On the fifth day of Donald Trump’s hush money trial in New York, prosecutors laid out their reasoning behind the former president’s alleged cover-up of a payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels prior to the 2016 presidential election.
Trump’s defense team, led by his attorney, presented their opening statement in what could potentially be the only trial Trump faces before the November election rematch against incumbent President Joe Biden.
According to prosecutors, Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer, paid $130,000 to Daniels in exchange for her silence about an alleged sexual encounter with Trump that occurred a decade earlier. This payment, they argue, intentionally misled voters during a critical period of Trump’s 2016 campaign, which was already marred by accusations of sexual misconduct.
Trump has denied any sexual encounter with Daniels and has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsification of business records, charges brought forth by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
