Trump centre stage as hush money trial starts
The ex-president is accused of paying off a porn star and Playboy model
DONALD TRUMP was today set to stand trial in New York over alleged “hush money” payments to a porn star and a Playboy model, in the first criminal case brought against a former US president.
Mr Trump is accused of having a sexual encounter with porn star Stormy Daniels in 2006 while married to wife Melania, before allegedly being involved in a backroom deal to try to stop it becoming public in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election. He is also accused of having an affair with Playboy model Karen McDougal, together with a second alleged payment to buy her silence. Jury selection was due to begin today.
Mr Trump is set to be the Republican presidential candidate in a showdown at the polls with Democratic incumbent Joe Biden in November. However, his campaign is set to be punctuated by court appearances, with the hush money trial just the first of four criminal cases against him.
Ms Daniels broke a non-disclosure agreement to say she had a sexual encounter with Mr Trump. She says she was paid $130,000 not to go public with the revelation, in a deal allegedly struck by Mr Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen. It is said a $150,000 payment was agreed for Ms McDougal. It is alleged that financial records were fabricated to hide the payments. Cohen was jailed for three years in 2018 for a variety of charges including tax evasion, and has since turned against Mr Trump. He is set to be the star prosecution witness alongside Ms Daniels and Ms McDougal.
Mr Trump has denied the charges and has also previously denied extra-marital affairs. If convicted, the charges against Mr Trump could carry jail time. Trials over claims he illegally stored classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort, allegedly interfered in the 2020 election, and a case centring on the January 6 Capitol Hill riot are still to come.