Trump's criminal trial in New York enters next phase today
Kyiv • UNN
Former President Donald Trump's criminal trial in New York on charges of paying hush money to a porn star during the 2016 election campaign enters a crucial phase with opening statements today.
The criminal trial of Donald Trump in New York in the United States is entering the next phase today, with the opening statements, UNN reports citing the BBC.
Details
David Packer, the former publisher of the National Enquirer who bought and hid compromising stories about Trump, is expected to be the first prosecution witness.
The first week of the trial focused on selecting a jury of 12 people, many of whom were excluded due to potential bias.
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What is happening today?
The opening statements phase begins today, which, as Sky News points out, means that Donald Trump will hear prosecutors explain why his alleged hush money payment to a porn star during the 2016 election campaign broke the law.
Both the defense and the prosecution will make opening statements after the judge instructs the jury.
Who is David Packer?
He is a central figure in the alleged hush money scheme, as he was the first to warn Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen about porn star Stormy Daniels and her plan to go public with her affair with the former president.
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Trump is accused of trying to hide a $130,000 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels before he won the 2016 election.
Prosecutors also allege that Daniels' payment was part of a broader "catch and kill" scheme devised by Trump, Cohen, and Pecker to bribe people with potentially compromising information about Trump before the November 2016 election.
He has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records and denies having an affair with Daniels.
The prosecutor's office also accuses Trump of violating a gag order designed to prevent him from attacking the participants in the case.
This is the first time that a U.S. president - current or former - has been tried in a criminal case.
This may be the only one of his four criminal cases that will be brought to court before the US elections in November, when he will almost certainly meet with Joe Biden.
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