The trial against Donald Trump is a historic event for two different reasons: It is the first time that a former president has been charged and that he has actually been put on trial for real.
The background is basically an accounting violation. Trump allegedly hid a payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels in the accounting. And instead of indicating that it is a payment to buy her silence, it has been booked as attorney’s fees, according to the prosecutor’s side.
The second thing that the prosecutor is trying to make central is that Trump is deceiving the American people, that he bought negative stories and thus tried to influence his image.
According to Fredrik Bergman Evans, who is an expert in US law, there are four key witnesses against Donald Trump:
Stormy Daniels, Porn Star:
– Most likely, the prosecution will want to use this witness to smear Trump in front of the jury, which is twelve ordinary citizens. In a trial like this, both prosecutors and defense lawyers will bet a lot on emotions and his reputation. Trump will be painted as a villain with extramarital affairs who has tried to manipulate the American people. While the defense will portray Stormy Daniels as a fortune-seeker who tried to make money from the affair with Trump, says Fredrik Bergman Evans, an expert in US law in Nyhetsmorgon.
David Pecker, former publisher of the scandal magazine National Enquirer:
– The prosecutor believes that there was a conspiracy between three people: Donald Trump, David Pecker, and Michael Cohen. It was these three who allegedly got together before the presidential election and agreed that Pecker would buy negative stories about Trump in order to keep them out of the public eye. But also that the National Enquirer should have published negative stories about Hillary Clinton, says Fredrik Bergman Evans.
Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer:
– He has a central role in this story because he is supposed to have made this payment to Stormy Daniels. After all, he was one of Trump’s most loyal people, but who has now changed sides. He will then, according to the prosecutor, tell how that payment took place on behalf of Trump. So he is a key witness for the prosecution.
Hope Picks, Trump’s former press secretary in the 2016 election campaign:
– We will now see if she is allowed to testify, but she must also have been there. What started this was the audio recording of Trump bragging about what you could do to women as a celebrity, and it was at that point that the National Enquirer reportedly contacted Trump and told him that Stormy Daniels had this story. Picks was a spokesperson during the actual communication discussing this first payment before the 2016 presidential election. So we’ll see if she’s switched sides as well.
The trial, which started on Monday, is a six- to eight-week process in which Donald Trump is expected to sit in the courtroom four days a week.