It was an historic day at the Manhattan Court House, when Stormy Daniels stepped on the witness box to deliver her much-anticipated testimony against Trump, believing it to set a precedent for jury verdict in Trump’s hush money trial
Tuesday morning in Manhattan was charged with anticipation for it was 13th day of Trump’s hush money trial. The entire Manhattan courthouse waited with bated breath for Stormy Daniels, who is at the center of this historic criminal trial to deliver her testimony on the case. Walking past media frenzy, Ms. Daniels began her intense yet sometimes uncomfortable testimony, recounting her 2006 encounter with Donald Trump and the ensuing hush-money cover-up that has become the backbone of the prosecution’s case.
Standing on the witness box, Ms. Daniels elaborated at-length about her first meeting with Donald Trump at a celebrity golf tournament near Lake Tahoe in Nevada. This chance encounter immediately transformed into a dinner invitation from Trump, which Ms. Daniels said she reluctantly accepted. The carnal details of her testimony discomforted many in the courtroom, including Judge Juan Merchan who agreed that few details of her testimony might have “been better left unsaid”.
Donald J. Trump is accused of transacting $1,30,000 payment to Stormy Daniels to cease her from speaking on their alleged affair. The payment which was exchanged just a few days before the 2016 presidential election prompted Alvin Bragg, Manhattan District Attorney to investigate a possible cover-up that had an irrevocable impact on the 2016 election outcome. The former president has repeatedly called the entire criminal trial a “hoax”, with no profound intent being found. “It only has to do with Election Interference, and trying to help crooked Joe Biden get elected because he can’t do it himself”.
Stormy Daniels grilled by Trump’s defense lawyers
Ms. Daniels insinuated an unpleasant description of her and Trump’s sexual encounter. She recalled meeting Trump at his suite, where they discussed at-length about the porn industry, and he asked her about residuals, unions, and S.T.D. testing. They discussed upon family matters, including his daughter, whom he equated to Ms. Daniels – “People underestimated her as well”, and his wife whom Mr. Trump said “they didn’t even sleep in the same room.”
The 12 juror committee sat and heard Stormy Daniels share her most intimate moment with the former president, which was when she came out of the bathroom, when she found Mr. Trump partially undressed. The sex was “consensual”, she said, but their was power “imbalance”. Trump’s Defense lawyers capitalized on her story which they attributed was a “Justification tale” and her way of extorting money from the former president. One of them, Susan Necheles came out blazing during the cross-examination, she implied that Ms. Daniels was strategizing a way to extort money from Mr. Trump by threatening to ridicule his image.
Ms. Daniels’ s motivations are a major focus of the defense. The defense lawyers have structured their cross-examination to prove Ms. Daniels’s personal apathy for Mr. Trump. It would imply that her testimony is based completely upon her personal hatred for the former president and thus lack truth. In one sharp moment, Ms. Necheles asked Ms. Daniels if she wanted Trump to go to jail. Ms. Daniels responded, “I want him to be held accountable.” Mr. Trump who had fought a hard battle to keep his eyes open during the entirety of this trial had it surprisingly opened for the most of it. His sour expressions remained unmoved while he whispered constantly in his defense’s ears.
Stormy Daniels payoff is a point of contention
Fearing his sexual episode with Ms. Daniels might become a public “talk-show” before the 2016 presidential election, Mr. Trump tried to shield his “candidature” image from voter harassment by transacting payment of $1,30,000 directly to Ms. Daniels’s account to keep her zip from making their alleged affair a part of public forum. As convincing as it might sound for jurors to hold Mr. Trump guilty of adulterating 2016 presidential outcome by hiding material information from the voters, the case is far from reaching an end climax.
Because Stormy Daniels accepted the payment and did what was asked of her, it puts the prosecution at a tough spot. Alvin Bragg and his team of prosecutors will have to prove that the point of the payoff by Mr. Trump was to deliberately alter the election outcome. The case still hangs in uncertainty and the point of contention has not yet resolved, but the case is still being heard in-depth by the 12 appointed jurors who will deliver their final vote on the case in upcoming days. For now, Ms. Daniels’s cross-examination will resume on Thursday.
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