Trump trial: Judge rebukes Michael Cohen ahead of expected testimony Monday
Former President Trump was in court on Day 15 of his criminal trial in New York.
Former President Donald Trump is on trial in New York City, where he is facing felony charges 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 tried 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.
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Daniels addresses questions from cross-examination
Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger asked Daniels about some of the topics from Daniels' cross-examination.
Daniels, under questioning, said that her 2011 InTouch magazine interview – which defense attorney Susan Necheles used to highlight some inconsistencies in Daniels' story about her alleged sexual encounter with Trump -- was edited by the publication.
Hoffinger also asked Daniels about her interview with "60 Minutes."
"You didn't tell every single detail to Anderson Cooper, did you?" Hoffinger asked.
"No," Daniels responded.
Prosecutors begin Daniels' redirect examination
Following the conclusion of defense attorney Susan Necheles' cross-examination of Stormy Daniels, prosecutor Susan Hoffinger returned to the lectern for her redirect examination.
Hoffinger began her questions by asking Daniels to clarify why she wanted to go public with her allegations in 2016.
"You are safer hiding in plain sight," Daniels said. "Something won't happen to you if everyone is looking at you."
Defense seeks to distance Trump from nondisclosure
In her cross-examination of Stormy Daniels, defense attorney Susan Necheles sought to distance Donald Trump from the nondisclosure agreement Daniels signed.
"You have no personal knowledge of his involvement in that [agreement] and what he did and didn't do?" Necheles asked.
"Not directly," Daniels said.
Necheles also emphasized that Daniels had nothing to do with the crux of the case, which is how the payment to her was labeled on Trump's business records.
"And you know nothing about Trump's business records, right?" Necheles asked.
"I know nothing about his business records, no." Daniels responded. "Why would I?"
Daniels seemed to suggest she wasn't entirely clear on the substance of the charges against Trump in this case -- leading to a jab against the former president.
"You have no knowledge of what he's indicted for?" Necheles asked.
"There are a lot of indictments," Daniels responded.
The judge declined to strike that statement.
Daniels returns to the stand following break
Trump reentered the courtroom after the break and returned to the defense table. Before he sat, he turned around to scan the room.
Defense attorney Susan Necheles entered in front of him, smiling.
Trump then conferred with Necheles at the defense table, whispering into her ear as she nodded in agreement.
As Daniels walked by him to the witness stand, he turned to his left to confer with attorney Todd Blanche, facing away from her.
'It hasn't changed,' Daniels says of her story
Defense attorney Susan Necheles is continuing to try to find inconsistencies in the stories Daniels has previously told about her alleged sexual encounter with Trump, but Daniels, on the stand, has remained steadfast.
"Your story has completely changed, hasn't it?" Necheles asked her at one point.
"No!" Daniels shouted into the microphone. "Not at all. You are trying to make me say that it changed, but it hasn't changed."
Several jurors, watching the exchange, looked like they were watching a tennis match, with their heads and eyes shifting back and forth.
The judge subsequently called for the mid-morning break.
As Necheles returned to the defense table, Trump gave her a pat on the waist, seemingly in approval. She nodded back to him.
Daniels smiled at prosecutors as she left the stand.