Whelp, another first went down in the first trial of a former POTUS. Donald Trump received his first punishment from Judge Juan Merchan in the New York hush money trial for defying the judge’s gag order, resulting in fines totaling $9,000 for nine violations. The judge’s written order also cautioned the former president that further breaches could result in imprisonment, highlighting the gravity of the trial’s significance from a historical standpoint.
During the trial on Tuesday, jurors listened to testimony from Keith Davidson, the attorney who orchestrated the hush money agreements involving Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal. Davidson recounted the stresses of working with Trump’s former fixer, Michael Cohen, in the final days of the 2016 campaign to secure funds, allegedly to silence Daniels. Remember Daniels said she had sex with the married Trump, who was running for President and was reeling from the salacious Access Hollywood grab em by the you know what scandal. Here are some additional takeaways from today’s proceedings:
Jurors were briefed on the financial dealings surrounding the Stormy Daniels payment
Gary Farro, Cohen’s former banker, detailed Cohen’s swift actions in setting up a shell company and transferring funds to Daniels’ attorney. Within a day, Cohen expedited a $131,000 advance on his home equity line of credit, promptly wired to the newly created Essential Consultant LLC account. This maneuver, disguised as a real estate deal, resulted in a $130,000 transfer to Daniels’ lawyer. Farro emphasized the frequency of urgent matters in his interactions with Cohen, noting that Cohen’s accounts were subsequently closed by First Republic Bank following the public revelation of the hush money payment to Daniels.
Video evidence was presented to the jury in court on Tuesday morning, with prosecutors relying on records custodians to introduce several clips.
Clips from C-SPAN featuring Trump speaking at public events were shown to the jury.
The clips depicted then-candidate Trump vehemently refuting allegations of sexual assault made by women following the release of the “Access Hollywood” tape that month. In one clip, Trump asserts, “As you have seen, right now I’m being viciously attacked with lies and smears. It’s a phony deal. I have no idea who these women are.”
Some of Trump’s family and friends showed up at court today.
On Tuesday, Trump received guests in the courtroom gallery, expanding beyond the usual team. Notably, his son, Eric Trump, made an appearance. That marked the first attendance by a family member at the trial. Susie Wiles, Trump’s senior campaign adviser, accompanied Eric Trump.
Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general, and David McIntosh, a co-founder of conservative political groups such as the Club for Growth, were also in the courtroom.
