Trump Hush Money Trial Begins
On Monday, the hush money trial of former Pres. Donald Trump, who's the presumptive Republican presidential nominee for this year's election, began in Manhattan with opening statements....
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Facts
- On Monday, the hush money trial of former Pres. Donald Trump, who's the presumptive Republican presidential nominee for this year's election, began in Manhattan with opening statements.1
- Trump arrived at the courthouse around 9 a.m., addressing a camera and calling the trial a 'witch hunt' before he entered the courtroom. The session was expected to last until 2 p.m. because of Passover, but it was cut short at 12:30 p.m. because of a juror’s dentist appointment.2
- Prosecuting attorney Matthew Colangelo, representing Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office, accused Trump and his then-attorney Michael Cohen of agreeing 'to cook the books' to make an alleged hush payment to Stormy Daniels look like 'payment for services rendered.'3
- Todd Blanche, a Trump attorney, countered that the former president is “innocent” and “did not commit any crimes' because Trump had nothing to do with a $420K payment to Cohen, who paid Daniels $130K to not speak about her alleged relationship with Trump.3
- Colangelo then called David Pecker of the National Enquirer as the first witness, saying Pecker had direct knowledge of Trump’s alleged scheme. Pecker is expected to return to the stand Tuesday.3
Sources: 1FOX 13 Tampa Bay, 2Associated Press and 3ABC7 New York.
Narratives
- Pro-Trump narrative, as provided by Daily Caller. This case is only for public spectacle, and it's good that Trump's defense tore apart every aspect of it Monday. Prosecutors can't single out any crime Trump committed, but Bragg is politically motivated to try to sidetrack the former president's current run for a return to the White House.
- Anti-Trump narrative, as provided by MSNBC. There was nothing groundbreaking about the opening statements, but prosecutors picked the perfect first witness. If Trump did what he's accused of doing, he was probably desperate enough to get the media involved — and Pecker's publication would've been the perfect outlet to turn to in an effort to keep things under wraps.
