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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Prosecutors arrive in courtroom
Prosecutors have entered the courtroom.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg was not with them when they came in.
5 members of public are in court after waiting overnight
Members of the public lined up as early as 12:30 a.m. to get a spot in the courtroom to see Stormy Daniels' testimony this morning.
Two friends who live in Brooklyn, who identified themselves as Shmuel and Levi, said their first attempt to watch the trial from the courtroom on Tuesday failed. They said they arrived at 3:30 a.m. but could only secure a spot in the overflow room, so they changed their approach this morning.
"We went back home last night ... and decided to come at like 12:30 a.m.," Shmuel told ABC News. "We figured that it would be safe."
Both said they stayed awake while waiting overnight and appreciated the weather cooperating.
"It was really a beautiful night," Levi said.
A total of five members of the public made it into the courtroom this morning.
Stormy Daniels arrives at courthouse
Stormy Daniels has arrived at the lower Manhattan courthouse ahead of her second day of testimony.
Proceedings are scheduled to resume at 9:30 a.m. ET.
Judge said defense's concerns can be address on cross
On Stormy Daniels' first day on the stand on Tuesday, her graphic testimony about her alleged 2006 sexual encounter with Trump -- which Trump denies took place -- prompted attorneys for the defense to seek a mistrial.
Daniels told the jury about noticing an "imbalance of power" with Trump, how she was "blacking out" and found herself nearly naked on the bed of Trump's hotel suite, and how the two engaged in unprotected sex.
Defense attorneys for Trump argued that the testimony did enough damage to merit tossing the trial entirely on the grounds that it was prejudicial in the eyes of the jury.
Judge Juan Merchan denied the bid, saying the defense will have its say during their cross-examination -- which began Tuesday and is scheduled to continue today.
Witness reviews text messages with Daniels' allegations
After reviewing a series of Trump's tweets about Michael Cohen, custodial witness Georgia Longstreet read into evidence several 2016 text messages between Stormy Daniels' agent Gina Rodriguez and Dylan Howard of the National Enquirer.
"Stormy Daniels ... I have her," Rodriguez wrote in one text.
"Is she ready to talk," Howard asked. "I thought she denounced it previously."
"She said she would do it under two conditions," Rodriguez wrote. "She doesn't want to go on record about it but will tell the story through a source," Rodriguez said.
"She's had sex with him. She wants 100K," Rodriguez wrote.
Jurors also saw the text exchange where Howard and Rodriguez set the price of the story at $120,000, before Daniels’ lawyer Keith Davidson added his $10,000 fee to bring the amount to $130.000.
In addition, the jury saw text messages from when the deal initially fell through in early October 2016. Keith Davidson testified earlier that he retracted the offer after Cohen offered multiple “excuses” for not paying the $130,000.
Longstreet stepped off the stand following a brief cross-examination.