Trump on trial
Former president’s criminal prosecution begins
IN the dingy New York courthouse where John Lennon’s killer admitted murder, Donald Trump will today become the first former president to face a criminal trial.
Jury selection will get under way for the hearing involving alleged hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal before Trump’s triumph in the 2016 US presidential election.
The landmark legal battle brought by New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg thrusts the former US leader and his tumultuous presidency back into the spotlight as he now sets his sights on a return to the White House.
Trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records as part of a bid to hide an alleged sexual encounter with Daniels. He denies the charges – and that the tryst took place – but if found guilty he could be jailed for up to five years.
We look at the trial’s major players and its implications.
Claims and what’s at stake
At the heart of the prosecution’s case are allegations that Trump and his associates engaged in a conspiracy to cover up an alleged hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election.The payment was allegedly made on behalf of Trump through a shell company formed by his lawyer Michael Cohen. It’s said it was designed to suppress damaging information that could have jeopardised his 2016 election campaign and is alleged to have violated campaign finance laws.
Jury selection and the weight of history
A jury of 12 will be selected from a pool of some 500 New Yorkers.
Each will have been asked about their personal lives, knowledge of Trump and political persuasion.
They must also answer the question: “Have you ever considered yourself a supporter of or belonged to any of the following: the QAnon movement, Proud Boys, Oathkeepers, Three Percenters, Boogaloo Boys,Antifa.”
Star witnesses
Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal are expected to provide highly embarrassing accounts of their alleged affairs with Trump and the subsequent efforts to cover them up.
Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, has said she had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006, a year after he married his wife Melania.
She was paid $130,000 shortly before the 2016 election. Trump, denying any such relationship, has said the payment was made to stop her “false and extortionist accusations”.
McDougal has claimed they had an affair lasting 10 months, which Trump has also denied.
Michael Cohen: From insider to informant
Trump’s former pit bull attorney is also slated to testify, offering insight into his role in facilitating the alleged hush money payments and the extent of Trump’s involvement in the scheme.
Cohen’s cooperation with federal investigators has already yielded damning revelations about Trump’s business dealings and personal conduct, making his testimony a potential game-changer in the trial.
He was once Trump’s most loyal employee – his personal attorney, fixer and confidant, claiming he would “take a bullet for the president” and “never walk away”.
But over the first two years of Trump’s administration, as investigators targeted Cohen’s personal finances, he flipped on his former boss. He cooperated in multiple investigations, including special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into allegations of collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign. In December 2018, Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison for crimes including campaign finance violations, tax evasion and lying to Congress.
Inside the tabloid machine: Pecker, Howard, and the National Enquirer
David Pecker, the former CEO of National Enquirer parent company American Media Inc, and its chief content officer Dylan Howard, are expected to testify about their involvement in the hush money scheme and “catch and kill” efforts to bury negative tabloid stories about Trump. Their testimony could shed light on the extent to which Trump’s allies went to protect him from damaging revelations.
Other key witnesses
Keith Davidson, the attorney who negotiated payments for Daniels and McDougal, as well as former Trump aides Madeline Westerhout and Hope Hicks, will be in prosecutors’ direct line of fire.
In the hot seat: Judge Juan Merchan
A former prosecutor with 16 years on the bench, Merchan has already ordered a strict gag on Trump who openly attacked those involved in his trial, leading to death threats by Trump’s MAGA supporters.
The ex-president has called the case a “political persecution” and has repeatedly seized on Merchan’s involvement, claiming the judge “hates me”.
Implications for presidential accountability
By subjecting a former president to criminal prosecution, the trial sends a powerful message that no one is above the law.