The porn actress Stormy Daniels returned to the stand Thursday in the secret trial of donald trumptwo days after spending hours counting on Sometimes graphic details of the alleged 2006 sexual encounter with the former president he was ultimately paid to keep silent about during the 2016 presidential election.
The former president’s lawyers They aggressively tried to find holes in Daniels’ credibility during cross-examination, accusing the porn actress of, among other things, try to extort Trump and rehearse his testimonywhich she strenuously denied.
Trump denies that the two ever had sexual relations. Prosecutors, for their part, say Trump and two of his associates orchestrated a scheme to influence the 2016 election. buying and then burying stories that could damage his campaign.
Daniels’ testimony is a preparation for the prosecution’s star witness, Michael Cohen, who arranged the $130,000 payment to Daniels and later went to prison for orchestrating the payments and other charges.
Trump is accused of falsifying documents to cover up hush payments and instead record them as legal expenses. It is the first criminal trial against a former president in the US
Daniels acknowledges that he did not talk to Trump about the money
Stormy Daniels testified Thursday who never spoke to Donald Trump about the $130,000 payment for his silence that he received from Micahel Cohen and that he had no knowledge of whether Trump was aware of or involved in the transaction.
“You have no personal knowledge of his involvement in that transaction or what he did or did not do,” asked Trump lawyer Susan Necheles. “Not directly, no,” Daniels responded.
After more questionsDaniels noted that she also did not negotiate directly with Cohen, but that his attorney at the time, Keith Davidson, did.
Trump’s lawyer used the questions in the final moments of her cross-examination to emphasize that Daniels is not aware of any of the allegations underlying Trump’s charges in the case, that he falsified his company records to conceal the true nature of the reimbursement payments to Cohen.
Necheles asked Daniels if he was aware of what Trump was accused of. Daniel acknowledged: “I don’t know anything about his business records. No, why should I?”
In the midst of the tension between Daniels and the defense attorney, the courtroom It was relatively calm. There were no audible reactions from the gallery (mostly reporters with a line of public observers) as the testimony became tense.
Many jurors saw the comings and goings the same way as they would watch a tennis match: turning your head between the lawyers’ lectern and the witness stand with each question and answer. Some jurors scribbled notes, others leaned back in their chairs. Trump watched intently.
Daniels insists that his story does not change
This Thursday Stormy Daniels he rejected defense suggestions that his story about their alleged sexual encounter had changed over time. On Tuesday she said she was not physically threatened, she felt a “power imbalance” when Trump, in her hotel room, stood between her and the door and propositioned her. As to whether she felt forced to have sex with him, she reiterated Thursday that he did not drug her or physically threaten her. But, she said, “My own insecurities, at that moment, prevented me from saying no.”
Several times, the defense attorney accused Daniels of altering the details of his story, saying at one point: “Your story has completely changed.” Daniels insisted no. “You’re trying to make me say he changed, but he hasn’t changed at all.”
