Trump is accused of falsifying business records 34 times, ITV News' US Correspondent Dan Rivers reportsThe most succinct summary came from the man prosecuting this, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
The prosecution will seek to show Trump covered up the reimbursement of Cohen, who had bought the silence of former adult film star Stormy Daniels . They will seek to show that Trump authorised hush-money payments repeatedly as part of a wider strategy of similar hush-money ploys in the run-up to the 2016 election.But prosecutors are trying to convict him of a felony by claiming he falsified business records to hide another crime: campaign finance violations by Michael Cohen.Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to charges including campaign finance fraud in 2018.
Stormy Daniels is also expected to testify and may be questioned about her alleged affair with Trump. She has previously gone into extensive detail about their night of passion and the physical characteristics of his genitalia.The case is centred on Stormy Daniels but prosecutors will detail another hush-money payment to silence former Playboy model, Karen McDougal, who claims she also had an affair with Trump while married to Melania.
AMI has acknowledged it paid Karen McDougal $150,000 for her story to help Trump’s campaign and was ordered to pay $187,500 as a fine. AMI’s Chief Executive, David Pecker is expected to testify in this trial.Another “catch and kill” story is connected to this case, involving paying off a doorman at Trump Tower, Dino Sajudin.