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.
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Trump guilty on all 34 counts
Robert De Niro criticizes Trump outside courthouse
The judge recessed court briefly for the mid-morning break.
Trump, exiting the courtroom, patted his daughter Tiffany as he passed her and she gave him a big smile.
Meanwhile, outside the courthouse this morning, actor Robert De Niro and two former Capitol police officers slammed Trump at a campaign news conference for President Joe Biden.
De Niro, a lower Manhattan resident, was accompanied by former Capitol police officers Michael Fanone and Harry Dunn, both of whom were working at the U.S. Capitol on Jan, 6, 2021.
Defense calls Stormy Daniels payment extortion
Defense attorney Todd Blanche told jurors that while both Trump and Stormy Daniels denied the affair, the allegations came back in 2016 so Daniels and others could extort Trump.
"There were a group of people that wanted to take advantage of a situation and ultimately wanted to extort money from President Trump," Blanche said.
Blanche argued that Daniels' claim of a sexual tryst with Trump was known in 2011, so the hush payment could not have been meant to influence an election five years later.
"The idea that when Ms. Daniels surfaced in 2016 that it caused some sort of panic amongst everybody is not true. It's just not true," Blanche said.
Blanche hesitantly used the word extortion in his opening statement to describe the Daniels payment -- calling it "almost an attempt ... to extort" -- but the defense appears to have leaned into the argument in their closing.
Blanche also suggested that Trump may not have known about the Daniels payment at the time, telling jurors they only have Michael Cohen to rely on for that evidence.
"There's no way that you can find that President Trump knew about this payment at the time it was made without believing Michael Cohen. Period," Blanche said. "And you cannot believe his words."
Defense says Cohen lied about Trump wanting to repay in cash
Continuing with his attack on Michael Cohen's recording of the 2016 meeting with Trump, defense attorney Todd Blanche cast doubt on Cohen's contention that Trump was going to repay AMI for the Karen McDougal payment in cash -- meaning bills.
"Cash just means no financing," Blanche said. "It doesn't mean you are going into the closing with a duffel bag full of green."
According to Blanche, Cohen tried to mislead the jury by suggesting Trump wanted to pay in cash.
"That was Mr. Cohen lying to you, painting a picture that fits his narrative, not the truth," Blanche said.
"There's no scenario under which there has been any testimony at this trial that Mr. Trump was going to walk around with a duffel bag full of $150,000 in cash."
Addressing why the recording cut off, Blanche said when Trump says "check" it was the beginning of a new sentence -- not about writing a check -- before it cuts off.
"It's clearly talking about a beginning of a sentence that we will never know," Blanche said.
Defense casts doubt on Cohen's recording of Trump
"So you have a lawyer recording his client," defense attorney Todd Blanche said of Michael Cohen's 2016 recording of a meeting with Trump.
"There is a lot of dispute about that recording. A lot," Blanche said. "The government has not shown you that that evidence is reliable."
Blanche again played the recording for the jury.
Blanche said Trump never said the words "150" about McDougal in the call, disputing what the transcript prosecutors made says.
"Listen to the recording, see if you hear 150," Blanche said. "There is a lot of doubt that it discussed Karen McDougal."
"What did you just hear? 'Transfer of all the stuff'," Blanche said, saying that was actually about a box of stuff related to Trump that was at the National Enquirer offices.
Trump, at the defense table, appears fully engaged, with one arm propped on the back of his chair, looking directly at Blanche's back.
Jury rehears Cohen testimony about Trump Tower meeting
Turning to Michael Cohen's testimony, the jury reheard his testimony, under questioning from prosecutors, that Pecker -- during the 2015 Trump Tower meeting -- vowed to keep an eye out for "anything negative about Mr. Trump" and flag them to Cohen.
Q: Could you tell the jury, please, what was discussed and what was agreed to at that meeting?
A: What was discussed was the power of the National Enquirer in terms of being located at the cash register of so many supermarkets and bodegas; that if we can place positive stories about Mr. Trump, that would be beneficial; that if we could place negative stories about some of the other candidates, that would also be beneficial.
Q: Was there anything else that Mr. Pecker said he could also do for Mr. Trump's candidacy?
A: Yeah.
Q: What, in substance, did he say?
A: What he said was that he could keep an eye out for anything negative about Mr. Trump, and that he would be able to help us to know in advance what was coming out and try to stop it from coming out.
Q: And who did he say he would get in touch with if his -- he was able to identify those types of stories?
A: The answer was: Me. Mr. Trump also. Knowing my relationship with David, "The two of you should work together. And anything negative that comes , you let Michael know, and we'll handle it."