Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs New York State Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan denied two motions filed by former President Donald Trump’s defense team in his hush-money case on Thursday as several witnesses, including Stormy Daniels, took the stand.Trump is facing 34 counts of falsifying business records in attempts to conceal hush money paid to Daniels, an adult-film actress, and others during the former president’s 2016 campaign. The payment to Daniels was intended to keep her quiet about an extramarital affair she had with Trump, the prosecution alleges. The former president denies the accusations leveled by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and has pleaded not guilty to all charges.Court proceedings on Thursday were filled with testimony from a handful of witnesses called on by prosecutors, including Daniels, who was grilled by Trump attorneys in an effort to point out any discrepancies in her recount of the alleged sexual encounter with Trump. The jury also heard from Rebecca Manochio, a junior bookkeeper at The Trump Organization, Tracy Menzies, a custodian of records at HarperCollins publishing house, and Madeleine Westerhout, former director of Oval Office operations for the Trump administration.
Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday speaks to the press before his hush-money trial at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City. Two motions filed by Trump’s defense team were denied by New York State…
Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday speaks to the press before his hush-money trial at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City. Two motions filed by Trump’s defense team were denied by New York State Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan during court proceedings on Thursday.
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Trump’s attorneys also raised three issues shortly after the lunch break: a new motion for a mistrial; an issue with the gag order against the former president; and a request to preclude testimony from Karen McDougal, a model and actress who alleges that she was also paid to stay quiet about her affair with Trump. Prosecutors confirmed on Thursday that McDougal would not be called in as a witness.Merchan Shoots Down Request on Gag OrderMerchan has ordered that Trump is not permitted to speak publicly about witnesses, jurors and others tied to the hush-money trial. Trump was fined $9,000 last week for violating the order nine times.The defense team argued on Thursday that the gag order against Trump should be modified to allow him to respond to Daniels’ testimony. Manhattan prosecutor Joshua Steinglass rebutted, however, that Trump has a history of assailing others, “selfishly, with no concern for the people he’s attacking.””The fact that witnesses are brave enough to come in here … shouldn’t expose them to this defendant’s barrage of attacks,” Steinglass added, according to reporting from Newsweek senior writer Katherine Fung.Merchan told Trump’s attorneys that he could not take the defense’s “word” that the former president’s response to Daniels’ testimony would be “low-key,” noting that Trump has a “track record.””My concern is not just with protecting Ms. Daniels or a witness who has already testified; my concern is protecting these proceedings as a whole,” Merchan added, before denying the motion to modify the gag order.Second Mistrial Motion Is DismissedTrump attorney Todd Blanche also argued for a mistrial, claiming that several portions of Daniels’ testimony on Thursday were a new account of her alleged sexual encounter with the former president. Fung reported from inside the courtroom that Steinglass countered by saying that the defense claim was “flat-out untrue.”Part of Blanche’s request was focused on some of the more lewd details of Daniels’ cross-examination, including questions over whether Trump wore a condom during the alleged encounter. Prosecutors argued, however, that such details were not “insignificant” because they showed consistency in Daniels’ recount.Merchan agreed with the defense that some details should have been left out of Daniels’ testimony, but also questioned Trump’s team on why they did not “object to a mention of the condom” during cross-examination. The motion for a mistrial was denied.Blanche’s first motion for a mistrial was dismissed by Merchan on Tuesday.Trump Again Blames Biden for His TrialAfter court adjourned for the day Thursday, Trump took to Truth Social, raging against Merchan, again calling him a “highly conflicted judge” and accusing him of working on behalf of President Joe Biden ahead of the presidential election in November. Trump has repeatedly accused prosecutors and judges in his plethora of legal battles of attempting to interfere with his reelection chances.”THIS CROOKED JOE BIDEN INSPIRED TRIAL IS AN ATTACK ON HIS POLITICAL OPPONENT, AND ON AMERICA ITSELF,” read the post. “THE CORRUPT AND HIGHLY CONFLICTED JUDGE, JUAN MERCHAN, IS PRESIDING OVER THE DEATH OF THE NEW YORK CITY AND STATE SYSTEM OF JUSTICE. THE WORLD IS WATCHING!!!”Newsweek reached out to Trump’s campaign via email for additional comment Thursday evening.
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