Donald Trump's criminal trial over hush money begins in New York | Donald Trump trial
donald trumpcriminal hush money trial The trial involving adult film actress Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougall is scheduled to begin this morning, with jury selection to take place in Manhattan Supreme Court.
The proceedings mark an important day in American history, as President Trump is the first president, current or former, to face a criminal trial. They also face a presidential race in which Trump, who consistently leads Joe Biden in head-to-head polls, is the almost certain Republican nominee.
The criminal case against Trump stems from an alleged scheme to cover up an alleged relationship between Daniels and McDougal ahead of the 2016 general election.
According to prosecutors, Trump, who was indicted in the spring of 2023 on 34 counts of falsifying business records, participated in a “catch-and-kill scheme” from August 2015 to December 2017 through his then-lawyer Michael Cohen. It is said that he did. They said they did so out of concern that allegations of extramarital contact between Daniels and McDougal could harm Trump's candidacy.
Mr. Cohen in 2018 plead guilty Federal charges for involvement in specific cases hush money scheme, wired $130,000 to Daniels' then-attorney just 12 days before the election. Prosecutors said Cohen transferred the money through shell companies, which he set up to fund Manhattan banks.
After Trump won the election, he repaid Cohen with monthly checks. Initially, these checks were from the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust. new york To hold the assets of the president's namesake company during the president's term. Payments to Mr. Cohen were then made from Mr. Trump's bank account, prosecutors said.
The Manhattan District Attorney's Office announced that President Trump provided 11 checks under illegal pretexts and signed nine of them. Prosecutors say the Trump Organization processed these checks “disguised as payments for legal services provided under non-existent contracts.”
By placing these payments as fees for legal work, he “made and caused false entries in the companies' business records,” prosecutors said. Trump “did so with intent to defraud and intent to commit another crime and aid and abet and conceal its commission…”
A scheme involving McDougal resulted in AMI, publisher of the National Enquirer, paying her $150,000. After McDougal's attorney contacted the National Enquirer, AMI contacted Cohen in hopes of pitching her story about Trump. According to a non-prosecution agreement between AMI and Manhattan federal prosecutors, AMI brokered the deal with McDougal and gave her a “limited lifetime right” to her account regarding her relationship with “any married man.” It is said that he purchased it.
Prosecutors say President Trump instructed Cohen to repay AMI in cash. Mr. Cohen insisted that AMI be repaid through a shell company. AMI, owned by Trump ally David Pecker, ultimately declined to accept the repayments after consulting with lawyers, according to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.
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In another cover-up, Mr. Pecker learned that a former Trump Tower doorman was trying to sell information about Mr. Trump's alleged out-of-wedlock child. Prosecutors say AMI paid him $30,000 for the article.
The story was not true – AMI did not investigate before making the payment – but Cohen told Pecker not to release the doorman from his contract until after the election. Pecker said, “Yes,” according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors said the arrangement between Trump, Cohen and Pecker began with a meeting at Trump Tower in the summer of 2015, about two months after the real estate mogul announced his candidacy. Mr. Pecker said he supported Mr. Trump's candidacy and promised to be Mr. Trump's “eyes and ears” by staying on top of negative stories and letting Mr. Cohen know before they surface.
Summarize this content to 100 words donald trumpcriminal hush money trial The trial involving adult film actress Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougall is scheduled to begin this morning, with jury selection to take place in Manhattan Supreme Court.The proceedings mark an important day in American history, as President Trump is the first president, current or former, to face a criminal trial. They also face a presidential race in which Trump, who consistently leads Joe Biden in head-to-head polls, is the almost certain Republican nominee.The criminal case against Trump stems from an alleged scheme to cover up an alleged relationship between Daniels and McDougal ahead of the 2016 general election.According to prosecutors, Trump, who was indicted in the spring of 2023 on 34 counts of falsifying business records, participated in a “catch-and-kill scheme” from August 2015 to December 2017 through his then-lawyer Michael Cohen. It is said that he did. They said they did so out of concern that allegations of extramarital contact between Daniels and McDougal could harm Trump's candidacy.Mr. Cohen in 2018 plead guilty Federal charges for involvement in specific cases hush money scheme, wired $130,000 to Daniels' then-attorney just 12 days before the election. Prosecutors said Cohen transferred the money through shell companies, which he set up to fund Manhattan banks.After Trump won the election, he repaid Cohen with monthly checks. Initially, these checks were from the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust. new york To hold the assets of the president's namesake company during the president's term. Payments to Mr. Cohen were then made from Mr. Trump's bank account, prosecutors said.The Manhattan District Attorney's Office announced that President Trump provided 11 checks under illegal pretexts and signed nine of them. Prosecutors say the Trump Organization processed these checks “disguised as payments for legal services provided under non-existent contracts.”By placing these payments as fees for legal work, he “made and caused false entries in the companies' business records,” prosecutors said. Trump “did so with intent to defraud and intent to commit another crime and aid and abet and conceal its commission…”A scheme involving McDougal resulted in AMI, publisher of the National Enquirer, paying her $150,000. After McDougal's attorney contacted the National Enquirer, AMI contacted Cohen in hopes of pitching her story about Trump. According to a non-prosecution agreement between AMI and Manhattan federal prosecutors, AMI brokered the deal with McDougal and gave her a “limited lifetime right” to her account regarding her relationship with “any married man.” It is said that he purchased it.Prosecutors say President Trump instructed Cohen to repay AMI in cash. Mr. Cohen insisted that AMI be repaid through a shell company. AMI, owned by Trump ally David Pecker, ultimately declined to accept the repayments after consulting with lawyers, according to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.Skip past newsletter promotionssign up for President Trump on trialStay up to date on all of Donald Trump's trials. Guardian staff send out weekly updates every Wednesday and bonus editions on key trial days.Privacy Notice: Newsletters may include information about charities, online advertising and content funded by external organizations. For more information, see privacy policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google. privacy policy and terms of service Apply.After newsletter promotionIn another cover-up, Mr. Pecker learned that a former Trump Tower doorman was trying to sell information about Mr. Trump's alleged out-of-wedlock child. Prosecutors say AMI paid him $30,000 for the article.The story was not true – AMI did not investigate before making the payment – but Cohen told Pecker not to release the doorman from his contract until after the election. Pecker said, “Yes,” according to prosecutors.Prosecutors said the arrangement between Trump, Cohen and Pecker began with a meeting at Trump Tower in the summer of 2015, about two months after the real estate mogul announced his candidacy. Mr. Pecker said he supported Mr. Trump's candidacy and promised to be Mr. Trump's “eyes and ears” by staying on top of negative stories and letting Mr. Cohen know before they surface.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/15/donald-trump-trial-hush-money-stormy-daniels Donald Trump's criminal trial over hush money begins in New York | Donald Trump trial
