Who are the main witnesses in the trial of Donald Trump for hush-money payments to Stormy Daniels?
Donald Trump’s criminal trial that focuses on hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels has begun. Who are the witnesses expected to testify?
Donald Trump’s criminal trial, where he is accused of falsifying business records to hide a series of payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels, began in New York on Monday.
The payments were allegedly meant to buy her silence on their affair, so as to avoid the matter from affecting the 2016 presidential elections where the tycoon was the Republican candidate.
Numerous witnesses will appear in the criminal trial, to be called by both the prosecution and the defense. Here are some of the personalities who may give testimony in the courtroom.
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Witnesses of the Trump hush money trial
David Pecker
Former CEO of American Media, Inc., Pecker published the National Enquirer during the period in which it ran so-called “catch and kill” schemes to capture and then bury negative stories about Trump. His participation in the trial would be essential to demonstrate that Trump made the payment to Daniels for non-business purposes.
Michael Cohen
Cohen is a key witness against the former president. He was the intermediary in the payment between Daniels and Trump. This system led to 34 charges of allegedly falsifying various business records to disguise the true purpose of the payments.
Stormy Daniels
The porn actress, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, will be able to take the stand to talk about the alleged affair and the non-disclosure contract she signed upon accepting the payments in 2016. This agreement was crafted by Cohen and Daniels’ lawyer. Cohen sent the $130,000 payment to the actress’ lawyer.
Bradley Smith
The former chair of the Federal Election Commission and law professor at Capital University School of Law in Columbus, Ohio, will testify as an expert witness for the defense. Trump’s lawyers hope that Smith, a registered Republican, can help refute the prosecution’s claims.
Donald Trump
The defendant himself could come forward as a witness, and he has already declared that he is willing to testify. However, given his previous behavior in judicial proceedings, his lawyers might not call him to the stand to prevent him from harming his own case.