Daniels denies accounts changed
DONALD Trump sought to catch inconsistencies in porn star Stormy Daniels’ various tellings of an alleged 2006 sexual encounter with Trump, part of an effort yesterday to undermine her credibility as a witness in the first criminal trial of a sitting or former United States president.
Daniels’ unflattering account of a sexual encounter with Trump in a Lake Tahoe hotel suite in 2006 while he was married to his wife Melania riveted jurors on Wednesday, reminding US voters of some more lurid aspects of his 201721 presidency as he campaigns to win back the White House this year. Trump, 77, is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up his former lawyer Michael Cohen’s $US130,000 payment to Daniels, 45, for her silence in the leadup to the 2016 election about the alleged encounter.
Trump has pleaded not guilty and denies ever having sex with Daniels. In crossexamination on Wednesday and yesterday, defence lawyer Susan Necheles asked Daniels about her earlier testimony of the alleged encounter compared with versions in a book she wrote and interviews she gave over the years. Daniels denied her story had changed, saying she did not give all the details in each interview and did not control which portions of her accounts news outlets published.
‘‘You’re trying to make me say that it changed, but it hasn’t changed,’’ she said.
Trump lawyer Todd Blanche said the defence would renew its motion for a mistrial on the basis of Daniels’ testimony and challenge the judge’s gag order on Trump as it relates to Daniels.
Daniels was defiant in the face of Necheles’ aggressive questioning and snapped back with witty retorts. — Reuters