Former President Donald Trump is currently being tried in New York City for felony charges stemming from a 2016 hush money payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. This trial is of historical significance as it is the first time a former U.S. president is facing criminal charges.
In April of last year, Trump entered a plea of not guilty to a 34-count indictment. The charges against him included falsifying business records related to a hush money payment made by his former attorney, Michael Cohen, to Daniels. The purpose of this payment was to enhance Trump’s chances in the 2016 presidential election.
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Emil Bove, the defense attorney, continued his cross-examination of Hope Hicks, a longtime Trump aide. He focused on Hicks’ experience at the Trump Organization, building upon her previous statement about the company’s resemblance to a family business.
He inquired whether she had met members of the Trump family, including his wife and other employees.
Hicks emphasized the importance of trust and respect in the given statement.
During her testimony, Hicks’ voice trembled as she fondly recalled her time at the Trump Organization.
“I always admired Rhona,” Hicks expressed, reflecting on her deep respect for Rhona Graff, Trump’s loyal executive assistant.
When questioned about Michael Cohen, the former attorney for President Trump, she expressed frustration with his actions during the campaign. According to her, he often bypassed their press team, causing headaches for the campaign.
Bove inquired if it was fair to say that he occasionally went rogue.
“Yes,” Hicks replied.
During her testimony, Hicks described the individual in question as someone who preferred to refer to himself as a “fixer” or “Mr. Fix-it.” However, she emphasized that this perception was only due to the fact that he was the one who initially caused the problem in the first place.
Hope Hicks, a longtime aide of Donald Trump, made her return to the courtroom with visible signs of emotional distress. Her face was flushed and her eyes remained teary as she made her way past the spectators and took her seat on the witness stand.
“Apologies for the interruption,” Hicks expressed, as defense attorney Emil Bove continued his cross-examination.
As the cross-examination began, defense attorney Emil Bove wasted no time delving into the witness’s past experience at the Trump Organization. However, before proceeding further, he requested a short break.
Tears streamed down Hicks’ face as she sat on the witness stand, her eyes fixed on the floor. She couldn’t help but cry, her emotions overwhelming her as the jury was escorted out of the room.
During her final round of questioning, she recounted a conversation she had with Donald Trump in 2018 regarding the $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels. She stated that Trump informed her that Michael Cohen had made the payment independently.
Hicks mentioned that he didn’t perceive Michael as a particularly charitable or selfless individual. According to him, Michael was more inclined towards seeking recognition for his actions.
After she broke down, Hicks left the courtroom and the jurors were excused during the break.
Hope Hicks, a longtime aide to Donald Trump, recently stated that she did not have any conversations with David Pecker, the publisher of the National Enquirer, regarding Karen McDougal in March 2018. This contradicts Pecker’s testimony from last week.
During the previous week, Pecker revealed that he had discussions with Hicks and Sarah Huckabee Sanders regarding the extension of McDougal’s contract in March 2018.
Pecker said he explained to the two individuals why he was going to extend her agreement, and both of them expressed their agreement with the idea.
When questioned about the same timeframe, Hicks firmly denied ever contacting Pecker.
Hicks stated that she did not recall speaking to Mr. Pecker after McDougal’s CNN interview. She clarified that she did have a conversation with Mr. Trump.
During the trial, prosecutors presented a text message in which Trump’s executive assistant requested that Hicks get in touch with Pecker on behalf of Trump. However, Hicks could not recall having a phone conversation with Pecker.
According to testimony from Hope Hicks, a longtime aide, when the Wall Street Journal story about AMI’s hush payment to Karen McDougal was published in November 2016, Trump became concerned about how his wife, Melania, would react to it. As a result, he asked Hicks for a favor.
“Lots of innuendos with little factual basis,” Cohen wrote to Hicks on the night the story was published. “The article is poorly written, and I don’t see it gaining much attention.” Hicks clarified that “doubt” was a typo and it should have been “don’t.”
When approached by the Wall Street Journal with news that the National Enquirer’s parent company, AMI, had paid Karen McDougal to keep quiet about an alleged affair with Trump, Hicks revealed that she responded by issuing a statement to the Journal. In her statement, she vehemently denied the allegations, stating that they were completely false.
According to Hicks, she was unaware of the agreement between AMI and McDougal, as stated in her statement to the Journal.
According to Hicks, he didn’t recall the exact words spoken, but that was the general agreement reached during our discussions.
Donald Trump and Hope Hicks did not make eye contact as Hicks left the stand for the lunch break. Hicks avoided looking at Trump as she walked past him sitting at the defense table. Meanwhile, Trump turned to his left and huddled with his attorneys as she went by.
During the morning session, the former president appeared to be preoccupied, frequently averting his gaze as his once trusted aide testified.
During Hicks’ testimony, Trump displayed various physical reactions. He alternated between looking straight ahead, glancing down at his tie, and even closing his eyes. At one moment, his head drooped and his chin rested on his chest for a brief period before swiftly snapping back up into an upright position.
Hicks mentioned that she shared the plane with Mr. Trump when he arrived for the rally.
According to an exhibit entered into evidence, Cohen also provided feedback and made edits to the draft statement.
Hicks revealed that instead of seeking assistance, Trump chose to personally craft his own statement.
According to Hicks, he expressed his desire to personally craft his own statement.
Hicks and Trump reached out to Pecker again to confirm the information he had previously shared, before drafting the statement.
Hicks stated that the explanation given was that it was a legitimate contract, and that is what they intended to inform the Journal.
During her testimony, Hicks admitted that her recollection was not clear, stating that her memory was “very fuzzy at this point.” However, she did affirm that Trump’s intention was to ensure that the statement would explicitly deny any involvement with Stormy Daniels, as she was prominently mentioned in the Wall Street Journal article.
After giving his testimony, the court broke for lunch, and as he left the courtroom for the break, Trump flashed a thumbs-up to the reporters.
During her testimony, longtime Trump aide Hope Hicks revealed that she became aware of Stormy Daniels’ name back in 2015. This occurred when she overheard a conversation among the security personnel on Trump’s plane discussing a golf tournament that Trump had attended.
According to Hicks, her initial knowledge of Karen McDougal came about when she was approached by the Wall Street Journal for a comment on November 4, 2016. At the time, the newspaper was about to release a story revealing that National Enquirer’s parent company, AMI, had made a payment to McDougal in order to ensure her silence regarding her alleged affair with Trump.
The jurors were presented with an email that Hicks received on November 4, 2016, from the Wall Street Journal.
Hicks admitted that she had to deal with the situation on her own while the rally was happening on the plane.
Hicks informed Trump about the story prior to the commencement of the rally, as stated by Hicks.
Hicks expressed her concerns about not having sufficient time to respond while he was speaking.
Hicks forwarded the email to Jared Kushner because he had a strong rapport with Rupert Murdoch, the owner of the Wall Street Journal.
Hicks expressed her hope that Kushner would be able to “purchase some additional time to address this matter.”
Hicks recounted that Kushner mentioned his inability to contact Murdoch and suggested that they should focus on formulating a response to the situation.
Hicks dialed the office of David Pecker and also reached out to Cohen, given his connection with Pecker.
