United States – On Thursday, the defense lawyer of former U. S. President Donald Trump questioned porn star Stormy Daniels intensely about two statements she issued back in 2018, in which she denied being involved with the president sexually, which ultimately led to his first criminal trial.
Stormy Daniels Faces Intense Questioning Over Past Statements
An instance in Daniels’s memoir, when she describes sex with Trump in the Lake Tahoe hotel suite in 2006 and told this to the court on Tuesday, served as a reminder of the salacious events during Trump’s 2017-2021 presidency as he competes in US election in 2024, as reported by Reuters.
Defense lawyer Susan Necheles, relying on two statements that were signed by Daniels in 2018, told the jury that, according to the statement, she never had an affair with Trump. Daniels was at that time covered by the NDA, which she had signed with Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer, to keep quiet about the alleged meeting, and for the $130,000 Daniels was paid.
“Let’s be clear, I did not write this,” Daniels said. “It was given to me, and I was told I had to sign it.”
In the first case, Daniels’ attorney, Keith Davidson, earlier stated that this statement was technically accurate, as it denied ‘an affair’ by denying ‘an individual sexual encounter.’
Trump, 77 years old, is charged with 34 counts of lying to the business records – to hide Cohen’s payment to Daniels, who is 45. He pleaded not guilty and was reported saying he never had a sexual relationship with Daniels.
A Republican intending to return the White House to Democratic U. S. President Joe Biden through the election of Nov. 5, Trump reasons that the accused is a political move to interfere with his campaign.
On Tuesday, Trump’s legal team cracked some spots in Daniels’ narrative.
Under interrogation, Daniels confessed to having not always told the truth about the encounter and consented to the judgment of over $500,000 as a court award in a defamation case she had lost.
Necheles then asked Daniels on Thursday why she decided to keep Cohen’s silence; on the other hand, she even said she was going to reveal the story.
Daniels Admits to Inconsistencies, Cites Fear for Safety
Daniels explained she ended up signing the non-disclosure agreement at the end of the day by not telling her story, not because of the monetary reward but rather because of the fear for her safety.
“The better alternative was to protect my story with a paper trail,” Daniels testified. Publishing the story would have put “a target on my back and my family’s,” she said.
Trump’s attempt to hide the story behind the paper trail affected the 2016 election and voter confidence by claiming that the story might have influenced people’s decisions to vote.
On the other hand, Daniels’ testimony is just one story out of several, which could be overlooked by those who have already supported others’ accounts of Trump’s reported sexual misdemeanors.
Trump’s attorneys argued in this way on Tuesday when they unsuccessfully sought a mistrial, claiming that the jury was unnecessarily inflamed by “delicacies” like suggesting that he did not use a condom.
Trump’s Reaction
On Tuesday, there was evident irritation from Trump about Daniels’ testimony, when Trump said sarcastically it was “bullshit,” Justice Juan Merchan taking to warn about witness intimidation.
The judge has already fined Trump $ 10,000 for referring to jurors and witnesses in this trial and warned him that his further disobedience to the Gag order could land him in jail.
The majority of people view this case as less important than the other three criminal cases for Mr. Trump. Nevertheless, the possibility of the remaining three having to appear in court before Election Day on November 5 is getting farther
Other Legal Challenges for Trump
On the federal level, one of the cases in Washington is against Trump concerning the attempt of him to undo the 2020 elections where he was defeated. The Supreme Court has kept them on hold for months.
There was a federal case in Florida that accused him of mistranslating confidential information, and now, an indomitable judge appointed by Trump has placed the case on hold indefinitely to hear the legal concerns of his lawyers, as reported by Reuters.
Another state case accusing Trump of electoral interference, this one in Georgia, is waiting for another appeal court. In this court, the district attorney has to prove that her affair with another lawyer has no link to the case since she’s no longer engaged in it.