Former President Donald Trump Criminal It will continue Friday in New York with testimony from a former White House executive assistant — a friendlier witness than Thursday’s star attraction, an adult film actor. Stormy Daniels.
Madeleine Westerhout began her testimony in Manhattan criminal court Thursday afternoon after Daniels spent the morning. Sparring with Trump’s lawyer Susan Necheles During cross-examination in 2006 about her alleged sexual relationship with Trump. Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen During the 2016 presidential election, he paid Daniels $130,000 to remain silent about the lawsuit. Trump later reimbursed Cohen in payments that prosecutors allege were covered up by falsified business records. Trump has pleaded not guilty and denied Daniels’ allegation.
Daniels became emotional at one point when Necheles asked her about various nasty posts about her on her social media accounts, including one from a man who referred to her as an “aged whore.”
Necheles began cross-examining Westerhout on Thursday, but with a softer touch. Westerhout testified about how excited she was to work for Trump and broke down in tears when prosecutors asked her about him. Leaving the White House In August 2019. He said it was “amazing” to work for Trump and that he was a “very good boss” who had a close and loving relationship with his wife, Melania Trump.
That description contradicts Daniels’ testimony, which she said Trump told her not to worry about his wife as he passed her on to her in a hotel room in 2006 after they met at a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.
One of his duties, Westerhout said, is to mediate between Trump and the Trump Organization on matters that require the company’s attention, such as his travel schedule, mail or phone calls.
In 2017, she asked Rhona Graff, a Trump aide at the company, for a list of Trump contacts that Graff sent her, according to an email shown to the jury. The list includes information for Cohen and David Peckerthe former National Enquirer publisher said he worked with Trump and Cohen to suppress scandalous stories about Trump during the 2016 campaign.
Westerhout testified that Trump was careful when handing him personal checks to sign and would sometimes call Allen Weisselberg, the company’s chief financial officer, if he had any questions — which prosecutors will use to argue that Trump was fine. He knew what he was paying Cohen for.
Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche moved for a mistrial at the end of Thursday’s trial, arguing that Daniels’ testimony, including his claim that Trump did not use a condom during sex, was unfair and prejudicial. He called the condom claim a “dog whistle for rape.”
State judge Juan Merchan Daniels agreed that he should not have been asked about the condom, but noted that he had no objection to that line of questioning, which he said confused him.
“I don’t understand,” he said.
He denied Blanche’s request for a mistrial, as well as a request to loosen a gag order barring Trump from attacking witnesses to allow Daniels to respond to her testimony.
Daniels responded to that request Thursday night at the X.
“Real men respond to testimony by swearing and taking the stand in court. Oh…wait. Never mind,” he wrote.
Writing could spell trouble for Daniels. After Blanche complained earlier in court that Daniels and Cohen had publicly attacked Trump, Merchan said they could be removed from the gag order if they continued to do so. herder “sword for shield” should not be used.
In addition to Westerhout, an employee of the Manhattan district attorney’s office is also expected to take the stand Friday to testify about some of Trump’s social media posts. Prosecutors said they hoped to wrap up their case by May 21, raising the possibility that Cohen would testify next week.
It is not clear wants to Trump will testify in his own defense. He has no obligation to do so.