Michael Cohen will begin his testimony in the #TrumpTrial Monday, NBCNews has learned through multiple sources. He's expected to be on the stand for several days.
Nothing fishy about the President of the United States having checks for him to sign sent to his bodyman's home address — Joyce White Vance #quotes#quote#TrumpTrial#Trump#HushMoney
"From a political communication standpoint, I think the judge is making it easier for Trump to win the presidency. And Trump is responding by trying his best to get the judge to throw him in jail."
The prosecution asks that the defense be precluded from asking #StormyDaniels whether she was arrested. Justice #Merchan agrees w/the prosecutors, saying that “anybody can be arrested” & that it “doesn’t prove anything.”
The people call Stormy Daniels back to the stand
#Trump atty #Necheles begins questioning by saying that in 2011, Daniels denied having had sex w/Trump.
Conroy insists #StormyDaniels needs & is entitled to protection, that she & other #witnesses should not be exposed to Trump's "barrage of threats." He argues lifting the #GagOrder would be a deterrent to other witnesses.
Conroy says Trump wants to attack Daniels, "Let's not pretend he wants to engage in high-minded discourse.”
Prosecutor Chris Conroy is laying out the challenge facing the critics & opponents who have sought to hold #Trump accountable. He has the protections of a candidate, & a number of people who support him think his rights have been stripped. But if he isn't #gagged, the #witnesses face greater #harassment & #intimidation.
#Blanche is now arguing that #StormyDaniels's testimony about her sexual encounter w/Trump differed from when she told her story previously.
Justice #Merchan encouraged the defense lawyers when they moved for a #mistrial on Tuesday to address any disparities by cross-examining #StormyDaniels. But Daniels has been off the stand for hours, & #Blanche is now seeking to make these points to the judge — & the news media. The judge isn't buying it. "I fail to understand" he says, how this is "an alternate set of facts."
#Merchan says he is concerned, not only w/protecting #StormyDaniels & other #witnesses who have testified, but w/protecting those who have yet to testify & protecting the proceedings as a whole. The judge says that he himself wrote down a version of Conroy's argument "I can't take your word for it that, 'no no, this is going to be low key," Merchan says, referring to the comments #Trump would make if the #GagOrder was altered. "That's just not the track record."
Trump leans forward & glares at the judge as he denies the motion.
Now Todd #Blanche is arguing for a #mistrial, again. Trump's lawyers have been known to call for multiple mistrials in the course of a proceeding. It could exhaust the judge’s patience, & lose credibility.
Steinglass also criticized Blanche's colleague Susan #Necheles's cross-examination of #StormyDaniels, calling it "very thorough but somewhat misleading" & hardcore [#SlutShaming ]
Prosecutor #Steinglass says that the details of Daniels's story before & during the sexual act corroborate her account, & show the fact that sex happened, which increases the motivation to silence her.
#Steinglass said that the details elicited about the sex act were important because they corroborated other parts of #StormyDaniels's story. For instance, at their non-dinner before having sex, acc/to Daniels, Trump asked her about safe-sex practices in the porn industry. Prosecutors later asked Daniels whether Trump used a condom. Steinglass argues that fewer than 10 questions actually elicited salacious details.
#Steinglass concludes: "The defense has not alleged anything remotely approaching grounds for a #mistrial & their motion should be denied."
Justice #Merchan begins to address the mistrial motion. He says that after ruling against the defense's request for a mistrial on Tues, he went back & reviewed many of his past decisions, studying them in his chambers. He says that he came away satisfied.
#Merchan says that at every trial, the evidence comes in a different way. Why is he saying that now, he asks? Because in going back to opening statements, he sees that the defense "denied that there was ever a sexual encounter between Stormy Daniels & the defendant."
Merchan is saying defense opened the door to Daniels's testimony. He’s suggesting that what the prosecution did in response was appropriate.
#Merchan is effectively saying here that #Trump's position of totally denying the sexual encounter w/ #StormyDaniels opened the door for prosecution to introduce specific evidence that it did occur.
Judge also concern themselves w/being overturned on appeals, which can be embarrassing, especially in a high-stakes trial. By saying he went back & reviewed his own decision, Merchan sends a signal to appeals judges, that he took that first motion for a mistrial seriously.
Justice #Merchan criticizes defense for not #objecting to #testimony that was later used in a motion for #mistrial. He says he agrees that the question about whether #Trump wore a condom should not have been asked or answered. But he says he does not know "why on earth” defense atty #Necheles didn't object to that question.
Not only is Merchan signaling that he will likely reject defense’s mistrial motion, but he's dressing down their lawyering in front of their client.
#Merchan even criticized specific lines of defense’s cross-examination, chiding #Necheles in particular for leaning into the most awkward & uncomfortable parts of #StormyDaniels's testimony w/her questions in a way that he says he simply didn't understand.
[remember, the jury isn’t there]
After insisting to the defense that he barred certain details "to protect your client," Justice Merchan says, "I disagree w/your narrative that there's any new account here."
#Merchan cites specific issues w/the defense's arguments, saying that instead of denying the falsification of business records, they denied the sex w/ #StormyDaniels. [THANK YOU!]
"That in my mind allows the people to do what they can to rehabilitate her & to corroborate her story. Your motion for a mistrial is denied," he concludes.