Former President Donald Trump s historic criminal trial is now in its third week of proceedings.
Trump is facing 34 criminal counts related to his alleged efforts to conceal $130,000 in hush money paid in 2016 to silence allegations of an extramarital affair with adult film actor Stormy Daniels. Daniels is expected to testify in the trial, as is Michael Cohen, Trumps former personal attorney, who previously served jail time for his role in facilitating the payment.
Last week, the jury heard from former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, who testified about conversations he had with Cohen regarding the Daniels payment. He also detailed his publications efforts to catch and kill unflattering stories about Trump, including allegations by former Playboy model Karen McDougal that she had an affair with Trump from 2006 to 2007.
Trump is represented by a team of defense attorneys led by Todd Blanche and Susan Necheles. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who brought the charges against Trump, selected Susan Hoffinger and Joshua Steinglass to lead the prosecution.
Judge Juan Merchan is presiding over the Manhattan trial.
Follow live updates from the trial:
Here's What Happened On Day 11
- Hope Hicks took the witness stand nervously on Friday, holding herself together for direct examination before breaking down in tears when an attorney for Trump began cross-examination.
- Hicks had no political experience when Trump tapped her to serve as his spokesperson during his 2016 presidential run. In a baptism by fire, she helped guide his campaign through the Access Hollywood tapes release and a series of Wall Street Journal stories about alleged hush money payments.
- Obviously, I was a little shocked, she said about seeing Trumps Access Hollywood comments for the first time. But she recalled Trump saying it was pretty standard stuff.
- Hicks also recalled issuing denials on behalf of Trump.
- She testified that Trump was concerned about the affair stories effect on his family, and prevented the newspapers from being delivered to his home.
- We started the day with a forensic analyst from Braggs office back on the stand to talk about the data he recovered from Cohens phones, while the defense suggested his retrieval practices were less than trustworthy.
- The next witness was a paralegal who had the unfortunate task of reading through thousands of Trumps social media posts and articles written about him. Jurors read through some of Trumps rage tweets including one in which he called Daniels "horseface.
Trump Complains About The Cost Of Lawyers On Way Out
The radical left theyve been after us for years, and theyve screwing with peoples lives, he said, without clarifying who else he was including in the statement. Theyve gone out and hired lawyers, theyve been with lawyers for years, being sucked dry.
He called the district attorney's office vicious, vicious radical left lunatics."
"So I just want to wish everybody a very good weekend. I was very interested in what took place today," Trump said.
He added: "Our country is going to hell."
Donald Trump Leaves The Courtroom
Court Adjourned For The Week
Judge Declines To Let Prosecution Tell Jury About Trumps Gag Order Violations
Jury Leaves For The Day
Hope Hicks Finished As Witness
Trump Wanted His Family To Be Proud Of Him, Emotional Hope Hicks Says
Parts of this...were very personal to him? Bove asks.
Hicks, seemingly somewhat emotional again, says yes: I dont think he wanted anyone in his family to be hurt or embarrassed by anything that was happening on the campaign. He wanted them to be proud of him.
Bove then concludes his questioning.
Trump Team Tries To Put Access Hollywood Response In Softer Light
I know that that was weighing on him, she says.
Hope Hicks Speaks Fondly Of Donald Trumps Media Savvy, Campaign
Ive only been on one campaign, but it was a great one, she said.
Earlier, she affirmed that shes here because her testimony was subpoenaed. (She also noted earlier she's paying for her own counsel.)
Trump Team Asks For More Detail On Hope Hicks Trump Org Work And Michael Cohen
Cohen wasnt looped in on the day-to-day strategy of the campaign, Hicks recalls but he did try to insert himself into the campaign, including by doing TV appearances in which he advocated for Trump. Hicks affirms that Cohen was speaking as an employee of the Trump Organization he still worked there in 2015 and 2016, Hicks affirms as a surrogate for the Trump campaign.
At times, in Boves words, Cohen went rogue. Hicks agrees: Cohen, she recalls, called himself Mr. Fixer a reference to helping put out various fires on the campaign trail.
But, she adds, thats only because he broke it.
Hope Hicks Broke Down In Court After Recounting A Donald Trump Lie
But Hicks' breakdown came immediately after she described Trump lying to her in detail about Cohen, supposedly out of generosity and loyalty, paying off a pornstar for her silence.
The jury is now back and Bove is questioning Hicks.
Trump, meanwhile, is looking on stone-faced.
Donald Trump Told Hope Hicks That Michael Cohen Paid Stormy Daniels Off Out Of The Kindness Of His Own Heart
Hicks recalled a conversation with Trump on how to respond to the story. And afterward, she recalled, she spoke to Cohen. A White House official Hicks recalled it was Hogan Gidley, a spokesperson told the Journal: These are old, recycled reports, which were published and strongly denied prior to the election.
Notably, Hicks recalled a conversation with Trump in which Trump told her, in Hicks words, that Trump had spoken to Cohen, and that Cohen told Trump hed paid Daniels to protect him from a false allegation, and that Michael felt it was his job to protect him [Trump] and thats what he was doing, and he did it out of the kindness of his own heart.
Upon questioning from Colangelo, Hicks said such an action would be out of character for Michael because I didnt know Michael to be an especially charitable person, or selfless person the kind of person who seeks credit.
Trump, she recalled, told her that he was appreciative of the loyalty from Cohen.
Hicks also recalled Trump wanting to know how it was playing, a reference to the denial.
I think Mr. Trumps opinion was that it was better to be dealing with it now, and that it would have been bad to have that story come out before the election, Hicks recalled.
She specified that Trump asked about my thoughts and opinion on this story versus having a different kind of story before the campaign.
We Are Taking A Break After Hope Hicks Began Crying
Text Shows Trump Asked If Hope Hicks Called David Pecker
After McDougal did an interview with Anderson Cooper, Hicks recalls, Hicks spoke with Trump about the interview but she stresses that she did not speak at the time with Pecker.
Here Are Melania Trump's Alleged Texts After The Release Of The 'Access Hollywood' Tape
Its an unconventional marriage, Wolkoff said.
Hope Hicks Recounts Her White House Work
Hope Hicks: David Pecker, Donald Trump Spoke On Phone After Karen McDougal Story Broke
Asked by Colangelo, Hicks explains how Trump was concerned about the articles potential affect on his campaign and his wife Melanias reaction to the story.
Texts Between Michael Cohen, Hope Hicks Show Them Monitoring Fallout Of Karen McDougal Story
I dot [sic] see it getting much play, Cohen told Hicks prompting her to laugh while reading it out loud in court at the irony of how much coverage it ultimately received.
So far I see only 6 stories, Cohen wrote to Hicks. Getting little to no traction.
Hicks wrote to Cohen: "Keep praying!! Its working!
Cohen then says that if needed, I have statement by Storm denying everything and contradicting the other porn stars statement.
At the time, Hicks recalls, she didn't have the "context" necessary to understand what Cohen meant when he said he had a "statement" from Daniels.
Hope Hicks Recounts Denials Of Affair To Newspaper
I see what I said, Im not saying it didnt happen, Hicks says. She recalls Trump stating the denial, but says she doesn't want to say definitively that Trump instructed her to say something specific.
The same article discusses Daniels' claim of an affair with Trump. This time, Hicks is unequivocal: Trump told her to deny the affair.
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