging Judge Merchan to both allow Trump to respond publicly to Stormy Daniels' testimony and to declare a mistrial based on it ? said portions of her testimony were a "dog whistle for rape." He complained about her saying she forgot aspects of the alleged sexual encounter and describing a power imbalance between her and the real estate mogul.
Blanche also said "it almost defies belief that we're here about a records case" and the government is asking about Daniels rolling up a magazine while at dinner with Trump and "spanking him." He questioned the relevancy of the testimony, compared to what he described as its prejudicial nature.
– Aysha Bagchi
Trump visibly displeased as judge indicates he will maintain gag order
Trump shifted from leaning forward to sitting back in his chair, making a face of visible displeasure, as the judge responded to defense lawyer Todd Blanche's argument for modifying the gag order.
Merchan said: "I don't see what you're referring to as a new set of facts."
While Merchan continued talking to Blanche, whom the judge asked to sit down, Trump turned to his right and started simultaneously quietly speaking to Blanche for a short time.
– Aysha Bagchi
More: Here's what to know about Donald Trump's lead lawyer in his hush money trial
Judge signals he won't modify gag order, citing Trump's 'track record'
Judge Juan Merchan and defense attorney Todd Blanche are still in a back-and-forth, but Merchan has indicated he's not inclined to modify Trump's gag order.
"My concern is not just with protecting Ms. Daniels or a witness who has already testified," he said. "My concern is with protecting the integrity of these proceedings as a whole."
"Witnesses who have not testified will see what happens," Merchan added. He said potential witnesses will see Trump assailing people who have testified and infer they could be next.
"I can't take your word for it" that Trump's comments, if permitted, would be "low key," Merchan added. "Because that's just not the track record."
Trump has been found in contempt for violating Merchan's gag order on 10 occasions, and the judge has threatened jail time for future violations.
Merchan referred to past attacks Trump has made in his legal cases, which the judge referenced when he issued the gag order, describing them as "vitriol."
"Your client's track record speaks for itself," Merchan said.
Nonetheless, Blanche is continuing to plead about the issue.
– Aysha Bagchi
Prosecutor paints potential gag order changes as a threat to witnesses
Prosecutor Christopher Conroy is pushing an argument Judge Juan Merchan has already expressed some sympathy for: That Donald Trump's gag order doesn't just protect the potential and actual witnesses that Trump would be inclined to attack, it also protects other potential witnesses who haven't yet been named.
"The gag order doesn't just protect the potential and actual witnesses that Trump would otherwise target, but also other potential witnesses who see the attacks," Conroy said.
Merchan made that point when he previously addressed the Trump team's complaint that Trump can't attack Michael Cohen's likely participation in the hush money trial, even though Cohen regularly attacks Trump on public platforms.
Modifying the gag order "would signal to future witnesses that they could be at risk as well," Conroy said.
– Aysha Bagchi
More: Under threat of jail, stakes for Trump gag order violations climb. What can he still say?
Trump lawyer targets gag order over Stormy Daniels testimony
Trump lawyer Todd Blanche is asking for accommodation when it comes to Judge Merchan's gag order so that Trump can respond to porn star Stormy Daniels' testimony.
Blanche said the press has been reporting over the past 24 hours on the "current version" of Daniels' story, which "we believe is completely false." Blanche characterized Daniels' story as "completely different in kind" from her past accounts of a purported 2006 sexual liaison with Trump. Blanche also characterized Trump's ability to respond as an election-related issue.
Prosecutor Christopher Conroy has begun responding.
– Aysha Bagchi
More: Trump's trial, Stormy Daniels and why our shifting views of sex and porn matter right now
Former Playboy model Karen McDougal will not testify, Trump lawyer says he's been told
Trump lawyer Todd Blanche said the prosecution told him they don't plan to call former Playboy model Karen McDougal to testify.
McDougal received a $150,000 payment form the National Enquirer's parent company to keep quiet about her alleged affair with Trump. Trump denies he had a relationship with the December 1997 Playmate of the Month.
For that reason, the Trump team is no longer renewing a motion to exclude her testify, Blanche said.
– Aysha Bagchi
Jury sent home for evening
Judge Juan Merchan sent the jury home for the evening, indicating we will start back up tomorrow. However, Merchan is still holding a hearing now about issues Trump lawyer Todd Blanche raised earlier.
– Aysha Bagchi
'He was a really good boss': Westerhout praises former president
Former presidential aide Madeleine Westerhout said Trump never once made her feel like she didn't deserve her job in the White House, or that she didn't belong there, which she found especially notable since she was in an office filled with "older men."
"He was a really good boss," she said, adding she hopes he respected her and her job. She found him "really enjoyable to work for."
– Aysha Bagchi
Westerhout praises Trump as she describes book, seeing Trump at fundraiser
Madeleine Westerhout testified about writing her 2020 book, Off the Record, about her experience in the White House. She said she wanted to document the "incredible experience" she had in the Trump administration, and that it was important to her to share with the American people "the man that I got to know."
Westerhout was fired from the White House in 2018, but her allegiance to Trump endured. "I don't think he's treated fairly and I wanted to tell that story," she said.
Westerhout said she has spoken to Trump since the publication of her book. She saw he was having a fundraiser near her home and called one of his aides to ask if she could come to say hello. The aide said yes, so she got to see him then.
– Aysha Bagchi
Aide admired relationship between Melania and Donald Trump
Before speaking about getting fired, former Trump White House aide Madeleine Westerhout said she had admired the relationship between Melania and Donald Trump. She characterized it as "really special" and a relationship of "mutual respect."
"I know he cares a lot about her opinion," Westerhout added.
Westerhout also said of the couple's relationship: "There was really no one else who could kind of put him in his place." She also said the couple "laughed a lot." She described Melania Trump sometimes texting her to say it was after dinner time and asking about her husband.
"I just really respected their relationship," she said.
Asked whether the relationship changed after news of the Stormy Daniels hush money deal broke, Westerhout said: "Not that I saw."
– Aysha Bagchi
More: Former President Trump, senators attend Palm Beach funeral for Melania Trump's mother
Trump 'upset' by Stormy Daniels story
Before she began crying as she described getting fired, Westerhout was asked how Trump reacted when a story about the hush money deal with porn star Stormy Daniels came out. Westerhout said: "I remember he was very upset." She said she believes Trump and Michael Cohen spoke at that time.
– Aysha Bagchi
More: Stormy Daniels spills details about alleged Trump affair. How will they spin this one?
Westerhout begins crying on witness stand
Madeleine Westerhout began crying on the witness stand when prosecutor Rebecca Mangold asked about how Westerhout got fired. She described getting fired after she said things she now regrets saying to a reporter.
Westerhout, Trump's White House gatekeeper and personal assistant, abruptly resigned in August 2019 after making what Trump then described as "hurtful" remarks about his children during an off the record session with reporters.
On the stand on Thursday, she said she's learned a lot from that experience and "I've grown a lot since then."
– Aysha Bagchi
Former aide Westerhout involved in checks awaiting Trump's signature
Madeleine Westerhout appears to have been involved in the process of Trump signing his checks while he was in the White House. This is important because the checks form part of the allegedly falsified business records at the heart of the case.
Earlier today, Trump Organization bookkeeper Rebecca Manochio described Westerhout as a contact she used at the White House when Manochio was sending checks via FedEx for Trump's signature. Westerhout has now been asked about an email she sent to Trump assistant Rhona Graff, which stated:
"R - can you have someone send me a fedex label to send back the checks the President just signed?"
– Aysha Bagchi
'First time boarding Air Force One!': Trump shared photo with Weisselberg
Prosecutor Mangold asked former Trump White House aide Westerhout about an email she sent to Rhona Graff at the Trump Organization, asking Graff to send a photo of Trump boarding Air Force One to Allen Weisselberg.
"First time boarding Air Force One!" the email said. The email stated that Trump had sent the photo to his family, and wanted Weisselberg to see it as well.
Prosecutors seem to be pointing to that as well as statements by Trump about Weisselberg to try to show the two were close and had a relationship built on loyalty.
– Aysha Bagchi
More: Tiny cell, toilet and a bench: what Trump might face if jailed for violating gag order
Prosecutor homes in on contacts for Trump family, David Pecker and Allen Weisselberg
From a list of contacts Graff sent Westerhout, assistant district attorney Rebecca Mangold noted a handful in her questioning. She asked Westerhout about contacts for Trump's sister, Maryanne Trump Barry, his brother, Robert Trump, and his daughter, Tiffany Trump.
Mangold also highlighted David Pecker from the list. Pecker was the head of the parent company for the National Enquirer. Pecker already testified to participating in an arrangement with Trump and Michael Cohen to identify stories about Trump that could damage his 2016 campaign and prevent them from coming out.
– Aysha Bagchi
Trump contact list included Serena Williams, Tom Brady and Jerry Falwell
The jury was shown a list of contacts Trump Organization executive Rhona Graff sent Trump's White House special assistant Madeleine Westerhout. The phone numbers were partially redacted.
It included a host of famous names, among them former NFL quarterback Tom Brady, NFL coach Bill Belichick, and tennis superstar Serena Williams.
Others were major media names, including Mika Brezinski, Sean Hannity, Bret Baier, Bill O'Reilly, Joe Scarborough, and Jeanine Pirro.
Other prominent names included Jerry Falwell of Liberty University, Mark Burnett of Mark Burnett Productions, Steve Wynn of Wynn Resorts, and investor Tom Barrack.
– Aysha Bagchi
Trump liked to use the Oxford comma, former aide says
Westerhout said Trump "liked to use the Oxford comma," referring to putting a comma before "and" when more than two things are listed in a sentence. It's unclear if and how prosecutors plan to use that testimony in their case.
Westerhout also said Trump "was attentive" when it came to "things brought to his attention."
The Oxford comma, or serial comma, is often a point ? or comma ? of contention among writers and publishers.
“There are people who embrace the Oxford comma and people who don’t,” author Lynne Truss wrote in her bestselling book on punctuation, Eats, Shoots & Leaves. "And I’ll just say this: Never get between these people when drink has been taken.”
– Aysha Bagchi
Westerhout asked Trump Organization for Trump's frequent contacts
Trump's former White House aide Madeleine Westerhout said Rhona Graff, Trump's long-time assistant was Westerhout's main Trump Organization contact in 2017.
The jury was shown an email in which Westerhout asked for a list of "the people" Trump frequently talk to. The email, read, "Could you have the girls put together a list for me of people that he frequently spoke to? I don't want to have to bug you all the time ? even though I will still call often :)"
Westerhout explained to the jury that Trump would often ask to call someone, and Westerhout didn't have those people's phone numbers, so her email to Graff was an effort to collect the contact information for people he might ask to speak to.
Graff responded over email: "I'm working on it. Hope to have it to you in a little while."
– Aysha Bagchi
RNC mulled dumping Trump as 2016 candidate after Access Hollywood tape release, ex-Trump aide says
Madeleine Westerhout, Trump's presidential special assistant, described working for the Republican National Committee before joining the White House at the beginning of Trump's presidency. She said she recalls the release of the Access Hollywood tape in early October of 2016 – in which Trump crudely boasted about groping women – "rattling" the RNC's leadership.
There were conversations about "how it would be possible to replace him as a candidate if it came to that," she said.
– Aysha Bagchi
Westerhout describes Trump liking to read while president
Westerhout said Trump liked hard copy documents while he was president, and liked to read. She confirmed to prosecutor Rebecca Mangold that his role required a lot of reading. She also confirmed she can recognize Trump's signature.
– Aysha Bagchi
Madeleine Westerhout, who sat outside Trump's Oval Office, testifying
Madeleine Westerhout, who was Trump's special assistant and director of Oval Office operations during Trump's presidency, has been called by the prosecution. She has described sitting in a room just outside the Oval Office after she joined the White House in January of 2017.
– Aysha Bagchi
Brief cross-examination of Menzies ends
Trump lawyer Todd Blanche only had a brief cross-examination for Menzies, in which he asked her about Trump's relationship with a ghostwriter.
– Aysha Bagchi
Trump quoted on getting even
Menzies read aloud two more quotes from Trump's book, one instructing that when somebody screws you, "screw them back in spades." The other said: "Getting even is not always a personal thing. It's just part of doing business."
– Aysha Bagchi
Trump: 'I just can't stomach disloyalty'
Menzies read aloud another Trump quote stating: "I just can't stomach disloyalty. I put the people who are loyal to me on a high pedestal and take care of them very well." He added that he goes out of his way to do bad things to a woman who was disloyal.
– Aysha Bagchi
Trump quoted on value for loyalty, including loyalty of ex-CFO Weisselberg
Menzies read aloud a quotation from Trump stating: "I think the reason we have so many loyal people is that we reward loyalty, and everybody knows this."
Trump went on to say: "People like Allen Weisselberg and Matt Calamari are great and have proven themselves over many years."
– Aysha Bagchi
'(Get) the best people, and don't trust them': Trump quotes being used against him
Prosecutor Rebecca Mangold is introducing quotations from Trump's book, "Think Big: Make It Happen in Business and Life." Prosecutors appear to be using Trump's quotes to help prove their case. This is the second book publisher to testify about Trump's remarks in books.
The first quote Menzies read stated: "I used to say, 'go out and get the best people, and trust them.' Over the years I have seen too many shenanigans, and now I say, 'get the best people, and don't trust them.'"
– Aysha Bagchi
Book publishing executive testifying
A senior vice president of production and creative operations at book publisher HarperCollins, Tracey Menzies, is testifying. Prosecutor Rebecca Mangold is asking her questions about Donald Trump and Bill Zanker's book, "Think Big: Make It Happen in Business and Life."
USA TODAY previously featured quotations from that book in a story on memorable Trump quotes. Those quotes, per Eliza Collins' reporting, include: “If someone attacks you, do not hesitate. Go for the jugular." and "Always fight back and get even."
Menzies just said Trump's and Zanker's statements in the book are delineated in the book.
– Aysha Bagchi
Bookkeeper cross-examination done within minutes
Necheles's cross-examination of Manochio ended almost as soon as it began. Necheles got Manochio to confirm she doesn't know if it took the White House a long time to process Trump's personal mail.
– Aysha Bagchi
Trump lawyer cross-examining bookkeeper who sent Trump's checks
Trump Organization junior bookkeeper Rebecca Manochio is back on the witness stand after lunch. Trump lawyer Susan Necheles is cross-examining her.
– Aysha Bagchi
Who is Karen McDougal?
Karen McDougal is a former Playboy model.
National Enquirer parent company American Media Inc. (AMI) paid McDougal $150,000 in 2016 for the rights to her life story, including an alleged 10-month affair with Donald Trump starting in 2006. (Trump denies the allegation.)
Former Trump lawyer and convicted felon Michael Cohen negotiated the payment she received as part of a "catch and kill" strategy to block negative stories about Trump while he ran for president.
She is expected to take the stand, though the prosecutors have not shared the official witness list.
-Kinsey Crowley
Who are Donald Trump's lawyers?
Trump's defense team is led by Todd Blanche and Susan Necheles.
Blanche was a federal prosecutor for nine years in the Southern District of New York, which includes Manhattan. As a prominent white-collar defense lawyer he has defended Trump advisor Boris Epshteyn and Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort.
Necheles is ranked among the top criminal defense lawyers in New York by the legal rating and head-hunting firm Chambers and Partners. She was also a former counsel to Venero Mangano, the former Genovese crime family underboss known as Benny Eggs.
-Josh Meyer
Who is Michael Cohen?
Michael Cohen, the former Trump lawyer and fixer, will be a key witness in the New York hush-money trial that could send the former president to prison.
Cohen is expected to testify that Trump directed him to engineer payments to two women who alleged in the runup to the 2016 presidential election that they had affairs with the married candidate.
While Cohen is Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's star witness, he may also be the prosecution's greatest vulnerability, given his history of perjury and a felony conviction.
-Josh Meyer
Who is Stormy Daniels and what is her real name?
Stormy Daniels, born Stephanie Clifford, is an adult film star.
Daniels says she had an affair with Trump in 2006, months after Melania Trump gave birth to Barron Trump. Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen paid her $130,000 to stay quiet about the alleged affair ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
Trump's lawyers tried to block Daniels from being called to the witness stand, but New York Judge Juan Merchan ruled that Daniels can testify because her allegations are "inextricably intertwined" with the criminal allegations.
-Kinsey Crowley, Bart Jansen
Court breaks for lunch
Proceedings have officially broken for lunch. They are expected to re-start at 2:15 p.m. EDT.
– Aysha Bagchi
Trump makes requests on mistrial, former Playboy model Karen McDougal's testimony, and gag order
Prosecutor Rebecca Mangold finished asking Manochio about her role in getting Trump's signature on checks when he was president. The judge dismissed the jurors for lunch, with a plan for Manochio to be cross-examined after lunch.
Just before the rest of the courtroom broke for lunch, Trump lawyer Todd Blanche said his team wants to raise three issues with the judge:
Renewing the motion they made yesterday for a mistrial based on Stormy Daniels' testimony. Merchan denied that request yesterday, although he agreed some of Daniels' testimony had gone too far.
Renewing a motion to exclude former Playboy model Karen McDougal's testimony. Merchan ruled before trial that prosecutors may call McDougal to the witness stand. She also received a hush money payment to stay silent about an alleged affair with Trump.
Raising an issue around the gag order.
Judge Merchan indicated he plans to hear the issues after the lunch break.
– Aysha Bagchi
How Manochio's testimony completes a link in the prosecution's case
Manochio testified about using Fed Ex to send checks from the Trump Organization to the White House for Trump's signature. That completes a link in the prosecution's story about the falsification of business records.
Prosecutors say some of those falsified records were checks that falsely indicated their purpose was to pay former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen for legal expenses, rather than reimburse him for sending hush money to Stormy Daniels. We heard testimony already from a Trump Organization employee, Deborah Tarasoff, that Trump's signature was on those checks, and that a Fed Ex process was used to get the signatures.
Manochio is saying she was the one to send those checks, with a return envelope to get them back signed. We heard her describe being in contact with Keith Schiller, Trump's former bodyguard who went on to have roles in the White House, and then needing to find a different contact point after Schiller left the White House.
– Aysha Bagchi
The bodyguard whose presence Stormy repeatedly invoked later became a top White House official
Stormy Daniels has named Keith Schiller as Donald Trump's bodyguard who invited her to dinner with Trump in 2006 and stood outside the door to Trump's hotel suite the evening of the alleged sexual encounter.
Schiller later became a deputy assistant to the president and the director of Oval Office operations, but left the position in 2017, reportedly to get a job with a better salary.
Schiller is a former NYPD detective and started working for Trump in 1999. He was part of Trump's inner circle and came under extra scrutiny during the 2016 campaign. He was caught on camera apparently hitting a protester in the face and has physically escorted a journalist out of a Trump news conference.
– Kinsey Crowley
Trump Organization bookkeeper testifying on Trump's checks
Trump Organization junior bookkeeper Rebecca Manochio has been called by prosecutors.
She said she worked at a supermarket before getting a job at the Trump Organization in August of 2013.
Manochio said previously worked at the Trump Organization as an administrative assistant and then an executive assistant to Allen Weisselberg and Jeffrey McConney. Weisselberg is the former chief financial officer of the Trump Organization. He is currently incarcerated after pleading guilty to committing perjury in Trump's New York civil fraud trial. McConney was the Trump Organization's financial controller. He testified earlier that he retired from the organization in 2023.
Manochio is being asked about her role in sending Trump checks to sign when he was in the White House.
– Aysha Bagchi
Stormy Daniels testimony ends with suggestion Trump inspired harassment
Stormy Daniels' testimony ended Thursday with a suggestion by prosecutor Susan Hoffinger that Trump had inspired one of his followers to go after Daniels. Hoffinger displayed a social media post jurors have previously seen from Trump, in which he described Daniels as "Horseface" and a "sleaze bag."
Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger got Daniels to confirm a harassing March 18, 2023 Twitter post from someone else who called her a "disgusting degenerate prostitute" came soon after Trump's post.
– Aysha Bagchi
Necheles shows Stormy Daniels fighting back
Trump lawyer Susan Necheles again showed Daniels fighting back against someone who sent her a harassing tweet. The person said on Twitter: "Aging harlot Stormy Daniels is trying to recoup her losses from her countless unsuccessful lawsuits."
"Jealous? I don't need to recoup anything. Made 1 million in book deal..." Daniels said in her response.
– Aysha Bagchi
'I'll dance down the street when he is "selected" to go to jail': Daniels
Trump lawyer Susan Necheles returned to the lectern for some final questions to Daniels. Necheles displayed a tweet that prosecutor Susan Hoffinger showed earlier, which began with the Twitter poster saying about Daniels: "A disgusting degenerate prostitute accepts money to Frame an innocent man!"
"It's a nasty post, right?" Necheles asked Daniels. "Yes," Daniels agreed.
Necheles then showed Daniels' response to the person who posted the tweet: "Sooo...tiny paid me to frame himself? You sound even dumber than he does during his illiterate ramblings. And I won't walk, I'll dance down the street when he is 'selected' to go to jail."
"You were attacking them right back, right?" Necheles asked. "I was defending myself," said Daniels.
Daniels added: "Same with Mr. Trump." She said she has also been defending herself against him, as opposed to attacking him.
– Aysha Bagchi
Daniels says telling her story has hurt her
"On balance, has your publicly telling the truth about your experiences with Mr. Trump been net positive or net negative in your life?" prosecutor Susan Hoffinger asked Daniels to close out her "re-direct" questioning, an opportunity to ask a witness more questions after cross-examination has ended.
"Negative," Daniels responded.
"Nothing further, thank you," Hoffinger said.
– Aysha Bagchi
'IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I'M COMING AFTER YOU': Trump post displayed to jurors
Jurors were shown a social media post by Trump in which he said in all caps: "IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I'M COMING AFTER YOU." Daniels said she believed the post was directed at her because it was posted around the time Trump sued her in Florida to recoup legal fees that a California judge ordered her to pay.
– Aysha Bagchi
'A disgusting degenerate prostitute': Tweet to Daniels displayed
Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger showed the jury a tweet that Daniels confirmed receiving on March 18, 2023, referring to Daniels as a "disgusting degenerate prostitute." The Twitter poster added: "Good luck walking down the streets after this!"
Daniels described that tweet and another as "tame" compared to others she's received.
– Aysha Bagchi
Does Stormy Daniels owe Trump money?
Stormy Daniels acknowledged on Tuesday that a California judge ordered her to pay Trump's legal fees after she filed a defamation lawsuit against him. She said her former lawyer, Michael Avenatti, who is now in prison for embezzlement and other crimes, wanted to file the lawsuit. The defamation claim wasn't based on her and Trump's dispute over whether they had sex in 2006.
Trump has sued Daniels in Florida to get the money, but she still hasn't paid, she testified.
– Aysha Bagchi
Prosecutor asks Daniels about safety concerns driving hush money deal
Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger is again asking Daniels questions. Hoffinger said that the defense questioned whether fear was any part of Daniels' motivation in entering into the non-disclosure agreement, and that Daniels had testified she entered the deal because of some advice from an attorney friend about "hiding in plain view."
Daniels responded that it wasn't the attorney representing her, but instead a friend giving her advice: "Get high, stay high." The meaning of that was something won't happen to you "if everyone is looking at you," Daniels explained.
Daniels agreed she was happy to get money from the deal, but maintained that wasn't the core motivation: "We're all happy to take money. It was just a bonus."
– Aysha Bagchi
Necheles ends cross-examination of Daniels
Susan Necheles finished her cross-examination of Daniels with a final question about the alleged sexual encounter with Trump. Necheles suggested that Daniels' story has changed, and the reason it has changed is that it didn't happen. Daniels predictably denied that was true.
– Aysha Bagchi
Daniels says she doesn't know if Trump falsified business records
Necheles appears to be moving on from questioning Daniels about her alleged sexual encounter with Trump, and getting to the heart of the prosecution's case. She just asked Daniels to confirm she doesn't have personal knowledge about whether Trump falsified business records, which is the central charge in this case. Daniels agreed she didn't.
– Aysha Bagchi
Daniels says she doesn't know about Trump's involvement in hush money deal
Trump lawyer Susan Necheles asked Stormy Daniels to confirm she doesn't have any "personal knowledge" about his involvement – or lack thereof – in her hush money deal. "Not directly, no," Daniels agreed.
– Aysha Bagchi
'I maintain that he did not put his hands on me'
Trump lawyer Susan Necheles asked Daniels about aspects of her account suggesting she felt lightheaded or pressured when she came out of the bathroom and saw Trump in his underwear. Daniels described on Tuesday a power imbalance between her and Trump, and described her awareness that Trump bad a bodyguard nearby, but also maintained she wasn't physically threatened.
I maintain that he did not put his hands on me," Daniels responded to Necheles Thursday. Daniels added that Trump didn't give her any sort of drugs or alcohol, and didn't threaten her physically.
– Aysha Bagchi
Daniels asked how she, as a porn star, could have almost 'fainted' from Trump in underwear
Trump lawyer Susan Necheles asked Stormy Daniels to confirm she has acted and had sex in over 200 porn movies. Daniels said it was about 150.
Necheles asked Daniels to confirm that, despite that sexual history, she is now saying that seeing Trump sitting on a bed in a t-shirt and boxer shorts was "so upsetting" that she "got lightheaded" and almost "fainted."
Daniels responded that she sees her husband naked almost everyday, but if she came out of the bathroom and saw someone who wasn't her husband naked, it would be shaking.
Asked if the alleged incident with Trump was the first time someone made a pass at her, Daniels said it wasn't, but it was the first time a bodyguard was nearby.
– Aysha Bagchi
Susan Necheles challenging details in Daniels' story
Trump lawyer Susan Necheles has been asking Daniels about details across her descriptions of her history with Donald Trump. Necheles noted Daniels once described in an interview Trump approaching her to ask about having dinner, whereas in court Daniels described his bodyguard approaching her. Daniels responded that Trump and his bodyguard are a unit.
Necheles asked about details in Daniels story on whether she took a car or walked to Trump's hotel, and whether she found Trump "all sprawled out on the couch" when she arrived at his suite.
"Details of your story keep changing, right?" Necheles asked. "No," Daniels said.
– Aysha Bagchi
"If that story was untrue, I would have written it to be a lot better."
After Trump lawyer Susan Necheles suggested Daniels made up her story of having sex with Trump, Daniels shot back: "If that story was untrue, I would have written it to be a lot better."
"I didn't have to write this one," Daniels added.
– Aysha Bagchi
Stormy Daniels online store: "Stormy Daniels Political Power comic"
Necheles is continuing to ask Daniels about merchandise Daniels sells and to suggest the adult film star is motivated by money. Daniels confirmed she sells a $30 comic book titled: "Stormy Daniels Political Power comic." An image of the comic book was shown to the jury, with a blonde female character standing boldly on the front cover.
– Aysha Bagchi
Stormy Daniels merchandise: 'Stormy Saint of Indictments candle'
Jurors just saw a photo of a "Stormy Saint of Indictments candle," which Daniels confirmed she sells on her website. Trump lawyer Susan Necheles asked Daniels to confirm she makes $40 on those. Daniels said she actually makes about $7 per candle.
– Aysha Bagchi
Daniels confirms she tweeted she made $1 million from book and reality show
Trump lawyer Susan Necheles asked Daniels if she tweeted that she made $1 million from her book as well as participating on a reality TV show, "The Surreal Life." Daniels confirmed that was true, and that she made $200,000 from appearing on the show.
Daniels 2018 book, "Full Disclosure," was a telling of Daniels' life story, including her experience with Trump.
– Aysha Bagchi
Daniels confirmed she signed two denials in early 2018
Daniels confirmed signing two statements in early 2018 denying having had an affair with Trump. One was dated Jan. 10, 2018 and one was dated Jan. 30, 2018.
The jury already saw these statements when Daniels' former lawyer, Keith Davidson, testified.
– Aysha Bagchi
Stormy Daniels referred to election as 'leverage,' her ex-lawyer said on recording
Trump lawyer Susan Necheles played a recording for the jury in which former lawyer to Daniels Keith Davidson was talking with former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen. Davidson said Daniels told him that if "he" – presumably Donald Trump – loses the election, "we lose all f-----g leverage," "so settle this f-----g case."
Necheles asked Daniels if that refreshed her recollection on what she said to Davidson. "I never yelled at Keith Davidson on the phone," Daniels said. Daniels added that it sounds like a threat from Davidson.
– Aysha Bagchi
Daniels says hush money deal created 'paper trail,' was 'perfect solution'
Necheles has continued to press Daniels on whether she wanted to publicize her story in 2016 or was instead after money. Necheles asked Daniels about conversing with a reporter at Slate Magazine about potentially going public. Necheles suggested Daniels wanted money from that reporter, when she could have just had him publish the story.
The better alternative was to protect my story with a "paper trail," Daniels said. "It was a perfect solution."
– Aysha Bagchi
Barron Trump selected as Republican National Convention delegate
Donald Trump's youngest son Barron Trump is making his big political debut as an at-large delegate at the Republican National Convention this year.
Barron, now 18 years old, was still a kid during Donald Trump's presidency. But now he appears to be joining Trump's other family members on the political scene. Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner have all been intimately involved in Donald Trump's campaigns and administration.
The hush money trial is on a break on May 17 so Donald Trump can attend Barron Trump's high school graduation.
– Kinsey Crowley
Necheles challenges Stormy Daniels claim that she wanted to share story in 2016
Trump lawyer Susan Necheles has begun cross-examining Daniels again. Necheles is focusing her opening questions today on Daniels' claim that she wanted to share her story about Trump in 2016, before she took a hush money deal to keep quiet.
Daniels explained she took the deal because she chose to be "safe."
"You chose to make money, right?" Necheles shot back.
"I chose to take the non-disclosure," Daniels replied.
– Aysha Bagchi
Trump decries security outside courthouse ‘like Fort Knox’
Former President Donald Trump complained again about the security outside the New York courthouse for his hush money trial, arguing police were needed more for protests at Columbia and New York universities.
“Outside of this building it’s closed down like Fort Knox,” Trump told reporters in a hallway statement outside the courtroom. “This is like an armed camp down here.”
Trump argued that college protests were organized by people on the left side of the political spectrum rather than the right, and that those protests were a bigger threat to the country than China or Russia.
“You have nothing to worry about. The problem is from the left, not the right,” Trump said. “In my opinion, it’s a bigger danger than China or Russia.”
– Bart Jansen
Trump predicts ‘revealing’ testimony from Stormy Daniels
Former President Donald Trump predicted “some very revealing things” as his New York hush money trial continues Thursday with testimony from porn actress Stormy Daniels.
Daniels testified Tuesday about having sex with Trump in 2006 while he was married, which he has denied. Trump’s former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, paid Daniels $130,000 to silence her claim before the 2016 election, which prosecutors contend was election interference.
Under cross-examination, Daniels acknowledged hating Trump and refusing to pay him hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees from an unsuccessful defamation suit against him.
“I think you’ll see some very revealing things today,” Trump said in the hallway Thursday.
Trump entered the courtroom after reading a series of statements from lawyers, academics and Republican lawmakers criticizing the case.
“No evidence of any crime,” Trump said.
– Bart Jansen
Stormy Daniels arrives for more cross-examination
Porn star Stormy Daniels was brought into the courtroom at 9:32 a.m. EDT to continue testifying in the hush money case. The judge has now asked for the jury to be brought in.
– Aysha Bagchi
Judge arrives for Day 14 of trial
Judge Juan Merchan entered the courtroom at about 9:30 a.m. EDT.
– Aysha Bagchi
Trump team arrives in the courtroom
Former President Donald Trump entered the courtroom at 9:24 a.m. EDT, flanked by his legal team. He is wearing a blue tie.
Alina Habba, who represented Trump in his recent E. Jean Carroll and civil fraud trials and is a big personality defending him on television shows, is here again today in one of the benches behind the defense trial team's table. I haven't seen Eric Trump, the former president's middle son, who was present for Stormy Daniels' testimony on Tuesday.
– Aysha Bagchi
Prosecution arrives in the courtroom
The prosecution team began arriving in the courtroom at 9:16 a.m. EDT and is getting set up. So far, prosecutors Joshua Steinglass, Matthew Colangelo, Rebecca Mangold, Christopher Conroy, and Susan Hoffinger are here. Hoffinger is handling the prosecution's questioning of Stormy Daniels.
– Aysha Bagchi
When does the Trump trial resume?
Trump's criminal trial starts back up at 9:30 a.m. EDT on Thursday, after having a day off on Wednesday.
– Aysha Bagchi
‘A bad experience’: Donald Trump threatened with jail if he violates gag order again
After Judge Juan Merchan threatened Donald Trump on Monday with possible jail if he violates a gag order in his New York hush money trial again, experts said the detention could range from a holding cell behind the courtroom to infamous Rikers Island.
Ronald Kuby, a veteran New York defense lawyer who has visited clients in city jails and also spent time in them for various acts of protest, said Trump is unlikely to enjoy any detention because the cells can be tiny, the metal doors loud and the food unappetizing.
“It’s a bad experience,” Kuby told USA TODAY. “Trust me. I've been there.”
For overnight detention, Rikers Island is an option, although experts called it unlikely. City jails on Rikers Island have been criticized for decades for violence and unsanitary conditions.
James Oleson, an associate professor of criminology at the University of Auckland’s school of social sciences, who previously served as a staffer on the U.S. Judicial Conference’s committee on criminal law, said the theater of putting Trump behind bars for a few hours might not be more effective than fines in curbing Trump’s comments. Merchan has fined Trump $10,000 for 10 violations of the gag order, for commenting on witnesses and jurors participating in the trial.
“It is terra incognita: unknown land, off the existing maps,” Oleson said of potentially jailing a former president.
– Bart Jansen and Josh Meyer
What has the Stormy Daniels cross-examination focused on?
Trump lawyer Susan Necheles began cross-examining Stormy Daniels on Tuesday. Necheles focused on challenging Daniels' credibility and suggesting Daniels is a person motivated by money.
Necheles noted that Daniels publicly denied she had sex with Trump before she said they did have sex. The jury has already seen evidence of that. Daniels' former lawyer Keith Davidson testified to his own involvement in preparing a denial by Daniels in early 2018.
Necheles also painted Daniels' hush money deal in 2016 as extortion. "False," Daniels shot back emphatically.
– Aysha Bagchi
2 House GOP chairmen urge DOJ to charge Michael Cohen – again
Two House Republican chairmen urged Attorney General Merrick Garland to consider criminal charges against Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, for allegedly lying to Congress.
Cohen, a key witness in Trump’s New York hush money trial, has already pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about a Trump real estate project in Russia. But Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., urged Garland to consider more charges against Cohen because he is a key witness in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s criminal trial against Trump, where his credibility will be at stake.
The lawmakers accused Cohen of lying at least six times, including by denying he committed fraudulent acts that he’d already pleaded guilty to and by testifying he didn’t seek a job in Trump’s White House.
The accusations are based on Cohen’s testimony to Comer’s committee in February 2019, which outlined the current criminal case against Trump. Trump is charged with falsifying business records to hide his reimbursement to Cohen, who paid porn actress Stormy Daniels to remain silent before the 2016 election about her claim she had sex with Trump while he was married.
Trump denied having sex and said he was paying Cohen for legal expenses, not to pay off Daniels.
“In short, to prosecute President Trump, Bragg has revived this 'zombie' case relying on a known – and convicted – liar and his testimony at a congressional hearing in which he lied at least six times,” the lawmakers wrote.
– Bart Jansen
What is Trump on trial for?
Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Prosecutors allege Trump falsified records to cover up unlawfully interfering in the 2016 presidential election through a $130,000 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. The payment was made by former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen less than two weeks before Election Day.
– Aysha Bagchi
Why wasn't there testimony on Wednesday?
The trial is generally off on Wednesdays. Judge Juan Merchan designated those days to preside over special court programs for criminal defendants who have mental health issues or are veterans, according to the Associated Press.
– Aysha Bagchi
Donald Trump caught cursing as Stormy Daniels testified
Judge Juan Merchan said in a private conversation at his bench Tuesday that he heard Trump cursing during Daniels' testimony and he "won't tolerate that."
"I understand that your client is upset at this point, but he is cursing audibly, and he is shaking his head visually and that's contemptuous," Merchan said, according to a transcript that has now been released. "It has the potential to intimidate the witness and the jury can see that."
Merchan said he saw Trump shake his head and look down when Daniels described lightly spanking him with a magazine at dinner before their alleged sexual encounter.
When there was discussion about The Apprentice, Trump "again uttered a vulgarity," the judge said, according to the transcript.
"I am speaking to you here at the bench because I don't want to embarrass him," Merchan told Blanche, who said he would talk to his client and later confirmed having done so.
– Aysha Bagchi
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump trial replay: Stormy Daniels wraps combative cross-examination
