Former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial continued for the eighth day, as the case resumed Friday at Manhattan criminal court.
According to The Hill, David Pecker, the former CEO of American Media Inc. — the parent company of the National Enquirer — was questioned for the fourth day in a row. On the stand, the former publisher has spoken about alleged agreements made between Trump and Michael Cohen, Trump’s previous lawyer, during the former president’s 2016 campaign.
Also, Judge Juan Merchan is weighing whether or not Trump violated a gag order by allegedly “attacking other witnesses on social media.” And in a recent update posted by Yahoo, the hearing for the gag order has been rescheduled for May 2.
Trump is currently facing 34 felony counts, wrote The Hill.
What is the hush money trial?
The case, per the Deseret News, revolves around Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg accusing the former president of “creating false business records linked to a $130,000 payment” made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to allegedly keep her from speaking out about a relationship. Cohen allegedly organized the payments prior to the 2016 presidential election.
Cohen and Daniels are both witnesses for the prosecution in the trial, reported the Deseret News.
In addition, the trial involves an alleged discussion between the former president and Cohen about a $150,000 hush money payment to former Playboy model Karen McDougal. The model alleged she had a relationship with Trump, but he has denied such claims, according to a timeline by CNN.
Trump, who has been charged with 34 felony counts, has denied wrongdoing. “I’m the leading candidate ... and this is what they’re trying to take me off the trail for. Checks being paid to a lawyer,” he said to The Associated Press on Monday. “It’s a case as to bookkeeping, which is a very minor thing.”
“But I’m in a courthouse for a rigged trial. It’s a rigged trial — terrible,” the former president told reporters about the case, per The Hill.
What’s been claimed in the trial?
During hours of testimony, Pecker spoke of a “catch and kill” method in which he allegedly agreed to purchase the rights of stories unfavorable to Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign — as a way to prevent them from going public, reported CBS News.
Matthew Colangelo, senior counsel to Bragg, argued that Pecker and Dylan Howard — the editor of the National Enquirer at the time — utilized the strategy to make Trump appear more favorable to voters. “This was a planned, coordinated, long-running conspiracy to influence the 2016 election to help Donald Trump get elected,” Colangelo told the jury on Monday, previously shared by the Deseret News. “It was election fraud, pure and simple.”
Trump’s attorney Emil Bove said the 2016 arrangement was a “standard operating procedure,” according to Yahoo.
Prior to entering the courtroom on Friday, Trump spoke to the press about missing the birthday of his wife, Melania. “It would be nice to be with her,” he said, per The Hill.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges. If convicted, some experts told USA Today that a sentence could range from probation to up to four years of incarceration.