Trump hush money trial: Trump found guilty on all counts in historic case
Trump was found guilty on all 34 felony counts in his hush money trial.
Former President Donald Trump has been found guilty on all 34 felony counts related to a 2016 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. It marks the first time in history that a former U.S. president has been convicted on criminal charges.
Trump last April pleaded not guilty to a 34-count indictment charging him with falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment his then-attorney Michael Cohen made to Daniels in order to boost his electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential election.
Top headlines:
Trump guilty on all 34 counts
Court reporters read out Pecker testimony about 2015 meeting
The court reporters read out the first portion of the testimony about David Pecker's recollection of the August 2015 Trump Tower meeting.
His testimony is as follows:
At that meeting, Donald Trump and Michael, they asked me what can I do and what my magazines could do to help the campaign. So thinking about it, as I did previously, I said what I would do is I would run or publish positive stories about Mr. Trump and I would publish negative stories about his opponents. And I said that I would also be the eyes and ears of your – I said I would be your eyes and ears because I know that the Trump Organization had a very small staff. And then I said that anything that I hear in the marketplace, if I hear anything negative about yourself or if I hear anything about women selling stories, I would notify Michael Cohen, as I did over the last several years, I would notify Michael Cohen and then he would be able to have them kill in another magazine or have them not be published or somebody would have to purchase them.
Court reporters read out Pecker testimony about McDougal
The court reporters read out the first portion of the testimony about David Pecker's recollection of why the deal to transfer the life rights of Karen McDougal's story to Trump fell through.
His testimony is as follows:
I called Michael Cohen, and I said to him that the agreement, the assignment deal is off. I am not going forward. It is a bad idea, and I want you to rip up the agreement. He was very, very, angry. Very upset. Screaming, basically, at me. And I said, I am not going forward with this agreement. Rip it up. And he said, excuse me, Michael Cohen said, The Boss is going to be very angry at you. I said, I am sorry. I am not going forward. The deal is off. And he said, I can't believe it. I am a lawyer. I am your friend. I don't understand why you are so concerned. I said, I am very concerned, and I am not going forward, period. And I said, are you going to rip it up or not? And he said, I will take care of it.
Court reporters read out Pecker's testimony about Trump call
The court reporters read out the portions of then-National Enquirer publisher David Pecker's testimony about his June 2016 call with Trump, under questioning from prosecutors.
Q: And could you tell us about the conversation you had that day with Donald Trump?
A: Yes. When I got on the phone, Mr. Trump said to me: "I spoke to Michael. Karen is a nice girl." "Is it true that a Mexican group is looking to buy her story for 8 million dollars?" I said -- I said: "I absolutely don't believe that there is a Mexican group out there to buy a story for $8 million dollars." And then he said: "What do you think I should do?" I said: "I think you should buy the story and take it off the market."
Q: So when the subject of Karen McDougal came up, Donald Trump described her as a nice girl?
A: Yes.
Q: Based on your conversation with Mr. Trump, did you have an understanding as to whether he was aware of the specifics of Karen McDougal's description of the affair?
A Yes, I did.
Q: What made you come to such an understanding?
A: I think that Michael Cohen gave him the -- spoke to Donald Trump, which he said he was going to -- which -- excuse me -- which Donald Trump said on the phone that, "I spoke to Michael." And I believe that when Mr. Trump said that to me over the phone that she was a nice girl, I believe that he knew who she was --
Q: Why would you recommend to Donald Trump purchasing the story?
A: I believed the story was true. I think that it would have been very embarrassing to himself and also to his campaign.
Q: After your conversation with Donald Trump, did you have another conversation with Michael Cohen?
A: Yes. On the conversation with Donald Trump, he said to me, clearly, that he doesn't buy stories because it always gets out. And he said to me that Michael Cohen would be calling me. He was going to speak to Michael and he would be calling me back.
A: I said that -- that, "This story about Karen, since she's claiming that she has a relationship with you, should be taken off the market." And Mr. Trump said, "I don't normally -- I don't buy stories because it always gets out." And then I said, "I still think you should buy the story." And Mr. Trump said to me, "I'll speak to Michael, and he'll get back to you."
Q: And so, as you sit here today, you remember that during that conversation, you said to President Trump: It is my understanding that she doesn't want her story published?
A: (Pause). Yes. I did. I remember saying that.
Court reporters begin reading back testimony
Judge Merchan concluded the rereading of the jury instruction. The jury foreman confirmed in open court that the readback of the instructions were responsive to the jury's note.
The court reporters then began reading the transcript portions, with two court reporters role playing the transcript -- one playing the prosecutor and the other playing David Pecker.
Trump looked around, craning his neck, and then began listening to the testimony.
Hope Hicks' testimony was 'nail' in Trump's coffin, says prosecutor
Prosecutor Josh Steinglass again showed the jury the summary chart the DA's office prepared, which outlines each of the allegedly falsified business records.
Steinglass suggested the jury could bring the chart into deliberations if they request it.
He harped on the testimony of former White House Communications Director Hope Hicks, who testified that Trump preferred the Stormy Daniels story come out after the election.
"I think Mr. Trump's opinion was it was better to be dealing with it now, and that it would have been bad to have that story come out before the election," Hicks testified before breaking down on the witness stand.
"She basically burst into tears ... because she realized how much this testimony puts the nail into the defendant's coffin," Steinglass told the jury.
Steinglass pressed his argument that the Stormy Daniels payments were in service of the election, rather than Trump's marriage. Any desire to protect his wife was "far less significant to him" than how a negative story about him might affect the 2016 election," Steinglass said.
"The payment was for Trump's campaign," Steinglass stressed.
"It was a campaign contribution, and Cohen knows that better than anyone else -- because he went to prison for it," he said.