Trump hush-money trial: prosecutor says ‘criminal conspiracy’ the focus of case in opening statement – live | Donald Trump trials

Prosecution: ‘This case is about criminal conspiracy’

Victoria Bekiempis

The prosecution’s opening statement has just started. Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo says:

This case is about a criminal conspiracy and fraud. The defendant, Donald Trump, orchestrated a criminal scheme to corrupt the 2016 presidential election then, he covered up that conspiracy by lying in his New York business records over, and, over, and over again.

Trump “invited his friend, David Pecker, to a meeting at Trump Tower in Manhattan”, he says. Pecker, Cohen, and Trump met “as part of that agreement, Michael Cohen paid $130,000 to an adult film actress named Stormy Daniels … to silence her, and to make sure the public did not learn about a sexual encounter with the defendant”.

The defendant said in his business records that he was paying Cohen for legal services pursuant to a legal agreement but those were lies: there was no retainer agreement Cohen was not paying for legal services, the defendant was paying him back for an illegal payment to Stormy Daniels on the eve of the election … he wanted to conceal his and others’ criminal conduct.

\n <div class=\”trump-tracker-container\”><div class=\”trump-tracker-group svelte-1l4zo9t\”><h3 class=\”svelte-1l4zo9t\”>Key figures</h3> \n <div class=\”tracker-person svelte-jqdg4b\”><div class=\”headshot-container svelte-jqdg4b\” style=\”background-color: #cc0a11;\”><img src=\”https://interactive.guim.co.uk/atoms/2023/07/trump-litigation-tracker/assets/v/1712958655816/trump.png\” alt=\”Portrait of Donald Trump\” class=\”svelte-jqdg4b\”></div>\n <p class=\”tracker-name svelte-jqdg4b\”>Donald Trump</p>\n <p class=\”tracker-title svelte-jqdg4b\”>Defendant</p>\n</div>\n <div class=\”tracker-person svelte-jqdg4b\”><div class=\”headshot-container svelte-jqdg4b\” style=\”background-color: #e6b3b4;\”><img src=\”https://interactive.guim.co.uk/atoms/2023/07/trump-litigation-tracker/assets/v/1712958655816/cohen.png\” alt=\”Portrait of Michael Cohen\” class=\”svelte-jqdg4b\”></div>\n <p class=\”tracker-name svelte-jqdg4b\”>Michael Cohen</p>\n <p class=\”tracker-title svelte-jqdg4b\”>Trump’s former personal counsel</p>\n</div>\n <div class=\”tracker-person svelte-jqdg4b\”><div class=\”headshot-container svelte-jqdg4b\” style=\”background-color: #e6b3b4;\”><img src=\”https://interactive.guim.co.uk/atoms/2023/07/trump-litigation-tracker/assets/v/1712958655816/daniels.png\” alt=\”Portrait of Stormy Daniels\” class=\”svelte-jqdg4b\”></div>\n <p class=\”tracker-name svelte-jqdg4b\”>Stormy Daniels</p>\n <p class=\”tracker-title svelte-jqdg4b\”>Adult film star</p>\n</div>\n <div class=\”tracker-person svelte-jqdg4b\”><div class=\”headshot-container svelte-jqdg4b\” style=\”background-color: #e6b3b4;\”><img src=\”https://interactive.guim.co.uk/atoms/2023/07/trump-litigation-tracker/assets/v/1712958655816/mcdougal.png\” alt=\”Portrait of Karen McDougal\” class=\”svelte-jqdg4b\”></div>\n <p class=\”tracker-name svelte-jqdg4b\”>Karen McDougal</p>\n <p class=\”tracker-title svelte-jqdg4b\”>Former Playboy model</p>\n</div>\n <div class=\”tracker-person svelte-jqdg4b\”><div class=\”headshot-container svelte-jqdg4b\” style=\”background-color: #e6b3b4;\”><img src=\”https://interactive.guim.co.uk/atoms/2023/07/trump-litigation-tracker/assets/v/1712958655816/howard.png\” alt=\”Portrait of Dylan Howard\” class=\”svelte-jqdg4b\”></div>\n <p class=\”tracker-name svelte-jqdg4b\”>Dylan Howard</p>\n <p class=\”tracker-title svelte-jqdg4b\”>Editor-in-chief of National Enquirer</p>\n</div>\n <div class=\”tracker-person svelte-jqdg4b\”><div class=\”headshot-container svelte-jqdg4b\” style=\”background-color: #e6b3b4;\”><img src=\”https://interactive.guim.co.uk/atoms/2023/07/trump-litigation-tracker/assets/v/1712958655816/pecker.png\” alt=\”Portrait of David Pecker\” class=\”svelte-jqdg4b\”></div>\n <p class=\”tracker-name svelte-jqdg4b\”>David Pecker</p>\n <p class=\”tracker-title svelte-jqdg4b\”>Former CEO of American Media Inc</p>\n</div>\n <div class=\”tracker-person svelte-jqdg4b\”><div class=\”headshot-container svelte-jqdg4b\” style=\”background-color: #e6b3b4;\”><img src=\”https://interactive.guim.co.uk/atoms/2023/07/trump-litigation-tracker/assets/v/1712958655816/mcconney.png\” alt=\”Portrait of Jeffrey McConney\” class=\”svelte-jqdg4b\”></div>\n <p class=\”tracker-name svelte-jqdg4b\”>Jeffrey McConney</p>\n <p class=\”tracker-title svelte-jqdg4b\”>Former controller of the Trump Organization</p>\n</div>\n <div class=\”tracker-person svelte-jqdg4b\”><div class=\”headshot-container svelte-jqdg4b\” style=\”background-color: #e6b3b4;\”><img src=\”https://interactive.guim.co.uk/atoms/2023/07/trump-litigation-tracker/assets/v/1712958655816/weisselberg.png\” alt=\”Portrait of Allen Weisselberg\” class=\”svelte-jqdg4b\”></div>\n <p class=\”tracker-name svelte-jqdg4b\”>Allen Weisselberg</p>\n <p class=\”tracker-title svelte-jqdg4b\”>Former chief financial officer of the Trump Organization</p>\n</div></div>\n\n <div class=\”trump-tracker-group svelte-1l4zo9t\”><h3 class=\”svelte-1l4zo9t\”>Lawyers and judges</h3>\n <div class=\”tracker-person svelte-jqdg4b\”><div class=\”headshot-container svelte-jqdg4b\” style=\”background-color: #dcdcdc;\”><img src=\”https://interactive.guim.co.uk/atoms/2023/07/trump-litigation-tracker/assets/v/1712958655816/blanche.png\” alt=\”Portrait of Todd Blanche\” class=\”svelte-jqdg4b\”></div>\n <p class=\”tracker-name svelte-jqdg4b\”>Todd Blanche</p>\n <p class=\”tracker-title svelte-jqdg4b\”>Trump’s lawyer</p>\n</div>\n <div class=\”tracker-person svelte-jqdg4b\”><div class=\”headshot-container svelte-jqdg4b\” style=\”background-color: #dcdcdc;\”><img src=\”https://interactive.guim.co.uk/atoms/2023/07/trump-litigation-tracker/assets/v/1712958655816/bragg.png\” alt=\”Portrait of Alvin Bragg\” class=\”svelte-jqdg4b\”></div>\n <p class=\”tracker-name svelte-jqdg4b\”>Alvin Bragg</p>\n <p class=\”tracker-title svelte-jqdg4b\”>Manhattan district attorney</p>\n</div>\n \n <div class=\”tracker-person svelte-jqdg4b\”><div class=\”headshot-container svelte-jqdg4b\” style=\”background-color: #dcdcdc;\”><img src=\”https://interactive.guim.co.uk/atoms/2023/07/trump-litigation-tracker/assets/v/1712958655816/merchan.png\” alt=\”Portrait of Juan Merchan\” class=\”svelte-jqdg4b\”></div>\n <p class=\”tracker-name svelte-jqdg4b\”>Juan Merchan</p>\n <p class=\”tracker-title svelte-jqdg4b\”>Acting judge of the New York supreme court</p>\n</div></div>\n</div>\n</div>”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1713798792000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”17.13 CEST”,”blockLastUpdated”:1713798844000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”17.14 CEST”,”blockFirstPublished”:1713798844000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”17.14 CEST”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”17.14″,”title”:”Who are the key players in the hush-money trial?”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 22 Apr 2024 17.14 CEST”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Mon 22 Apr 2024 12.38 CEST”},{“id”:”66267c358f0880906b780c9f”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<p>Manhattan DA <strong>Matthew Colangelo</strong> said:</p>”,”elementId”:”e932f669-513f-44c6-9b36-5833bcfee95d”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement”,”html”:”<blockquote class=\”quoted\”>\n <p>Look, no politician wants bad press, but the evidence at trial will show that this wasn’t spin or communication strategy. This was a planned, coordinated, long-running conspiracy to influence the 2016 election, to help Donald Trump get elected through illegal expenditures – to silence people with something bad to say about his behavior.</p>\n</blockquote>”,”elementId”:”c6c50ac4-e821-4ef4-9e67-30dd4dbc3e30″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<p>He added:</p>”,”elementId”:”b0cb77fc-e42d-4d7e-8580-85a24c9e5de4″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement”,”html”:”<blockquote class=\”quoted\”>\n <p>It was election fraud, pure and simple.</p>\n</blockquote>”,”elementId”:”66cd089d-96af-4c8b-9794-2682f8328d2a”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<p>Colangelo said “we’ll never know” whether this conspiracy made the difference “in a close election”.</p>”,”elementId”:”21dbbe69-054b-4556-a5a6-6c0f56088ee4″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<p>While Colangelo is sticking to the facts, his word choice is keeping things interesting – which, admittedly, can be hard in a record about allegedly illicit financial records.</p>”,”elementId”:”41f38a16-9d67-420a-aa02-6bfc6dfb07e6″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<p>Among the entertaining quips was when he described a meeting between <strong>Michael Cohen</strong> and former Trump Organization CFO <strong>Allen Weisselberg</strong> – <a href=\”https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/04/allen-weisselberg-guilty-trump-org\”>who pleaded guilty</a> – to discuss how his ex-lawyer would be repaid.</p>”,”elementId”:”72f9d4aa-d999-478c-8c08-3bd038c298ff”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement”,”html”:”<blockquote class=\”quoted\”>\n <p>Neither Trump nor the Trump organization could just write a check to Cohen for $130,000 with a memo line that said ‘reimbursement for porn star payoff’ — they had to disguise the nature of the repayment, so they agreed to cook the books and make it look like the repayment was actually income.</p>\n</blockquote>”,”elementId”:”16f1b834-e425-4e7a-9563-adaf5031c11e”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1713798197000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”17.03 CEST”,”blockLastUpdated”:1713798423000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”17.07 CEST”,”blockFirstPublished”:1713798423000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”17.07 CEST”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”17.07″,”title”:”Prosecution: ‘It was election fraud, pure and simple'”,”contributors”:[{“name”:”Victoria Bekiempis”,”imageUrl”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Global/content/icons/2012/1/12/1326399318846/victoriabekiempis_140x140.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=d4686d26969d9d9085c81230ba7970a9″}],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 22 Apr 2024 17.14 CEST”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Mon 22 Apr 2024 12.38 CEST”},{“id”:”662676168f08eae6d25f1f74″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<p>The prosecution’s opening statement has just started. Prosecutor <strong>Matthew Colangelo</strong> says:</p>”,”elementId”:”20b7cac6-ab71-4215-878e-96efd0ca944b”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement”,”html”:”<blockquote class=\”quoted\”>\n <p>This case is about a criminal conspiracy and fraud. The defendant, Donald Trump, orchestrated a criminal scheme to corrupt the 2016 presidential election then, he covered up that conspiracy by lying in his New York business records over, and, over, and over again.</p>\n</blockquote>”,”elementId”:”6167fb49-3af1-4f87-bf54-e6d9f41c2288″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<p>Trump “invited his friend, <strong>David Pecker,</strong> to a meeting at Trump Tower in Manhattan”, he says. Pecker, Cohen, and Trump met “as part of that agreement, <strong>Michael Cohen</strong> paid $130,000 to an adult film actress named <strong>Stormy Daniels </strong>… to silence her, and to make sure the public did not learn about a sexual encounter with the defendant”.</p>”,”elementId”:”605085c1-30e2-4692-8ffa-78aea12c2d03″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement”,”html”:”<blockquote class=\”quoted\”>\n <p>The defendant said in his business records that he was paying Cohen for legal services pursuant to a legal agreement but those were lies: there was no retainer agreement Cohen was not paying for legal services, the defendant was paying him back for an illegal payment to Stormy Daniels on the eve of the election … he wanted to conceal his and others’ criminal conduct.</p>\n</blockquote>”,”elementId”:”96243f21-c853-428d-a27a-15be0ab4ec2f”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:true,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1713796630000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”16.37 CEST”,”blockLastUpdated”:1713797025000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”16.43 CEST”,”blockFirstPublished”:1713796786000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”16.39 CEST”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”16.39″,”title”:”Prosecution: ‘This case is about criminal conspiracy'”,”contributors”:[{“name”:”Victoria Bekiempis”,”imageUrl”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Global/content/icons/2012/1/12/1326399318846/victoriabekiempis_140x140.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=d4686d26969d9d9085c81230ba7970a9″}],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 22 Apr 2024 17.14 CEST”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Mon 22 Apr 2024 12.38 CEST”},{“id”:”662674908f0880906b780c1a”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<p>Manhattan district attorney prosecutor <strong>Matthew Colangelo</strong> has begun his side’s opening statement. He says:</p>”,”elementId”:”f53feacf-0e88-44b2-8ad6-b77f4cb87fea”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement”,”html”:”<blockquote class=\”quoted\”>\n <p>This case is about a criminal conspiracy. The defendant, Donald Trump, orchestrated a scheme to corrupt the 2016 election. Then he covered up that scheme by lying in his New York business records, over and over and over again.</p>\n</blockquote>”,”elementId”:”d7cecc28-fcb8-4dff-96cf-4ab61149123b”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1713796240000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”16.30 CEST”,”blockLastUpdated”:1713796450000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”16.34 CEST”,”blockFirstPublished”:1713796318000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”16.31 CEST”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”16.31″,”title”:”Prosecution begins opening statements”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 22 Apr 2024 17.14 CEST”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Mon 22 Apr 2024 12.38 CEST”},{“id”:”6626724d8f0880906b780bef”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<p><strong>Donald Trump</strong> is leaning forward in his chair as he listens to <strong>Judge Merchan</strong> read preliminary jury instructions.</p>”,”elementId”:”49ec535f-0095-487c-a035-33cf7a5be735″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<p>It’s going to be an exceptionally busy legal week for Trump:</p>”,”elementId”:”e769f6a9-d541-4d2a-a7f6-791afac617e8″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<ul>\n <li><p>On Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, Trump must sit in New York state criminal court for this trial about falsification of business records to influence the 2016 presidential election;</p></li>\n <li><p>Also on Monday, a New York civil judge is set to hold a hearing to decide <a href=\”https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/01/trump-bond-civil-fraud-case-averts-asset-seizures\”>whether to cancel Trump’s $175m bond in his civil fraud case;</a></p></li>\n <li><p>On Thursday, Trump’s legal team will argue before the US supreme court<a href=\”https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/19/trump-lawyers-us-supreme-court-immunity\”> that Trump has presidential immunity and cannot be prosecuted </a>over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.</p></li>\n</ul>”,”elementId”:”6164236b-a9d1-4aaa-81a5-a2407f052d9c”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1713795661000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”16.21 CEST”,”blockLastUpdated”:1713795815000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”16.23 CEST”,”blockFirstPublished”:1713795816000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”16.23 CEST”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”16.23″,”title”:”A busy legal week ahead for Trump”,”contributors”:[{“name”:”Hugo Lowell”,”imageUrl”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2023/05/25/Hugo_Lowell.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=84872dbbdd0d129b2e072ae43017e201″,”largeImageUrl”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2023/05/25/Hugo_Lowell.png?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=caefea5e156841f14b7ee37aa2e5f6ab”}],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 22 Apr 2024 17.14 CEST”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Mon 22 Apr 2024 12.38 CEST”},{“id”:”662669bb8f0838b5ece1ed7a”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<p>Judge <strong>Juan Merchan</strong> says a juror<a href=\”https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2024/apr/22/historic-trump-hush-money-trial-to-hear-opening-statements-live-updates?page=with:block-6626685f8f0838b5ece1ed66#block-6626685f8f0838b5ece1ed66\”> who expressed concerns </a>is staying on the panel. He says:</p>”,”elementId”:”5f150b5e-3c7a-4c72-977d-4a19970434e4″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement”,”html”:”<blockquote class=\”quoted\”>\n <p>Juror No 9 is going to remain with us, so that’s not going to be an issue.</p>\n</blockquote>”,”elementId”:”ab7960cb-6099-4acf-be71-188c871f1c25″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1713793467000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”15.44 CEST”,”blockLastUpdated”:1713794278000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”15.57 CEST”,”blockFirstPublished”:1713793588000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”15.46 CEST”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”15.46″,”title”:”Juror who expressed concerns about media attention will remain”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 22 Apr 2024 17.14 CEST”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Mon 22 Apr 2024 12.38 CEST”},{“id”:”662665728f0838b5ece1ed3d”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<p><strong>Donald Trump</strong> addressed reporters before entering the Manhattan courtroom, where he complained about his treatment and once again described himself as a victim of a “witch hunt”.</p>”,”elementId”:”aa04e699-7bd1-4882-8571-6d7b17bcf817″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<p>“What’s going on right here should never be happening. It’s a very, very sad day in America,” Trump told reporters.</p>”,”elementId”:”f8e33cf3-6268-449c-b614-2d4fbbf0189c”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<p>The former president focused much of his remarks on the New York attorney general, <strong>Letitia James,</strong> <a href=\”https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/feb/17/who-is-letitia-james-new-york-ag-trump-fraud-trial\”>and her civil fraud suit against him. </a>James is “the worst attorney general in the country,” Trump complained.</p>”,”elementId”:”b8a794dc-b512-4f14-a953-ced36e215f6a”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1713792370000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”15.26 CEST”,”blockLastUpdated”:1713793102000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”15.38 CEST”,”blockFirstPublished”:1713793063000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”15.37 CEST”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”15.37″,”title”:”Trump: ‘It’s a very, very sad day in America'”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 22 Apr 2024 17.14 CEST”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Mon 22 Apr 2024 12.38 CEST”},{“id”:”662667518f08ef00de8b083d”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<p>The court is now in session.</p>”,”elementId”:”aaf771f6-d19c-46fc-87e1-5f1b3a769622″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<p>Opening statements are expected to begin soon.</p>”,”elementId”:”a78cd5f4-9837-475f-94f0-bb558371ed0a”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<p>The <strong>prosecution</strong> will probably try to frame the trial not as a sex scandal, but as another case of Trump’s attempts to interfere with elections. After all, that’s what they argue elevates this case to a felony: the prosecution say Trump falsified business records (normally a misdemeanor) in order to violate US campaign finance law (a federal crime).</p>”,”elementId”:”c614c0ca-3948-4445-82ff-b1658e258dd7″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<p>The <strong>defense</strong> will be trying to downplay the events as a sordid but forgivable case of trying to hide an affair, which doesn’t rise to the level of a federal crime. They’re also likely to pile on Cohen’s own shady history in order to throw doubt on his claim that he discussed the deal with Trump in the Oval Office in 2017.</p>”,”elementId”:”d2fce748-31b1-4809-8733-2bfbbdf2fd35″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<p><strong><a href=\”https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/donald-trump-trials\”>Trump’s criminal hush-money trial:</a> what to know</strong></p>”,”elementId”:”60b47712-0f3f-42ec-ac6e-2715f1218b5c”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<ul>\n <li><p><strong><a href=\”https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/15/trump-hush-money-trial\”>A guide to Trump’s hush-money trial</a> – so far</strong></p></li>\n <li><p><strong>The jurors: <a href=\”https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/18/jurors-trump-hush-money-trial-jury\”>who is on the Trump trial jury?</a></strong></p></li>\n <li><p><strong><a href=\”https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/15/trump-hush-money-trial-key-arguments\”>The key arguments</a> prosecutors will use against Trump</strong></p></li>\n <li><p><strong><a href=\”https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/15/trumps-first-trial-is-starting-heres-how-itll-work\”>How will Trump’s trial work?</a></strong></p></li>\n <li><p><strong>From Michael Cohen to Stormy Daniels: <a href=\”https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/15/key-players-donald-trump-hush-money-trial\”>the key players</a></strong></p></li>\n</ul>”,”elementId”:”86e51205-56a6-412d-aacf-181577249768″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1713792849000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”15.34 CEST”,”blockLastUpdated”:1713793510000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”15.45 CEST”,”blockFirstPublished”:1713792870000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”15.34 CEST”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”15.34″,”title”:”Court is in session”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 22 Apr 2024 17.14 CEST”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Mon 22 Apr 2024 12.38 CEST”},{“id”:”66265d148f082de21b70efc3″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<p>Donald Trump has arrived at the Manhattan central courthouse for the opening in earnest of his criminal trial, likely to include opening statements today.</p>”,”elementId”:”5bf58a97-de86-4cc6-b568-f39ac3fd08a5″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<p>The Guardian’s Victoria Bekiempis and Hugo Lowell are at the courthouse.</p>”,”elementId”:”de35c6ee-7b6b-4b0a-90bc-9e7eb74169ee”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1713790228000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”14.50 CEST”,”blockLastUpdated”:1713792971000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”15.36 CEST”,”blockFirstPublished”:1713790866000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”15.01 CEST”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”15.01″,”title”:”Trump arrives at New York courthouse for opening statements”,”contributors”:[{“name”:”Chris Michael”,”imageUrl”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2018/03/20/chrismichael.jpeg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=5442defbaf96c35e82a7ea3edd28c1cc”}],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 22 Apr 2024 17.14 CEST”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Mon 22 Apr 2024 12.38 CEST”},{“id”:”66265c1c8f087d0698efb519″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<p>Donald Trump left Trump Tower, waving to assembled press, and is on his way in a motorcade to the Manhattan central courthouse.</p>”,”elementId”:”4e0725a4-4978-4e91-8619-26289ad3feb9″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1713789980000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”14.46 CEST”,”blockLastUpdated”:1713790341000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”14.52 CEST”,”blockFirstPublished”:1713790218000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”14.50 CEST”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”14.50″,”title”:”Trump leaves for court”,”contributors”:[{“name”:”Chris Michael”,”imageUrl”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2018/03/20/chrismichael.jpeg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=5442defbaf96c35e82a7ea3edd28c1cc”}],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 22 Apr 2024 17.14 CEST”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Mon 22 Apr 2024 12.38 CEST”},{“id”:”662639498f085ced9b0ba423″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<p>Likely to come first is what’s known as a “<strong>Sandoval</strong>” decision. Here, the judge rules in advance about what prosecutors are allowed to ask Trump if he takes the stand – helping Trump decide whether to do so. (He has said he would, but signs indicate he may not.)</p>”,”elementId”:”e8c9719f-5f12-4e1e-b541-0b478742aef2″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<p>In this case, prosecutors have asked the judge for several things, such as permission to ask Trump about the two civil fraud trials he just lost: one for defaming <strong>E Jean Carroll</strong> after she accused him of raping her, which a judge ruled was “substantially true”, and the other for <strong>fradulently inflating</strong> the value of his properties.</p>”,”elementId”:”28cfc11e-b5d8-4d4d-9023-24d7da764972″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<p>They also want to grill him, among other matters, about criticism from a judge in a different case that Trump <strong>didn’t seem to be a truthful witness</strong>. Colour us shocked.</p>”,”elementId”:”97f530d2-8149-4e36-9190-b33ff79ce4db”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1713782327000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”12.38 CEST”,”blockLastUpdated”:1713788141000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”14.15 CEST”,”blockFirstPublished”:1713786175000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”13.42 CEST”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”13.42″,”title”:”What’s happening today?”,”contributors”:[{“name”:”Chris Michael”,”imageUrl”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2018/03/20/chrismichael.jpeg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=5442defbaf96c35e82a7ea3edd28c1cc”}],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 22 Apr 2024 17.14 CEST”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Mon 22 Apr 2024 12.38 CEST”},{“id”:”662632728f08839e09ac8da5″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<p>Well, after all the appeals and bombast and tears, it’s finally here: opening statements in the first criminal trial of a US president.</p>”,”elementId”:”ed2cda3d-f818-4c44-b287-7ef234bc8d0d”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<p>Jury selection in the case of the <strong>People of the State of New York versus Donald Trump</strong> wrapped up last week, though not without some difficulty. Hundreds of prospective jurors were dismissed, several cried and a couple of them quit <em>after</em> they were chosen.</p>”,”elementId”:”4b8b1b7b-94aa-459e-8323-bef9b316f756″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<p>But at last <strong>Judge Juan Merchan</strong> has landed on 18 people (12 jurors and six alternates) living in Manhattan who say they don’t have strong enough opinions about Donald Trump to bias them against the facts.</p>”,”elementId”:”3b700ce4-d86e-4cff-9a97-8eb8abe1aefb”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<p>And facts there are aplenty. Prosecutors accuse Trump of falsifying business records in order to cover up an attempt to influence the 2016 election. Specifically, they say he tried right before that election – at a time when was already facing serious heat because of the Access Hollywood tape, in which he bragged he could sexually assault women because he was famous – to buy the silence of a porn star, <a href=\”https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/stormy-daniels\” data-component=\”auto-linked-tag\”>Stormy Daniels</a>, who says she had an affair with him 10 years before.</p>”,”elementId”:”40f38ac7-ec55-4a29-9a09-1f4e882db662″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<p>Prosecutors say Trump feared yet another sex scandal could sink his election prospects, so he paid her to keep silent about the affair, his coercive behavior in the bedroom, and of course his “<a href=\”https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/nov/04/full-disclosure-by-stormy-daniels-digested-read\”>toadstool</a>”.</p>”,”elementId”:”67187c99-7dc4-4760-a2ac-aa336d8e0f29″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”<p>It’s going to be edifying. We’re at the courthouse. Stay with us.</p>”,”elementId”:”8993b6de-15d2-4e6f-b4ba-2e9081f1861a”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1713782327000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”12.38 CEST”,”blockLastUpdated”:1713791161000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”15.06 CEST”,”blockFirstPublished”:1713782327000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”12.38 CEST”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”12.38″,”title”:”Hush-money trial to hear opening statements”,”contributors”:[{“name”:”Chris Michael”,”imageUrl”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2018/03/20/chrismichael.jpeg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=5442defbaf96c35e82a7ea3edd28c1cc”}],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 22 Apr 2024 17.14 CEST”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Mon 22 Apr 2024 12.38 CEST”}],”filterKeyEvents”:false,”id”:”key-events-carousel-mobile”}” config=”{“renderingTarget”:”Web”,”darkModeAvailable”:false}”>

Key events

Victoria Bekiempis

Manhattan DA Matthew Colangelo also used Trump’s purported cheapness as evidence of motive.

Michael Cohen paid $130,000 in the Daniels payoff. But, he was ultimately repaid $420,000. Per Colangelo, Cohen and former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg had met to discuss how Cohen would get repaid. They added $50,000 to the tab for “tech services” Cohen paid for during the campaign, and then doubled that sum “to account for taxes”.

The final amount Trump ultimately paid effectively showed that Trump knew his payoff was wrong. Colangelo said:

Donald Trump was a very frugal businessman. He believed in pinching pennies … He believed in negotiating every bill.

With Cohen, Colangelo emphasized, Trump did not hold back money.

Donald Trump’s willingness to do so here shows just how important it was to hide the true nature of Cohen’s [payment] to Ms Daniels and the overall election conspiracy they had launched in August of 2015.

Prosecution: ‘It was election fraud, pure and simple’

Victoria Bekiempis

Manhattan DA Matthew Colangelo said:

Look, no politician wants bad press, but the evidence at trial will show that this wasn’t spin or communication strategy. This was a planned, coordinated, long-running conspiracy to influence the 2016 election, to help Donald Trump get elected through illegal expenditures – to silence people with something bad to say about his behavior.

He added:

It was election fraud, pure and simple.

Colangelo said “we’ll never know” whether this conspiracy made the difference “in a close election”.

While Colangelo is sticking to the facts, his word choice is keeping things interesting – which, admittedly, can be hard in a record about allegedly illicit financial records.

Among the entertaining quips was when he described a meeting between Michael Cohen and former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg – who pleaded guilty – to discuss how his ex-lawyer would be repaid.

Neither Trump nor the Trump organization could just write a check to Cohen for $130,000 with a memo line that said ‘reimbursement for porn star payoff’ — they had to disguise the nature of the repayment, so they agreed to cook the books and make it look like the repayment was actually income.

Victoria Bekiempis

“The campaign went into immediate damage control mode,” Manhattan DA Matthew Colangelo said.

The campaign quickly framed it as “locker room talk”, but not action.

Hence the danger of Stormy Daniels’ story, which came on to their radar one day after the Access Hollywood tape. The Daniels story showed that his boorish behavior extended to actions, Colangelo told jurors.

Colangelo’s narrative is key here. The prosecution is trying to establish that Trump was desperate to keep a lid on damaging info. Colangelo said:

Another story about infidelity, with a porn star, on the heels of the access Hollywood tape, would have been devastating to his campaign.

Hugo Lowell

Donald Trump has been frowning while Manhattan DA prosecutor Matthew Colangelo tells the jury about Trump’s alleged affair with Stormy Daniels.

He has kept his eyes trained downwards on the table. Trump has also occasionally cocked his head to the side while fiddling with papers in front of him.

With his brow still furrowed, Trump appears frustrated for the first time as Colangelo reads out part of the infamous Access Hollywood tape to the jury, where he brags about grabbing women “by the pussy” – after which he passes a note to his lawyer Emil Bove.

Victoria Bekiempis

On 7 October 2016, the Washington Post published a video of Donald Trump caught on a hot mic on the set of a television show called Access Hollywood – “he didn’t know he was being taped,” Manhattan district attorney Matthew Colangelo said.

Colangelo then read a transcript of Trump’s statement on the hot mic, quoting Trump saying that he could grab women “by the pussy”. Colangelo said:

Those were Donald Trump’s words, on a video, that was released one month before election day.

Victoria Bekiempis

The prosecution has discussed the various schemes including one involving Karen McDougal, the Playboy model who claimed to have had an affair with the married Trump.

Manhattan district attorney Matthew Colangelo said that “Pecker will also testify that 150,000 was way more than AMI (American Media) would normally pay for this kind of story, but he discussed it with Donald Trump and he discussed it with Michael Cohen, and he agreed on the deal with the understanding what Trump would find a way to pay AMI back.”

“The company coordinated directly with the candidate,” Colangelo also said of AMI. He told jurors that they would hear Trump on tape talking about the deal.

Hugo Lowell

Manhattan DA prosecutor Matthew Colangelo sketches out in his opening statement the link between Donald Trump’s alleged falsification of business records and the alleged campaign finance law violation – which is what would elevate the crimes into felonies.

Colangelo tells the jury that Trump’s “catch-and-kill” with David Pecker and the National Enquirer was all geared towards helping the Trump campaign.

There were three parts to the conspiracy, he says:

• An agreement to run positive coverage in the National Enquirer

• An agreement to attack opponents

• An agreement to act as the “eyes and ears” for the campaign

Prosecution: ‘This case is about criminal conspiracy’

Victoria Bekiempis

The prosecution’s opening statement has just started. Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo says:

This case is about a criminal conspiracy and fraud. The defendant, Donald Trump, orchestrated a criminal scheme to corrupt the 2016 presidential election then, he covered up that conspiracy by lying in his New York business records over, and, over, and over again.

Trump “invited his friend, David Pecker, to a meeting at Trump Tower in Manhattan”, he says. Pecker, Cohen, and Trump met “as part of that agreement, Michael Cohen paid $130,000 to an adult film actress named Stormy Daniels … to silence her, and to make sure the public did not learn about a sexual encounter with the defendant”.

The defendant said in his business records that he was paying Cohen for legal services pursuant to a legal agreement but those were lies: there was no retainer agreement Cohen was not paying for legal services, the defendant was paying him back for an illegal payment to Stormy Daniels on the eve of the election … he wanted to conceal his and others’ criminal conduct.

Hugo Lowell

Donald Trump has a furrowed brow as Judge Merchan reads the jury instructions.

He has shifted in his seat – apparently trying to get comfortable – initially leaning forward before leaning back.

Trump lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove have been expressionless. Susan Necheles appeared to be looking at her notes.

A busy legal week ahead for Trump

Hugo Lowell

Donald Trump is leaning forward in his chair as he listens to Judge Merchan read preliminary jury instructions.

It’s going to be an exceptionally busy legal week for Trump: