Former porn star Stephanie Clifford, known as Stormy Daniels, and her alleged sexual affair with Donald Trump in 2006 are central to the case.
It was the deal she threatened to make public before the 2016 election and which Trump paid to keep secret – something that, according to the indictment, he deliberately failed to record as an expense related to his presidential campaign.
Answers to more than the question
Daniels’ testimony offered embarrassing and exhaustive details about her meetings with Trump. They may turn out to have been too exhaustive.
An extract:
Prosecutor: Can you very briefly describe where you had sex with him?
Daniels: The next thing I remember is that I was on the bed, kind of on the opposite side of the bed from where we had been standing. My clothes and shoes were off, but I think my bra was still on. We were in missionary position.
I chose this excerpt because it illustrates how Daniels repeatedly answered much more than what the question was about. A question about “where” led to an answer about exactly “how”.
Trump’s lawyers protested repeatedly and the judge agreed, saying that “some things would have been better left unsaid.”
Weinstein verdict central
A jury in the United States must not have preconceived notions about a defendant for things unrelated to the charges at hand. Last week, news broke that a verdict against former TV mogul Harvey Weinstein was being overturned. The reason: The jury was allowed to listen to too much testimony that had nothing to do with the prosecution.
The upset verdict came from the same district court where Juan Merchan is currently presiding over the trial against Trump.
Halfway through Daniels’ testimony, Trump’s lawyers called for this trial to be dismissed for the same reasons as Weinstein’s.
And even if the judge said no, the issue may come up again later, for example in an appeal. In such a situation, Daniel’s response has now not only provided Americans with details about her alleged affair with Trump – but also ammunition for the same man.