Third week of testimony in Trump's hush money trial draws to a close, with Michael Cohen yet to come

NEW YORK -- The 3rd week of grounds successful Donald Trump’s hush wealth proceedings draws to a adjacent Friday aft jurors heard the dramatic, if not downright seamy, relationship of porn histrion Stormy Daniels, portion prosecutors cogwheel up for their astir important witness: Michael Cohen, Trump's erstwhile attorney.

Daniels' communicative of an alleged intersexual brushwood with Trump was a important gathering artifact for prosecutors, who are seeking to amusement that the Republican and his allies buried unflattering stories successful the waning weeks of the 2016 statesmanlike election successful an effort to illegally power the race.

Trump, who denies the intersexual brushwood ever happened, walked retired of the tribunal successful a rage Thursday, angrily telling reporters, “I’m innocent.” His attorneys pushed for a mistrial implicit the level of tawdry details Daniels went into connected the witnesser stand, but Judge Juan M. Merchan denied the request.

Over much than 7½ hours of testimony, Daniels relayed successful graphic item what she says happened aft the 2 met astatine a personage play outing astatine Lake Tahoe wherever sponsors included the big movie workplace wherever she worked. Daniels explained however she felt surprise, fearfulness and discomfort, adjacent arsenic she consented to enactment with Trump.

During combative cross-examination, Trump's lawyers sought to overgarment Daniels arsenic a liar and extortionist who’s trying to instrumentality down the erstwhile president aft drafting wealth and fame from her claims. Trump lawyer Susan Necheles pressed Daniels connected wherefore she accepted the payout to support quiescent alternatively of going public, and the 2 women traded barbs implicit what Necheles said were inconsistencies successful Daniels’ communicative implicit the years.

“You made each this up, right?” Necheles asked Daniels.

“No,” Daniels changeable back.

The defence has sought to amusement that the hush wealth payments made connected his behalf were an effort to support his estimation and household — not his run — by shielding them from embarrassing stories astir his idiosyncratic life.

After Daniels stepped down from the basal Thursday, Trump's attorneys pressed the justice to amend the gag bid that prevents him from talking astir witnesses successful the lawsuit truthful helium could publically respond to what she told jurors. The justice denied that petition too.

This is each earlier Trump and jurors are faced with Cohen, who arranged a $130,000 payout to Daniels. It's not wide erstwhile prosecutors volition enactment connected the basal their prima witness, who pleaded blameworthy to national charges and went to situation for his relation successful the hush wealth scheme.

Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying interior Trump Organization concern records. The charges stem from paperwork specified arsenic invoices and checks that were deemed ineligible expenses successful institution records. Prosecutors accidental those payments mostly were reimbursements to Cohen for Daniels' hush wealth payment.

Back connected the witnesser basal Friday greeting is Madeleine Westerhout, a Trump adjutant who was moving astatine the Republican National Committee erstwhile Trump’s infamous “Access Hollywood” portion leaked close earlier the 2016 election. That portion is important due to the fact that prosecutors accidental the governmental firestorm it caused hastened the outgo to Daniels.

Westerhout, who went connected to service arsenic Trump’s idiosyncratic secretary, told jurors Thursday that the portion rattled RNC enactment truthful overmuch that “there were conversations astir however it would beryllium imaginable to regenerate him arsenic the candidate, if it came to that.”

Witnesses successful the lawsuit person seesawed betwixt bookkeepers and bankers with often adust grounds to Daniels and others with salacious and unflattering stories astir Trump and the tabloid satellite machinations meant to support them secret. Despite each the drama, successful the end, this a proceedings astir wealth changing hands — concern transactions — and whether those payments were made to illegally power the 2016 election.

This transgression lawsuit could beryllium the lone 1 of 4 against the presumptive Republican statesmanlike nominee to spell to proceedings earlier voters determine successful November whether to nonstop him backmost to the White House. Trump has pleaded not blameworthy and casts himself arsenic the unfortunate of a politically tainted justness strategy moving to contradict him different term.

Meanwhile, arsenic the menace of jailhouse looms implicit Trump pursuing repeated gag bid violations, his attorneys are warring the judge's bid and seeking a accelerated determination successful an appeals court. If that tribunal refuses to assistance the gag order, Trump’s lawyers privation support to instrumentality their entreaty to the state’s precocious court.

____

Richer reported from Washington.