Trump says 'signing a NDA is not a crime'
On his way into the courtroom, Trump said in hallway that “signing a NDA is not a crime."
It’s not an outright acknowledgment that he knowingly was party to a nondisclosure agreement. But it’s an unusual thing to state as someone who has previously publicly claimed that he wasn’t aware that he was party to the Stormy Daniels NDA.
Trump has entered the courtroom
The former president, wearing a blue suit and a yellow tie, sat down at the defense table alongside Todd Blanche, one of his attorneys.
Michael Cohen returns to witness stand for second day of testimony in Trump hush money trial
Trump’s longtime lawyer Michael Cohen is due back on the witness stand today for testimony that’s expected to delve into payments he said he received from the former president in return for hush money paid to adult film actor Stormy Daniels in the closing days of the 2016 campaign.
Prosecutors allege that Trump falsified business records relating to those payments by classifying them as legal services pursuant to a retainer agreement. Cohen testified yesterday in New York City that no such retainer agreement existed.
Cohen is a pivotal witness in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case against Trump. He told the jury during his first full day on the stand that Trump directly authorized him to pay Daniels the $130,000 and that Trump was involved in efforts to quash two other salacious stories that he feared could have damaged his candidacy.
“I was following his directions,” Cohen testified.
‘The benefit of Mr. Trump’: Longtime fixer Michael Cohen testifies in hush money trial. What you missed on Day 16.
Trump’s longtime fixer and lawyer, Michael Cohen, testified yesterday that he was acting at Trump’s behest when he made hush money payments to Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election.
For weeks in Manhattan criminal court, Trump’s defense attorneys have sought to puncture Cohen’s credibility with the jury, and even witnesses have painted him as hot-headed, self-interested and untrustworthy.
“I didn’t know Michael to be an especially charitable person or selfless person,” Hope Hicks, Trump’s former communications aide, said when she was on the stand. Cohen’s former banker said he was assigned to him because of his “ability to handle individuals who are challenging.”
But on the stand for the first time, Cohen presented himself as coolheaded and recalled how he had worked at Trump’s behest to suppress stories that posed a threat.
Could we see any surprises? Today may be the day
The thing about anything involving Trump is there are few surprises — at least for the people who diligently follow his every move and the journalists who chronicle them.
The allegations at the heart of the trial are well known: Michael Cohen already pleaded guilty to paying the hush money and provided ample details when he entered the plea.
For many of the jurors in the courtroom, many of these details may be new. Most said they didn't follow this story closely.
And throughout the trial, there have been small things that were unknown to even those who closely follow Trump — like that Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal's phone numbers were saved in his phone.
But the cross-examination of Cohen offers the most probable chance that the courtroom and the public at large could learn something genuinely unknown before.
Trump's lawyers are going to do everything they can to try to discredit Cohen; expect them to throw the kitchen sink at him. His longtime relationship with Trump may mean that the former president knows more dirt on Cohen than was previously public — the kind of ammunition that his lawyers could use on cross-examination.
There is a risk that anything Trump shared with his lawyers could also implicate him, but it's the ground that is more likely to produce surprises in the courtroom.
Audio secretly recorded by Michael Cohen reveals Trump in 2016 discussing a payment to Karen McDougal before he was elected president.
Michael Cohen to testify about his interactions with Trump after he became president
As Trump counterprograms the trial today with help from Mike Johnson and friends, the direct examination is about to delve into the post-inauguration period in 2017, which is the most important time period for the charged crimes.
Cohen gave lots of testimony yesterday about Trump’s alleged intentional and knowing participation in the payments to Playboy model Karen McDougal and adult film actor Stormy Daniels with the primary goal of promoting his electoral chances. And his involvement in those payments themselves suggest a motive to cover them up with false business records.
But as for direct evidence that he falsified business records or caused others to do so? The closest Cohen has come to that was in describing a January 2017 Trump Tower meeting he had with Trump and Weisselberg in which Trump expressly agreed to pay Cohen $420k in 12 installments, beginning in February 2017, for “legal services rendered.”
We can expect to hear more today about how Trump allegedly completed or orchestrated false paperwork about the repayment scheme, including through a Feb. 8, 2017, Oval Office meeting between Cohen and Trump. But beyond that, there might not be much else in terms of direct evidence.
In other words, the proof of Trump’s knowledge and intent with respect to the business records could — in contrast to the mounds of direct evidence of Trump’s participation in the alleged conspiracy — be largely circumstantial. That evidence includes former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg’s direction to others, given his closeness to Trump and how often he communicated with Trump to control “every penny” that went in and out of Trump’s coffers; former Trump Organization controller Jeff McConney’s notes following his meeting with Trump; the fact that the checks were not sent to the White House directly but were sent to Trump's bodyguard Keith Schiller and White House aide John McEntee before they gave them to another White House aide, Madeleine Westerhout, for Trump’s signature; and Westerhout’s testimony that Trump reviewed checks before signing them.
Vivek Ramaswamy says he'll offer commentary
Former Trump GOP primary rival Vivek Ramaswamy said he's on the way to the courthouse in a post on X. He added that he'll be writing more about the trial today.
"Great to see President Trump in good spirits this morning," he wrote. "Headed to NYC courtroom now. Let’s see what’s going on down there, will share my thoughts over the day."
Ramaswamy and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum followed Trump when he left for the courthouse.
Potential vice presidential contenders for Trump to appear in court today
Several prominent Republicans have appeared with Trump in the courtroom to show their support. In addition to House Speaker Mike Johnson, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who both ran against Trump in the GOP primary, will join the former president in court today, Trump senior adviser Jason Miller said.
Sens. JD Vance, R-Ohio, and Tim Scott, R-S.C., appeared in the courtroom with Trump yesterday. Ramaswamy, Burgum, Vance and Scott are considered potential vice presidential contenders for Trump.
Another potential running mate, Rep. Byron Donalds, and Rep. Cory Mills, both Republicans from Florida, also will be in court today, Miller said.
Trump has departed for the courthouse
The former president has left Trump Tower for the courthouse downtown, where his lawyers could begin cross-examination of his one-time fixer, Michael Cohen.