Trump has ‘absolute proper’ to testify at hush-money trial, says decide after ex-president falsely claims in any other case – stay | Donald Trump trials

Choose Juan Merchan was referring to a declare Donald Trump made whereas addressing the media yesterday exterior of courtroom.

Chatting with reporters after courtroom adjourned for the day on Thursday, the previous president stated:

I’m not allowed to testify. I’m beneath a gag order. I assume, proper?

He added:

I’m not allowed to testify, as a result of this decide, who’s completely conflicted, has me beneath an unconstitutional gag order.

Choose Juan Merchan is now addressing the courtroom about Donald Trump’s false declare the he wasn’t allowed to testify.

The decide says it had come to his consideration that “there possibly a misunderstanding” over whether or not the gag order impacts Trump’s proper to testify at trial. Merchan says:

I need to stress Mr Trump that you’ve got an absolute proper to testify at trial.

He continues:

That could be a constitutional proper that won’t be denied or abnegated in any approach … It’s a elementary proper that can not be infringed upon … the order prohibiting extra-judicial statements doesn’t stop you from testifying in any approach.

Donald Trump has entered the courtroom, trailed by Todd Blanche and Secret Service brokers.

His stroll may very well be described as brisk this morning.

Donald Trump’s motorcade has departed Trump Tower and is on its solution to the Manhattan legal courtroom.

Prosecutors on Thursday additionally performed an audio recording of a cellphone dialog between Donald Trump and Michael Cohen from September 2016 discussing the plan to maintain Karen McDougal quiet.

“I have to open up an organization for the switch of all of that information concerning our pal David,” Cohen tells Trump on the tape that Cohen secretly made, seemingly referring to Nationwide Enquirer boss David Pecker.

That recording has been out within the public since 2018, however the jury heard it for the primary time Thursday. The tape seems to clarify Trump knew concerning the hush-money plot.

Prosecutors additionally performed a number of recordings Cohen had made from cellphone calls with Keith Davidson in 2018. Cohen secretly made these recordings.

Cohen lamented his relationship with Trump within the calls. In a key change, he stated:

I can’t even inform you what number of instances he stated to me, , I hate the truth that we did it.

Davidson stated he understood as a reference to paying Stormy Daniels.

Previous to Keith Davidson’s testimony, prosecutors on Thursday requested decide Juan Merchan to punish Donald Trump for nonetheless extra alleged gag order violations; the 4 alleged situations contain two feedback about Trump’s former fixer Michael Cohen, one concerning the jury, and one concerning the former Nationwide Enquirer writer David Pecker.

The listening to on Thursday morning got here two days after the jurist fined Trump $9,000 for different gag order violations. Merchan has barred Trump from attacking witnesses or jurors within the case.

“The order was issued due to the defendant’s persistent and escalating rhetoric aimed toward members on this listening to,” stated the prosecutor, Christopher Conroy, of Trump. Conroy stated that prosecutors weren’t in search of jail presently, to keep away from delaying the proceedings, however are in search of fines.

Trump lawyer Todd Blanche complained that Trump has an unfair drawback due to the gag order. He argued that his consumer is operating for president, in any case, and Joe Biden is ready to say no matter he desires concerning the case. Blanche stated:

Choose, final weekend, President Trump’s rival, President Biden, stated in a public discussion board – he talked about this trial, and he talked a few witness that’s going to be on this trial. He mocked President Trump. He stated Donald has had a couple of powerful days currently, you may name it stormy climate.

“President Trump can’t reply like he desires to due to this gag order,” Blanche stated, including:

Stormy climate was an apparent reference to Stormy Daniels.

Merchan appeared unmoved by the argument. “They’re not defendants on this case,” he stated, noting that non-defendants resembling Biden should not sure by his gag order. Merchan didn’t but determine on prosecutors’ request.

Keith Davidson, a lawyer who negotiated funds on behalf of Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels, testified for many of Thursday in Trump’s legal trial in Manhattan, shedding extra mild into how the deal got here collectively and efforts to maintain Daniels quiet as media started reporting on the deal in 2018.

Listed below are a couple of key takeaways from the Trump hush cash trial on Thursday.

Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former lawyer and fixer who’s now a star witness for the prosecution in opposition to his previous boss, has not taken the stand but on this legal trial in Manhattan. However he’s been a giant digital presence in courtroom.

Beneath cross-examination on Thursday, Trump lawyer Emil Bove tried utilizing Keith Davidson’s account of Michael Cohen to create cracks within the anticipated star witness’ testimony.

Bove requested about Cohen’s habits in late 2016. Cohen thought he might need turn into Trump’s chief-of-staff, solely to seek out himself out of the image, Davidson recalled. He stated:

I believed he was gonna kill himself.

Bove additionally grilled Davidson on his authorized dealings associated to different former A- and B-listers, resembling Hulk Hogan, Charlie Sheen and Tila Tequila, a Playboy model-turned-born once more Christian who has allegedly flirted with alt-right ideologies.

In an apparent effort to make Davidson look déclassé, Bove additionally requested whether or not Hustler writer Larry Flynt had supplied to indemnify Daniels if she got here ahead about Trump.

‘What have we accomplished?’: Lawyer who negotiated Stormy Daniels deal appeared shocked Trump received

Victoria Bekiempis

As Donald Trump’s presidential victory turned clearer on election evening in 2016, Keith Davidson – who brokered hush-money funds for Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal to bury Trump’s alleged sexual liaisons – appeared shocked that his efforts had labored, texting Dylan Howard, then the editor of the Nationwide Enquirer:

What have we accomplished?

Davidson described the phrasing as “gallows humor” about the truth that “our actions could have in a roundabout way assisted the presidential marketing campaign of Donald Trump”. Howard responded to the textual content message with: “Oh my god.”

Along with being a firsthand account of the purported payoff scheme, Davidson’s time on the stand served to corroborate anticipated testimony of Michael Cohen, who turned from Trump consigliere to star prosecution witness.

Trump’s attorneys have already signaled they may aggressively assault Cohen’s credibility when he testifies, portray him as a liar with an axe to grind. The prosecution’s questioning of Davidson on Thursday appeared to be a preemptive strike in opposition to this protection technique. Certainly, Davidson’s feedback aired issues with Cohen’s credibility earlier than Trump’s attorneys may parade them in entrance of jurors.

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass, for instance, requested Davidson whether or not he’d saved speaking with Cohen after the election. Davidson recalled one significantly animated 2016 cellphone name.

Jesus Christ, are you able to fucking imagine I’m not going to Washington? After every part I’ve accomplished for that fucking man, I can’t imagine I’m not going to Washington.

“I’ve saved that man’s ass so many instances, you don’t even know,” Davidson additional recalled of Cohen’s name.

He stated I by no means even bought paid. That fucking man will not be even paying me the $130,000 again.

Good morning on the ultimate day of the third week of Donald Trump’s hush cash legal trial.

On Thursday, Keith Davidson, the lawyer who brokered hush-money funds for each grownup movie star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy mannequin Karen McDougal, returned to the stand as a witness for the prosecution. Davidson was grilled on communications with Dylan Howard, then the editor of the Nationwide Enquirer, and Michael Cohen, Trump’s then fixer.

Davidson testified that as Trump’s presidential victory turned clearer on election evening in 2016, he texted Howard, asking: “What have we accomplished?” “Oh my god,” Howard replied, with Davidson strolling jurors via the texts as they have been displayed in courtroom. Davidson advised the jury that his phrasing amounted to “gallows humor”. When pressed to clarify, Davidson stated he meant:

Our actions could have in a roundabout way assisted the presidential marketing campaign of Donald Trump.

Prosecutors allege that Cohen paid off Daniels to maintain her quiet, and coordinated a fee to McDougal via the Nationwide Enquirer’s mum or dad firm, American Media Inc, to assist Trump’s probabilities within the election. Trump is on trial in New York for falsification of enterprise information over allegedly itemizing repayments to Cohen as authorized bills in firm paperwork.

Courtroom is scheduled to start at 9.30am ET, with forensic analyst Douglas Daus anticipated to return to the witness stand after a quick look yesterday.

We’re on the courthouse once more in the present day. Stick with us.

Trump’s legal hush-money trial: what to know