Donald Trump's first criminal trial, set to begin in New York, involves charges of falsifying business records related to a $130,000 hush money payment to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels in 2016 before the election. Legal experts are divided on the strength of the case, with some questioning the political motives behind the charges. The trial is seen as a significant moment in the ongoing legal battles faced by the former US president.
Former President Donald Trump will be the first former president to stand trial on criminal charges related to a hush money case involving allegations of marital infidelity during his 2016 campaign. The case, involving payoffs to Stormy Daniels, Karen McDougal, and others, accuses Trump of falsifying Trump Organization records to bury damaging stories. The trial carries significant political implications as it could reach a verdict before the November election. Trump denies the alleged sexual encounters.
Former President Donald Trump will go to trial on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records linked to a payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about an alleged affair. Despite proclaiming his innocence, the trial will proceed at the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse in New York City starting this Monday. Witnesses like David Pecker, who was involved in a catch and kill arrangement with potentially damaging stories about Trump, are expected to testify during the trial.
Former President Donald Trump is facing 34 counts of falsifying business records in a Manhattan trial, accused of covering up hush money payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to conceal a past sexual encounter. Polls show skepticism among Americans, especially Republicans, with many viewing the charges as politically motivated. Trump's supporters largely dismiss the seriousness of the Manhattan charges compared to other indictments. The trial is set to start soon, with concerns over Trump potentially taking the witness stand despite previous poor testimony in a civil fraud trial.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is facing 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree in Manhattan for a hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels, along with allegations of orchestrating a scheme to influence the 2016 election. The trial will last up to two months and is the first of Trump's four criminal cases to go to trial. Trump denies all wrongdoing and accuses the district attorney of a politically motivated witch hunt.
The first of Donald Trump's four criminal trials is scheduled to begin in New York on April 15, with 12 jurors and six alternates selected to determine his guilt. Legal experts aim to ensure impartiality in the jury selection process, seeking individuals who can set aside personal opinions and decide based on evidence. Trump, a former president and 2024 presidential candidate, is facing a history-making criminal trial related to hush money investigations. Key figures in the case include attorneys, a judge, and a New York criminal justice professor providing insights on the trial process.
Former White House communications director Hope Hicks is expected to testify in the criminal trial against Donald Trump in New York regarding falsifying business records related to hush money paid to Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign. Hicks previously denied knowledge of the hush money payment but was allegedly involved in negotiations to prevent Daniels from going public with her claims. The trial, scheduled to start on April 15, includes key witnesses such as Cohen and Daniels, with Trump pleading not guilty to the charges.
Former Trump aide Hope Hicks is set to testify for the prosecution in Trump's New York hush money trial, involving falsified business records to cover up payments made to hide an affair during his 2016 campaign. Hicks, who denies prior knowledge of payments, is believed to have been involved in negotiating a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels. Trump faces multiple criminal cases and has labelled the charges as political, pleading not guilty. His former attorney, Michael Cohen, is cooperating with prosecutors. The trial is scheduled for April 15, with Daniels expected to testify.
Judge Juan Merchan in New York blocks Donald Trump's legal team from forcing NBC to hand over materials related to a recent documentary about Stormy Daniels. The ruling, just before the April 15 trial, pertains to 34 felony counts against Trump for alleged falsifying of business records for hush money payments. The judge called the subpoena a 'fishing expedition' lacking legal merit. Trump, facing multiple criminal cases, allegedly concealed hush money payments through his former lawyer Michael Cohen. Stormy Daniels, central to the case, is expected to serve as a key witness despite defense attempts to delay the trial pending Supreme Court rulings on presidential immunity claims.
On January 12, 2018, The Wall Street Journal reported that in October 2016, just before the 2016 United States presidential election, Michael Cohen, lawyer for then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, arranged a payment of US$130,000 to pornographic film actress Stormy Daniels to stop her disclosing an affair she and Trump allegedly had in 2006. Daniels had signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). At first, Cohen denied Trump had the alleged affair and sought to suppress the allegation based on the NDA, but a month later publicly acknowledged making the payment.Besides allegations surrounding the details of the affair itself, the acknowledged payment raised legal and ethical questions as to whether the payment violated federal campaign finance laws, either because the payment was not duly disclosed as a campaign contribution or because campaign funds may have been used towards the payment. On February 13, Cohen said he paid the money out of his own pocket, not as a campaign contribution; and that neither The Trump Organization nor the Trump campaign reimbursed him for making it. On April 5, Trump said he had no knowledge of Cohen's payment; but on April 26 admitted for the first time that Cohen represented him in "the Stormy Daniels deal". On May 2, Trump's new lawyer Rudy Giuliani said that Trump had reimbursed Cohen for the payment.In August 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to eight criminal charges, including a campaign finance violation for Daniels's payment. He stated under oath that he paid her "in coordination with and at the direction of a candidate for federal office". Cohen was sentenced to three years in federal prison on various charges, and was disbarred.Daniels filed three lawsuits against Trump and/or Cohen. In the first lawsuit she argued that the NDA was invalid. She won the lawsuit, though it was dismissed after Trump and Cohen agreed not to enforce the NDA. A California court subsequently ordered Trump pay $44,100 to reimburse her legal fees. She lost the second lawsuit, in which she argued she was defamed, and was ordered to pay almost $300,000 in legal fees and court sanctions. In the third lawsuit she claimed that Cohen colluded with her previous attorney Keith Davidson against her interests when he negotiated the payment. The lawsuit did not name Trump as a defendant, and settled in May 2019.Trump's accounting firm, Mazars, provided his tax returns and related documents to the Manhattan District Attorney, Cyrus Vance Jr., following the outcome of the Supreme Court's Trump v. Vance ruling in February 2021. Although an internal report said there was "reason to believe" Trump's campaign had knowingly violated campaign finance law, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) abandoned an inquiry into the payment to Daniels. The FEC's vote on May 6, 2021, split 2–2 along party lines.On March 30, 2023, a Manhattan grand jury indicted Trump for his alleged role in the scandal. Trump was arraigned in the Manhattan district court on April 4.
Allen Weisselberg, a former executive in Donald Trump's real estate empire, is set to be sentenced to five months in jail for lying under oath in Trump's New York civil fraud case. Weisselberg pleaded guilty to two counts of perjury, admitting to lying about the valuation of Trump's Manhattan penthouse on financial statements. This will be his second time behind bars, as he previously served 100 days for tax evasion. Despite testifying against Trump in trials, Weisselberg's plea agreement does not require him to testify in Trump's upcoming hush money criminal trial.
Former President Donald Trump's legal efforts to delay his hush-money trial in Manhattan have been rejected by three separate emergency delay bids this week, with jury selection set to begin as scheduled on Monday. Despite ongoing appellate challenges, experts predict that the trial is unlikely to be stopped or paused, and any decisions in Trump's favor would not interrupt the ongoing trial. Trump's lawyers are strategically laying the groundwork to challenge his conviction by raising constitutional issues in failed delay bids.
A New York appellate court rejected former President Donald Trump's request to delay his first criminal trial, where he faces 34 felony counts for falsifying business records to conceal hush money payments. The trial, set to start next Monday, includes a gag order prohibiting personal attacks on court staff, prosecutors, and witnesses. Trump claims his free speech rights are violated by the gag rule, but the court found his objection unfounded, citing the need to ensure a fair trial by preventing statements that could interfere with jury selection or intimidate witnesses.
Donald Trump criticized Justice Juan Merchan and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg during a rally in Pennsylvania ahead of his first criminal trial involving hush money payments to Stormy Daniels. The former president has been issued a gag order preventing him from making public statements about witnesses. Trump also briefly mentioned Iran's recent drone and missile attack on Israel, attributing it to weakness in current leadership compared to when he was in office.
Former President Donald Trump's request to delay his hush money criminal trial was denied for the third time in a week, with his arguments for the delay based on seeking Judge Juan M Merchan's recusal, claiming restrictive pre-motion letter requirements, and aiming to argue presidential immunity as a defense. The district attorney's office and court administration argued against the delay, deeming Trump's arguments meritless. Trump's lawyers have filed an appeal to prevent jury selection from starting, framing the action as suing Merchan under Article 78.
New York Judge Juan Merchan issued a gag order on former President Donald Trump, restricting him from publicly attacking potential witnesses, prosecutors, court staff, and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial. The order comes in response to Trump's previous inflammatory remarks about individuals involved in his legal cases. Trump is charged with falsifying business records related to hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels and has pleaded not guilty, claiming political motivation. The gag order aims to prevent threats and intimidation ahead of the trial starting on April 15, 2024.
A New York judge has placed a gag order on Donald Trump ahead of his criminal hush money case that begins on April 15. The order prohibits Trump from making public statements about court staff, jurors, witnesses, and lawyers in the district attorney's office. The campaign claims the order violates Trump's free speech rights. Trump is facing 34 felony counts related to hush money payments to Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. Justice Juan Merchan granted the gag order after a request from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, citing Trump's history of attacking opponents.
Michael John Avenatti (born February 16, 1971) is an American former attorney and convicted felon, currently incarcerated in federal prison at FCI Terminal Island. He is best known for his legal representation of adult film actress Stormy Daniels in lawsuits against then U.S. President Donald Trump, and his multiple convictions for attempting to extort sports apparel company Nike and defrauding and embezzling settlement money from a series of other clients. Avenatti has appeared extensively on television and in print as a legal and political commentator, and as a representative for prominent clients.In March 2019, Avenatti was indicted in California and New York on various criminal counts including extortion, tax evasion, fraud, and embezzlement. On February 14, 2020, Avenatti was convicted of extorting Nike in New York court, and on July 8, 2021, he was sentenced to 30 months in prison. Additionally, on another date, he received another 30 months (technically 4 years with half concurrent) for a financial crime against Stormy Daniels. He has been imprisoned since February 7, 2022. On December 5, 2022, he was sentenced to an additional 14 years for stealing millions from clients, bringing his total sentence to 19 years without the possibility of parole.
In the trial involving former President Donald Trump's alleged hush money payment to Stormy Daniels, Trump's lawyers mistakenly subpoenaed a Brooklyn man named Jeremy Rosenberg instead of the intended Manhattan investigator. Rosenberg humorously responded that he had no files to provide and kept the $15 sent for mailing documents. The prosecutor confirmed the error and stated that the wrong person had been served. The trial, facing Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records, is set for jury selection on April 15.
A New York judge expanded a gag order on Donald Trump to prevent inflammatory speech ahead of his criminal hush money trial. Trump criticized key witnesses Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels, calling them liars, violating the gag order's restrictions on public statements about trial witnesses. The order also prohibits comments on jurors, court staff, and lawyers' relatives. Trump argues the gag order infringes on his free speech rights. Cohen and Daniels have faced harassment from Trump's supporters. Trump's criticism may violate the order by influencing potential jurors.
During and after his term as President of the United States, Donald Trump made tens of thousands of false or misleading claims. The Washington Post's fact-checkers documented 30,573 false or misleading claims during his presidential term, an average of about 21 per day. The Toronto Star tallied 5,276 false claims from January 2017 to June 2019, an average of 6.1 per day. Commentators and fact-checkers have described the scale of Trump's mendacity as "unprecedented" in American politics, and the consistency of falsehoods a distinctive part of his business and political identities. Scholarly analysis of Trump's tweets found "significant evidence" of an intent to deceive.By June 2019, after initially resisting, many news organizations began to describe some of his falsehoods as "lies". The Washington Post said his frequent repetition of claims he knew to be false amounted to a campaign based on disinformation. Trump campaign CEO and presidency chief strategist Steve Bannon said that the press, rather than Democrats, was Trump's primary adversary and "the way to deal with them is to flood the zone with shit."As part of their attempts to overturn the 2020 U.S. presidential election, Trump and his allies repeatedly falsely claimed there had been massive election fraud and that Trump had won the election. Their effort was characterized by some as an implementation of the big lie propaganda technique.On June 8, 2023, a grand jury indicted Trump on one count of making "false statements and representations", specifically by hiding subpoenaed classified documents from his own attorney who was trying to find and return them to the government. In August 2023, 21 of Trump's falsehoods about the 2020 election were listed in his Washington, D.C. indictment, while 27 were listed in his Georgia indictment.
On August 24, 2023, after being indicted on racketeering and related charges, Donald Trump, former president of the United States, voluntarily surrendered himself to authorities at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, Georgia, where a mug shot of him was taken. In the photograph, Trump, wearing a blue suit with a white shirt and a red tie, glowers at the camera in front of a gray backdrop. His face is lit from the side and from above. It is the first and only police booking photograph of a U.S. president. After its publishing, the mug shot was used on merchandise by Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, in Internet memes, and featured on various media reports worldwide.
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump received a Bachelor of Science in economics from the University of Pennsylvania in 1968, and his father named him president of his real estate business in 1971. Trump renamed it the Trump Organization and reoriented the company toward building and renovating skyscrapers, hotels, casinos, and golf courses. After a series of business failures in the late twentieth century, he successfully launched side ventures that required little capital, mostly by licensing the Trump name. From 2004 to 2015, he co-produced and hosted the reality television series The Apprentice. He and his businesses have been plaintiff or defendant in more than 4,000 state and federal legal actions, including six business bankruptcies.Trump won the 2016 presidential election as the Republican Party nominee against Democratic Party nominee Hillary Clinton while losing the popular vote. During the campaign, his political positions were described as populist, protectionist, isolationist, and nationalist. His election and policies sparked numerous protests. He was the first U.S. president with no prior military or government experience. A special counsel investigation established that Russia had interfered in the 2016 election to favor Trump's campaign. Trump promoted conspiracy theories and made many false and misleading statements during his campaigns and presidency, to a degree unprecedented in American politics. Many of his comments and actions have been characterized as racially charged or racist and many as misogynistic.As president, Trump ordered a travel ban on citizens from several Muslim-majority countries, diverted military funding toward building a wall on the U.S.–Mexico border, and implemented a policy of family separations for migrants detained at the U.S. border. He weakened environmental protections, rolling back more than 100 environmental policies and regulations. He signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, which cut taxes for individuals and businesses and rescinded the individual health insurance mandate penalty of the Affordable Care Act. He appointed Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court. He reacted slowly to the COVID-19 pandemic, ignored or contradicted many recommendations from health officials, used political pressure to interfere with testing efforts, and spread misinformation about unproven treatments. Trump initiated a trade war with China and withdrew the U.S. from the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, the Paris Agreement on climate change, and the Iran nuclear deal. He met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un three times but made no progress on denuclearization.Trump refused to concede after losing the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden, falsely claiming widespread electoral fraud, and attempted to overturn the results by pressuring government officials, mounting scores of unsuccessful legal challenges, and obstructing the presidential transition. On January 6, 2021, he urged his supporters to march to the U.S. Capitol, which many of them then attacked, resulting in multiple deaths and interrupting the electoral vote count.Trump is the only American president to have been impeached twice. After he tried to pressure Ukraine in 2019 to investigate Biden, he was impeached by the House of Representatives for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress; he was acquitted by the Senate in February 2020. The House impeached him again in January 2021, for incitement of insurrection, and the Senate acquitted him in February. Scholars and historians rank Trump as one of the worst presidents in American history.Since leaving office, Trump has continued to dominate the Republican Party and is a candidate in the 2024 Republican presidential primaries. In 2023, a civil trial jury found that Trump sexually abused E. Jean Carroll. In 2024, a New York state court found Trump liable for financial fraud. Trump is appealing both judgments. He was also indicted in New York on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, in Florida on 40 felony counts related to his mishandling of classified documents, in Washington, D.C., on four felony counts of conspiracy and obstruction for efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, and in Georgia on 13 charges of racketeering and other alleged felonies committed in an effort to overturn the state's 2020 election results. Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) paid legal fees for President Biden during the special counsel's probe into his possession of classified documents, with over $1.05 million paid to lawyers including Bob Bauer. The DNC emphasized not using grassroots donors' money for legal bills, contrasting it with Donald Trump's solicitation of legal fees from supporters and depleting various accounts. President Biden's campaign criticized Trump for similar actions. Former President Obama's lawyer Bob Bauer, married to White House adviser Anita Dunn, handled the legal services for President Biden.
Stephanie A. Gregory Clifford (born Stephanie A. Gregory; March 17, 1979), known professionally as Stormy Daniels, is an American pornographic film actress, director and former stripper. She has won many industry awards and is a member of the NightMoves Hall of Fame, AVN Hall of Fame and XRCO Hall of Fame. In 2009 a recruitment effort led her to consider challenging incumbent David Vitter in the 2010 Senate election in her native Louisiana.In 2018, Daniels became involved in a legal dispute with U.S. president Donald Trump. Trump's attorney Michael Cohen paid $130,000 to silence her about an affair she says she had with Trump in 2006. Trump has denied the affair and accused her of lying.
Former aide Stephanie Grisham revealed that Melania Trump is under stress due to Donald Trump's looming trial in the Stormy Daniels hush money case. Allegations of affairs with Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal have caused tensions in their marriage. Melania refused to appear with Trump at events and may push him to testify in the trial. Melania has been making few public appearances and occasional social media posts, while Trump claims she will campaign soon.
President Joe Biden's campaign released a statement criticizing Donald Trump as feeble, confused, and tired after a series of verbal stumbles and a bizarre social media post comparing himself to Christ. Trump faced court decisions, including a reduction in bond in a fraud case and a ruling setting a criminal trial date in the Stormy Daniels hush money case. Biden's campaign ridiculed Trump's fundraising struggles, lack of recent appearances, and described him as weak and desperate as a candidate. Critics also highlighted Trump's rambling appearance and gaffes in recent statements.
Stormy is a 2024 American documentary film, directed and produced by Sarah Gibson. It follows Stormy Daniels, as she navigates being a mother, artist, and advocate working hard to reinvent herself following the Stormy Daniels–Donald Trump scandal.It had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 8, 2024, and was released on March 18, 2024, by Peacock.
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