Prosecutors began laying out their case against Trump
In an opening statement, the prosecution gave a sweeping synopsis of the case against Donald Trump — a pivotal moment in the first criminal prosecution of a former American president.
A Manhattan prosecutor told the 12 jurors that the case was about “a criminal conspiracy and a cover-up” of sex scandals that threatened his 2016 election win. He described how Trump, his counsel Michael Cohen, and David Pecker, the publisher of The National Enquirer tabloid, engaged in a strategy to “catch and kill” negative stories.
Trump, who faces up to four years in prison if convicted, watched from the defense table. Occasionally, he shook his head.
In his opening statement, Trump’s lawyer insisted that his client had done nothing wrong. “President Trump is innocent,” he told the jury.
Then, Pecker was called to the stand as the first witness in the trial. In his testimony, Pecker explained how The National Enquirer paid for stories, a practice he called “checkbook journalism.” He is expected to return to the stand today.
Background: The case centers on a $130,000 payment that Cohen made to a porn star, Stormy Daniels, to buy her silence as the 2016 campaign was winding down. Prosecutors say he was reimbursed by Trump, who falsified business records to conceal his conduct.
