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Day nine of the highly publicized and historic hush money trial involving former President Donald Trump introduced some riveting testimony and additional complications for Trump’s defense. Keith Davidson, past attorney for Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, claimed the stand, unveiling an intricate paper trail directly linked to Trump and his then-fixer, Michael Cohen.
Unprecedented fines were levied against Trump by Judge Juan Merchan for a total of nine violations of the judge’s gag order, each fine amounting to the maximum $1,000 penalty allowed by law. These fines arose due to Trump’s social media posts and public comments regarding witnesses and jury composition. Additional violations were cited by the district attorney’s office, with a concerning warning issued that Trump could face imprisonment if his actions persist.
Davidson painted a detailed picture of his interactions with American Media Inc.’s ex-chief content officer, Dylan Howard, in negotiating deals for stories about McDougal and Daniels’ alleged romantic relations with Trump. Deal values totaled $150,000 and $130,000 respectively, with the latter being struck directly with Cohen after AMI pulled out.
The jury also heard from Cohen’s former banker, Gary Farro, who presented evidence of the rapid creation of a shell company by Cohen with the express intent of wiring payment to Daniels. This sequence of events ended with First Republic Bank closing all of Cohen’s accounts barring his existing mortgages after the hush payment details were publicized.
Several video clips of Trump were admitted into evidence in court, including recordings of Trump denying sexual assault allegations during October 2016 campaign events and Trump praising Cohen in a clip from January 2017.
Also in attendance at the trial were various Trump allies, including Trump’s son and key figures from Trump’s campaign and conservative political groups.
Authorities agreed to adjourn proceedings for May 17 to accommodate Trump’s request to be present at his son Barron’s graduation.
Information Box:
– Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal’s attorney, Keith Davidson, testified.
– Trump fined for public comments breaching court gag order.
– Michael Cohen said to have rapidly created a shell company to pay Daniels.
References:
1: “Day 9 of the Trial: Ex-attorney for Daniels and McDougal testifies in Trump trial,” CNN by Kara Scannell, Lauren Del Valle, Jeremy Herb and Kaitlan Collins, April 30, 2024
2: “Trump trial: Key players at the centre of the former president’s criminal case,” BBC by Madeline Halpert & Phil McCausland, April 22, 2024
3: “Trump Tests Gag Order as Trial Adjourns for the Day,” Epoch Times by Catherine Yang, Michael Washburn, April 30, 2024