The former president’s testimony will continue on Monday morning Donald Trump‘s silence money court, sometimes heated, sometimes followed emotional testimony from the major witnesses last week.
It was not immediately clear who Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office planned to call as the 10th witness on Monday. The DA’s office told a New York state judge that it is keeping that information close to the vest Juan Merchan Concerned that Trump may write about witnesses on social media.
Merchan found Trump inside criminal contempt last week for violating a gag order barring him from “making public statements about witnesses known or reasonably expected to be involved in the investigation or their potential involvement in this criminal proceeding.” The violations included writings about two alleged witnesses who were former Trump attorneys Michael Cohen and adult film star Stormy Danielsboth are central to the DA’s work.
A source with direct knowledge of the situation said that Merchan fined Trump $9,000, which he paid on Thursday.
Last week brought dramatic testimony from a former Trump aide Hope Hicks and Keith DavidsonAttorney representing Daniels and Karen McDougall, who in 2006 claimed they had sex with the married Trump. Trump rejected their claims. Both received six-figure payments during the 2016 presidential campaign to keep quiet about their allegations.
McDougal, a former Playboy model, paid $150,000 through the National Enquirer. David Pecker, and Cohen paid Daniels $130,000. Trump eventually paid Cohen back through payments that the DA said were falsely labeled as legal fees. He begged not guilty to all 34 fake business records.
Hicks, a longtime Trump aide burst into tears he said for the first time in 2014 when answering a question about going to work for Trump’s company. He testified that Trump told him he didn’t know about Cohen’s payment because he kept it to himself. He expressed his doubts about this claim.
“I didn’t know that Michael was a particularly charitable or selfless person. He’s kind of a credit seeker,” he said. On cross-examination, he said he would often try to involve himself in the campaign, which irritated campaign staff. “He liked to call himself ‘the fixer’ or ‘Mr.’ Fix it,” and only because he broke it the first time could he come and fix it.”
Davidson testified in December 2016 about her relationship with Packer and Cohen, who complained to her that Trump still hasn’t repaid her hush money.
Davidson, who was monotone for most of his two-day testimony, had a heated exchange with Trump’s lawyer, Emile Bove. degrading tabloid stories he’s had relationships with the alleged leaker of actor Lindsay Lohan’s stay in rehab over the years, including clients selling the wrestler sex tapes. Hulk Hogan and various allegations involving influencer Tila Tequila and actor Charlie Sheen.
Davidson evaded his answers to Bove, saying he did not remember the details. “I’ve had over 1,500 clients in my career,” he said.
Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo said in his opening statement that Trump, Cohen and Packer conspired to influence the 2016 election and that Trump “covered up this criminal conspiracy by lying repeatedly in his New York business records.”
Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, said in his opening statement that the non-disclosure agreements were legal and that Trump’s payments to Cohen were not criminal. As for the conspiracy claims, Blanche said: “I have a spoiler alert: There is nothing wrong with trying to influence an election. This is called democracy.”