Trump trial: Trump hit with contempt, witnesses detail Stormy Daniels deal
Stormy Daniels' former attorney testified on Day 9 of Trump's hush money trial.
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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Jurors shown video from 2016 Trump rally
As Robert Browning took the witness stand, Trump was slumped back in his chair, sunken quite low down, with an entirely blank expression on his face. Then his eyes appeared to close.
Browning, a C-SPAN executive is testifying about four videos from 2016: two from Trump campaign events in North Carolina, one from Pennsylvania, and one from a news conference. The executive was called to testify because Trump's defense declined to stipulate that it is, in fact, Trump in the videos
Jurors were first shown a video from a Trump rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, in October 2016.
“I have no idea who these women are. I have no idea,” Trump says in the video regarding allegations of infidelity. “The stories are total fiction. They are 100% made up. They never happened. They never would happen.”
Judge will allow some questioning about intimidation effort
Judge Juan Merchan has ruled from the bench that prosecutors will be permitted to introduce evidence about Trump's alleged "intimidation effort" for a limited purpose.
Prosecutors can use the evidence to offset the defense claim that witnesses are financially benefiting from the trial and explain why some witnesses have changed their story; however, the evidence cannot be used to demonstrate Trump's "consciousness of guilt," as the prosecution had sought.
Merchan also said jurors will have May 24 -- the Friday before Memorial Day -- off, because a juror has to catch a flight at 11 a.m. ET.
Prosecutors then called as their next witness Robert Browning, who has worked as the executive director of the C-SPAN's archives for 30 years.
'Let’s try to keep the break short,' judge tells defense
Jurors have re-entered the courtroom following the mid-morning break.
Trump returned to the courtroom speaking with his defense attorney Todd Blanche as he entered.
Judge Juan Merchan lightly scolded Blanche about running late.
"Let's try to keep the break short," Merchan told Blanche, reminding him that jurors are waiting. "Let's do better."
Prosecutors want to ask Trump about gag order violations
In a conference with with judge and other attorneys during the mid-morning break, prosecutor Matthew Colangelo told Judge Merchan that prosecutors would like to cross-examine Donald Trump, if he opts to testify, about his nine violations of the case's limited gag order that the judge handed down this morning.
"The people will seek to cross-examine him on those findings," Colangelo said.
Colangelo also argued that prosecutors should be able to introduce evidence about what he called Trump's "pressure campaign" and "intimidation effort" for witnesses like Michael Cohen.
Colangelo argued that defense attorneys "opened the door" to the evidence during their opening statement by arguing that some of the witnesses like Cohen and Stormy Daniels benefited personally from their involvement in the case. He mentioned that prosecutors have approximately half-a-dozen exhibits to demonstrate Trump's effort attacking witnesses.
Colangelo said the evidence would help show Trump's "consciousness of guilt" and explain why some witnesses made contradictory statements about the case.
Trump removes all 9 social posts cited by judge
All nine of former President Trump's social media posts cited by Judge Juan Merchan in his contempt of court ruling this morning have been removed.
The judge ruled that the nine posts violated the limited gag order prohibiting Trump from targeting potential witnesses and others involved in the case.
The nine posts were deleted during the court's lunch break.