The First Prosecution of a President Was Laid Out in Court
A New York prosecutor today debuted the state’s case against Donald Trump to the jury of Manhattan residents that will be asked to render a verdict in about six weeks. During a 45-minute opening statement, the prosecutor detailed a scandalous story in which he accused the former president of engaging in a “criminal conspiracy” to cover up three sex scandals that threatened Trump’s 2016 campaign.
“It was election fraud,” the prosecutor Matthew Colangelo said.
Trump watched from the defense table, occasionally shaking his head. His lead lawyer, Todd Blanche laid out a duel-track defense: He downplayed the charges as a minor “business records violation” and questioned the credibility of the prosecution’s witnesses, including Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen.
Before the trial adjourned early for Passover, the jury also heard from the prosecution’s first witness, David Pecker, the former tabloid publisher who was close with Trump. Pecker testified that his tabloids practiced “checkbook journalism.”
Prosecutors said Pecker bought and buried stories that could have imperiled Trump’s campaign. They will try to convince the jury that a hush money payment to a porn actress at the center of the trial was part of a larger effort to suppress negative news, which includes two other deals involving Pecker.