Donald Trump fomented a “plot” to “rig” the 2016 presidential election by buying the silence of a former porn star about a sexual relationship, prosecutors accused Monday, April 22, at the historic trial of the former president the United States.
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By presenting the charges before the jury at the opening of the debates, the prosecution immediately wanted to raise the issues of the case and show that it goes well beyond the 34 counts of falsification of accounting documents with which the candidate is accused. Republican in the 2024 presidential election. Donald Trumpthe former president of UNITED STATEShas “ orchestrated a criminal conspiracy to rig the 2016 presidential election ”, then “ lied in accounting documents, over and over again ” for the “ hide “, accused one of the prosecutors, Matthew Colangelo, under the eyes of the billionaire, impassive and silent. For him, there is no debate: “ This is election fraud, plain and simple. », asserted the prosecutor, in front of the twelve jurors.
According to the prosecution, these falsifications made it possible to conceal, under the cover of “legal fees”, the payment by Donald Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, of $130,000 to Stormy Daniels, just before the 2016 election won by Donald Trump. The money was used to buy the former actress’ silence about a sexual relationship she claimed to have had ten years earlier with the billionaire, while he was married to his wife Melania. Donald Trump has always denied any affair with Stormy Daniels.
“ Where is the crime in everything that has been described to you? », Swept Donald Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, in response to the accusation. Qualifying the accounting documents at the heart of the affair as “ pieces of paper, nothing else “, he assured that ” President Trump had nothing to do with these 34 pieces of paper, other than the fact that he signed them while he was in the White House, while he was running the country “. “ There is nothing illegal about trying to influence an election. It’s called democracy », added Todd Blanche, for whom Donald Trump is “ totally innocent “.
Testimony of Trump’s ex-lawyer called into question
The jurors will also be confronted with the testimonies of Stormy Daniels and Donald Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, who has become one of his worst enemies. It was he who paid the actress – at the request of his boss, he assures – with his own funds, and he has already been convicted by the courts in this case.
Todd Blanche emphasizes that the prosecution relies mainly on the testimony of Michael Cohen, in whom he asks the jurors not to trust. The defense began to attack the credibility of this witness, who was also convicted of lying before Congress. “ He is obsessed with President Trump, and his desire to see President Trump go to prison (…) And he admitted to lying under oath », Attacked Todd Blanche. The lawyer also discredits Stormy Daniels’ testimony in advance. For him, it is an attempt to smear the former president.
Among the witnesses, the first called to the stand is David Pecker, former press boss, who at the time headed the American tabloid The National Enquirer. He had to tell how he had placed himself at the disposal of Donald Trump’s campaign by purchasing sensitive information, having exclusive access to it and then not publishing it, a process known as catch and kill. Shortly after David Pecker’s testimony began, the hearing was recessed at midday until Tuesday.
Donald Trump denounces political persecution
Upon his arrival in court, the Republican candidate for the November presidential election denounced, Like he usually does“ a witch hunt ” policy. “ It’s a very, very sad day for America “, he said before entering the courtroom.
The case threatens Donald Trump with a possible prison sentence, a few months before the presidential election on November 5, where he will face Joe Biden. During the trial, the prosecution intends to show that the hidden payments to Stormy Daniels were not the only ones and that they were part of a broader strategy, to cover up affairs with money and hide embarrassing information from voters in the vote won by the wire by Donald Trump against Hillary Clinton.
Donald Trump castigates an empty case and political persecution by increasing the invectives against judge Juan Merchan and prosecutor Alvin Bragg. Prosecutors asked the judge to sanction him for violating the ban on attacking witnesses and jurors. This question will be debated on Tuesday.
Donald Trump’s mandatory presence at his hearings prevents him from campaigning normally, while his rival Joe Biden tries to score points by plowing the field. The stakes are all the higher as this trial could be the only one, among the four criminal cases which target Donald Trump, to be concluded before the presidential election.
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