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Donald Trump is back at Manhattan Criminal Court for the latest installment of his hush money trial, where testimony continues.
Former aide and press secretary to Mr Trump, Hope Hicks is currently testifying.
Ms Hicks was a crucial part of the 2016 Trump campaign and allegedly part of at least 10 telephone conversations with Mr Trump and former fixer and attorney Michael Cohen regarding the hush money payments and alleged reimbursements.
Her testimony covered the impact on the campaign of the Access Hollywood tape and news of the Karen McDougal affair. When asked about Cohen making the payment to Stormy Daniels she said it would be out of character for him to do that out of the kindness of his heart as Mr Trump had told her. She then cried and court took a break.
Earlier, Mr Trump’s attorneys cross-examined a forensic analyst from the Manhattan district attorney’s office who pulled thousands of files from Cohen’s phones, including the bombshell audio of a secretly recorded conversation from 2016, played yesterday, which captured Cohen and the defendant discussing a payment to Ms McDougal.
The Independent’s Alex Woodward is covering the trial at Manhattan Criminal Court.
Donald ‘Von S****InPantz’
Amelia Neath and Kelly Rissman report:
“Everybody can say anything they want, except for President Trump,” his attorney Todd Blanche explained to the judge.
Mr Blanche then continued to show a series of posts by Michael Cohen, Mr Trump’s former personal attorney, to the courtroom that mocked the former president and labelled him with insulting names.
Oliver O’Connell4 May 2024 05:15
Profile: Hope Hicks — the longtime Trump advisor who’s seen it all
Once a key member of Trump’s inner circle, the two have not spoken since 2022. But according to insiders, Ms Hicks remains fond of the ex-president and wants nothing but the best for him — even as she appears under subpoena to give evidence in his so-called hush money trial.
Joe Sommerlad takes a look at who she is and how she got to the heart of Trumpworld.
Oliver O’Connell4 May 2024 03:15
Trump hush money trial: Key takeaways from week two of testimony
While Michael Cohen isn’t on the witness stand yet, he’s still the star of the show. The man who arranged the payment to Ms Daniels and negotiated a tentative deal for former Playboy model Karen McDougal is on the lips of nearly every witness, we see his texts and emails to multiple witnesses, and we even hear his voice on secretly recorded audio collected from his phones. He will soon be a central witness.
Here are the key takeaways from the second week of testimony in Mr Trump’s hush money trial:
Oliver O’Connell4 May 2024 02:15
Michael Cohen hasn’t taken the stand in Trump’s hush money trial. But jurors are hearing his words
The prosecution’s star witness has yet to take the stand in Donald Trump‘s hush money trial. But jurors are already hearing Michael Cohen‘s words as prosecutors work to directly tie Trump to payments to silence women with damaging claims about him before the 2016 election.
Full story: Hope Hicks breaks down at Trump trial as she testifies about Michael Cohen
Alex Woodward reports from the courthouse in Lower Manhattan:
The emotional moment from Hope Hicks inside a Manhattan criminal court on Friday followed revealing testimony about her damage control in the weeks before Election Day, and her behind-the-scenes public relations efforts to salvage Mr Trump’s campaign while stories about his alleged affairs and vulgar comments about women were piling up.
Oliver O’Connell3 May 2024 23:15
Feature: Does the quashing of Harvey Weinstein’s rape conviction spell hope for Trump?
Oliver O’Connell3 May 2024 22:15
Trump Media’s accounting firm hit with ‘massive fraud’ charge
The firm now faces allegations that they were running a “sham audit mill,” according to CNN.
No allegations of wrongdoing against Trump Media, the owner of Truth Social, were put forward by the commission.
Oliver O’Connell3 May 2024 21:45
Court sketch: Hope Hicks testifies
Oliver O’Connell3 May 2024 21:30
