The criminal trial of former President Donald Trump began with opening statements and the first witness, a former National Enquirer publisher, testifying. Prosecutors argued that Trump was involved in a conspiracy to influence the 2016 election by hiding damaging information about him. His attorneys claimed his innocence and stated there was nothing wrong with trying to influence an election. The trial also saw a hearing on a motion to sanction Trump for violating a gag order.
The prosecution framed the case as illegal payments made to influence the 2016 election, which Trump allegedly tried to cover up by falsifying business records. They detailed Trump’s efforts with his former attorney Michael Cohen and David Pecker from American Media Inc. to keep damaging information hidden. The defense countered by stating Trump was not involved in creating the falsified business records and questioned Cohen’s credibility as a witness.
The first witness called was former AMI CEO David Pecker, who testified briefly about his role in an alleged ‘catch and kill’ scheme orchestrated by Trump. Prosecutors claimed that AMI published favorable stories about Trump, while also suppressing negative stories. Pecker is expected to testify further about orchestrating nondisclosure agreements related to negative stories about Trump.
As the trial proceeded, Trump’s attorneys were also involved in another courtroom arguing over the legitimacy of a bond Trump posted in his civil fraud trial. Trump could not attend due to his criminal trial requirements. There were discussions about a bond challenge and statements from Trump’s attorneys expressing his innocence and criticizing the legal proceedings as a witch hunt. A hearing was also held on allegations of Trump violating a gag order.
The district attorney’s office requested fines for Trump for violating the gag order, which they claim he did through social media posts. Trump’s lawyers argued against the violations, stating they were related to the campaign and not the gag order. The judge indicated there would be a ruling on the alleged violations and court proceedings were set to resume the following day with Passover holiday restrictions. Despite the legal challenges and controversies, the trial continued with the jury instructed to return for further proceedings.
