Trump’s defense suggests hush money is extortion

a lawyer from Donald Trump Tried to portray Thursday as a Forced payment of money in exchange for silence At the center of his criminal trial, he questioned a lawyer involved in the agreement about his negotiations for payment in exchange for “airing dirty laundry” with other celebrities.

Interrogation of defense lawyer emile bove to the lawyer keith davidson The move marked a strategy by Trump’s legal team to undermine the credibility of prosecution witnesses in the first criminal trial in history against a former US president.

Former president’s defense team tries to discredit the lawyer who allegedly negotiated the deal to buy the former porn actress’ silence stormy danielsindicating that their practices were “extortion”.

The 77-year-old tycoon, now a Republican candidate for the November presidential election, is accused of falsifying business documents to hide the payments. $130,000 Daniels a few days before the 2016 election, which he won against the Democrats Hillary Clinton.

Trump, who has always denied having an affair with the former actress, started the day with a new contempt hearing.

Prosecutors urge judge juan merchan He was fined again for once again violating an order that prohibits him from mentioning witnesses, jurors and court personnel on social networks.

The judge, who had already imposed a $9,000 sanction for contempt, did not make a decision.

Later, the trial continued with the appearance of witnesses davidson, Daniels’ former attorney. After the prosecution’s turn, Trump’s defense tried to corner him.

Payments to Daniels, which the magnate allegedly hid as legal expenses for his then-lawyer Michael CohenThe man who advanced the money from his own pocket is the center of a trial that puts a former president on the bench for the first time in the country’s history.

Another prosecution witness last week, the former president of a tabloid publishing company National Enquirer david peckerHe said How were these payments made? In a practice that the American press calls “catch and kill”, that is, buying information so that it is not published if it is harmful to the interested party.

The beneficiaries of this practice were reportedly Daniels and the model Karen McDougallWho may have received $150,000 so that he would not reveal his alleged relationship with this great man, so that he would not interfere with his 2016 election campaign.

Davidson was a negotiator for Daniels and McDougal, and Trump’s attorney, Emil Bove, was quick to attack him.

“When you were negotiating on behalf of McDougall and Daniels, was one of your concerns about being on the right side of the law with regard to extortion?”

“I think so,” Davidson responded. “I made every effort to ensure that my activities were legal.”

Bove asked Davidson about his involvement in other matters in which he “extorted” money from celebrities to hide something, citing a deal involving Starr. squad Charlie Sheen.

The Los Angeles attorney objected to the use of the word “extracts” in a deposition exchange, although he acknowledged that he was investigated by federal and state authorities. alleged extortion When he represented clients who had sex video of a former professional wrestler Hulk HoganHowever, no charges were filed against him.

Davidson said during Thursday’s proceedings that Trump’s former lawyer “wanted her (Daniels) to deny the story to protect his client” and had threatened to “wreak legal hell” on the former actress.

Immersed in the process in the middle of his presidential campaign, Trump took advantage of the fact that he had a trial hearing to hold a rally in Wisconsin on Wednesday, where He blamed President Joe Biden for his legal problems and the ills affecting the country.

For two weeks, Trump has attended hours of testimony, sometimes on technicalities, appearing angry at the judge who has asked him to be present every day.

The victim of a “witch hunt,” as they say, because of the different legal fronts he opened – three for alleged maneuvering to ignore the 2020 elections and one for taking classified documents after leaving the White House, Republican magnates assured that this trial is “electoral interference.”

(With information from EFE and Reuters)