Washington, Apr 23
Former US President and the Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is all over the news again as his criminal trial kicks off in New York. The hush money case involves the former president in making silent payments to individuals from publicising alleged affairs. Two payments were made to two women, porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal.
These payments raised legal questions and Michael Cohen, who was his then-lawyer, was sentenced to prison in 2018 after he pleaded guilty and testified that Trump and his company had falsely classified the payments as legal expenses.
Here are five major key takeaways from the first day of the trial:
Historic criminal trial: The event is a historic event as it is the first time a former US president is facing a criminal trial. The trial covers the alleged hush money payment and falsifying of business records during the 2016 presidential elections. Trump faces 34 felony counts which can put him behind bars for four years.
Hush money scheme: In 2016, Trump allegedly paid $130,000 to Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet about an alleged sexual encounter.
Trump has denied any such encounter and has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors claim that these payments were falsely classified as legal expenses in Trump’s company record to cover up stories that he thought might hurt his presidential campaign against Hillary Clinton.
Prosecutors’ allegations and defence response: Prosecutors argue that Trump attempted to corrupt the 2016 presidential elections by covering up stories about his personal life that would affect the outcomes of the elections. It included falsifying business records to conceal hush money payments to Stormy Daniels.
Todd Blanche, Trump’s attorney argued that Trump did not commit any crime and that the 34 counts were just “pieces of paper.”
Bond and financial security:
Trump’s $175 million bond in the New York civil fraud case was scrutinised due to concerns about its security. The bond is meant to secure a compliance of $454.2 million judgment. The court questioned the security of the bond and whether Trump has the ability to access the promised collateral. Trump defended the bond outside the courtroom.
Impact on presidential elections: The outcome of the trial might hurt Trump’s reputation, and significantly impact the weeks of campaign and news of the trial dominating media channels for weeks during his presidential bid against President Joe Biden. However, even if he is convicted in this trial, it might not prevent Trump from running for president again.
