Former President Trump is facing a criminal trial in Manhattan after being accused of falsifying business records related to alleged hush money payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. The charges also include conspiracy to promote or prevent election, which is a felony. Trump has pleaded not guilty to the 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. The trial resumed on Tuesday after Trump was held in contempt of court, fined, and threatened with jail time for violating a gag order. The judge ruled that Trump violated the gag order by making public statements about the trial and fined him $1,000 for a social media post about the case. The judge warned Trump that further violations could result in a jail sentence.
The prosecution called its 10th witness, Jeff McConney, who testified that he was directed to make monthly payments of $35,000 to Michael Cohen by then-Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg. The total amount sent to Cohen was $420,000, which McConney said was “grossed up” for tax purposes. However, McConney stated that Trump did not personally task him with carrying out any payments in 2017. Another witness, Deborah Tarasoff, a Trump Organization accounts payable supervisor, testified that she helped arrange hush money payments to Cohen, which were labeled as “legal expenses” or “retainer” at the time they were made. Tarasoff stated that only Mr. Trump could sign checks from his personal account, and she did not have decision-making authority.
The judge imposed a gag order on Trump before the trial began, prohibiting him from making or directing others to make public statements about witnesses, counsel in the case, court staff, or family members of staff. Trump and his defense attorneys argued that the gag order violated his First Amendment rights and the rights of his supporters. The judge has fined Trump a total of $10,000 for violating the gag order, and warned that further violations could result in jail time. Despite the threats, Trump stated that he would make the “sacrifice” of a prison sentence to defend free speech, stating that the Constitution is more important.
The prosecution stated that it would need at least two to three more weeks to make its case against Trump. The former president expressed frustration with the extended timeline, accusing the prosecution of trying to keep him off the campaign trail. Trump claimed that the trial was about election interference and criticized the judge’s ruling on the gag order. Despite facing potential jail time for future violations, Trump maintained that he would prioritize defending free speech over any personal consequences. The trial is ongoing, and the prosecution continues to present evidence in an attempt to prove Trump’s guilt in the alleged falsification of business records and conspiracy charges.
