Trump hush money trial: Former president ‘orchestrated a criminal scheme to corrupt’ the 2016 election but defence claims ‘nothing wrong with trying to influence an election’
Donald Trump “orchestrated a criminal scheme to corrupt” the 2016 election, a prosecutor has said at the start of the former president’s historic hush money trial, but the defence claims he did “nothing illegal”.
We take a look a how Trump’s hush money case – the first criminal trial against a US president – opened to 12 jurors in New York.
What did the prosecution say?
Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo made the remarks as opening statements as the trial got under way – marking the first time that prosecutors have presented a criminal case against a former president to a jury.
Trump is accused of falsifying internal business records as part of an alleged scheme to bury stories that he thought might hurt his presidential campaign in 2016.
Mr Colangelo told jurors: “The defendant, Donald Trump, orchestrated a criminal scheme to corrupt the 2016 presidential election. Then he covered up that criminal conspiracy by lying in his New York business records over and over and over again.”
What has Trump said?
Trump said it was a “very sad day in America” as he spoke outside the New York courthouse before opening statements began.
He added that his trial was an example of “election interference”, describing it as “very unfair”.
“People understand what’s going on,” he said, describing the trial as a “witch hunt”.
What did the defence argue?
Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche said he would refer to his client as “President Trump out of respect” as he claimed his client was innocent.
“He’s in some ways larger than life. But he’s also here in this courtroom, doing what any of us would do. Defending himself.”
Mr Blanche went on to ask: “What on earth is a crime? What’s a crime, of what I just described?
“This business records violation, these 34 counts are really just 34 pieces of paper, the cheques that were generated because of invoice and records notation… none of this is a crime.
“You heard the people’s theory that Michael Cohen was trying to cover the payback to Stormy Daniels who also goes by Stephanie Clifford.
“She did sign an agreement for $130,000… President Trump did not pay Mr Cohen back $130,000. President Trump paid Michael Cohen $420,000.
“Would a frugal business man… would a man who pinches pennies… repay a $130,000 (£106,000) debt to the tune of $420,000?”
The lawyer then said: “I have a spoiler alert: there’s nothing wrong with trying to influence an election. It’s called democracy.”
Trump, who has secured the Republican nomination for the 2024 US presidential election, said outside court: “I’m here instead of being able to be in Pennsylvania and Georgia and lots of other places campaigning and it’s very unfair.”
The former US president said the trial was “in coordination with Washington” and “done for the purposes of hurting the opponent of the worst president in the history of our country”.
Trump will run against current US leader Joe Biden when the election takes place in November.
First of four criminal trials facing Trump
Today’s opening statements set the stage for weeks of testimony about Trump’s personal life.
A panel of New Yorkers – 12 jurors and six alternates – were sworn in on Friday after four days of jury selection, and will hear what is the first-ever criminal trial against a former US commander-in-chief.
At the heart of the allegations against Trump is a $130,000 payment made to porn actress Stormy Daniels by Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer and personal fixer, to allegedly prevent her claims of a sexual encounter with Trump from surfacing in the final days of the presidential race.
Donald Trump looks on at the Manhattan Criminal Court .
Pic: Reuters
Read more:
Who is porn star at centre of hush money trial?
The A to Z of Trump’s hush money trial
All the terms you might hear in Trump’s court cases
The key figures in the Donald Trump hush money case
Prosecutors say Trump obscured the true nature of such payments in internal business documents.
Trump has denied having a sexual encounter with Daniels, and his lawyers argue that the payments to Mr Cohen were legitimate legal expenses.
He has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
The hush money case is the first of Trump’s four indictments to reach trial.
In his comments outside the courthouse today, the former president also spoke about his New York civil fraud case as a result of which he was ordered to pay a fine of at least $453.5m (£368m).
New York attorney general Letitia James has challenged a $175m (£142m) bond provided to Trump by insurer Knight Specialty Insurance Co.
Trump with his lawyer Todd Blanche, right, outside court. Pic: AP
The company is trying to convince a state judge today that it is financially strong enough to issue the guarantee after Ms James questioned if the bond was backed by secure assets.
Mr Trump said: “The money was put up, it was $175m and I don’t think (Ms James) is complaining about me for the first time, she’s complaining about the company, but why would she be doing that when I put up the money?”
Former US president Joe Biden has prostate cancer, his office has said.
The statement said Mr Biden, who left the White House in January, is reviewing options for treatment with his physicians.
It read: “Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms.
“On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterised by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone.
“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management.
“The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.”
File pic: Reuters
According to Cancer Research UK, a Gleason score of 9 means the cancerous cells “look very abnormal” and the disease is “likely to grow quickly”.
A source familiar with Mr Biden and his family’s thinking has told Sky’s US partner network, NBC News, that the former president is considering “multiple treatment options” – including hormone treatment for the cancer.
They added he is at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, and that as of now, it is unclear where the former president will be treated.
Mr Biden, 82, was the oldest person to ever serve as president, with concerns about his health raised regularly during his campaign for re-election last year.
After a poor debate against Donald Trump in June, he withdrew from the 2024 election and endorsed his vice president Kamala Harris.
In February 2023, he had a skin lesion removed from his chest that was a basal cell carcinoma, a common form of skin cancer.
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A Mexican navy ship has hit the Brooklyn Bridge during a promotional tour in New York City.
The New York Fire Department said authorities were responding to injuries but had no details about how many people might have been hurt or whether they were on the vessel or on the bridge.
Sky’s US partner network NBC News reports that at least three people were seriously injured in the incident.
The Mexican navy said in a post on X that the Cuauhtemoc, an academy training vessel, was damaged in the accident, which has prevented it from continuing its voyage.
Eyewitness video of the collision posted online showed the mast of the ship, which was flying a large Mexican flag, scraping the underneath of the bridge.
Pic: AP
The vessel then drifted toward the edge of the river as onlookers scrambled away from shore.
The Mexican navy said the status of personnel and material was under review by naval and local authorities, which were providing assistance.
The Cuauhtemoc is about 297ft long and 40ft wide, according to the Mexican navy. It sailed for the first time in 1982.
Pic: AP
Each year, it sets out at the end of classes at the naval military school to finish cadets’ training.
It left the Mexican port of Acapulco, on the Pacific coast, on 6 April with 277 people onboard, the navy said at the time.
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One person has died in a bomb explosion near a reproductive health clinic in California, authorities have said.
The incident took place in Palm Springs, a city two hours east of Los Angeles, and is being investigated as a possible car explosion.
The city’s mayor Ron DeHarte said one person died in the blast, adding that the bomb was “either in or near” a vehicle. The deceased’s identity is not known, Palm Springs police said.
Dr Maher Abdallah, who runs the American Reproductive Centers clinic, told the Associated Press his facility was damaged but all staff were safe and accounted for.
The explosion damaged the office space where the practice conducts patient consultations, but the IVF lab and stored embryos were unharmed, he added.
“I really have no clue what happened,” he said. “Thank God today happened to be a day that we have no patients.”
Debris covers the ground after the explosion. Pic: ABC7 Los Angeles/AP
In a statement posted on Facebook the clinic said it was “heartbroken” to learn someone died in the explosion and added: “Our deepest condolences go out to the individuals and families affected.”
It continued: “Our mission has always been to help build families, and in times like these, we are reminded of just how fragile and precious life is.
“In the face of this tragedy, we remain committed to creating hope – because we believe that healing begins with community, compassion, and care.
The clinic will be fully operational on Monday, it added.
“This moment has shaken us – but it has not stopped us. We will continue to serve with strength, love, and the hope that brings new life into the world,” the statement concluded.
Pic: ABC7 Los Angeles/AP
The Palm Springs city government said in a post on Facebook that the explosion happened on North Indian Canyon Drive, near East Tachevah Drive, before 11am local time (6pm GMT).
A burned-out car can be seen in a parking lot behind the building in aerial footage.
The blast caved in the clinic’s roof and blew debris across four lanes of the road.
Another person said he was inside a cannabis dispensary nearby when he felt a massive explosion.
Nima Tabrizi said: “The building just shook, and we go outside and there’s massive cloud smoke.”
Investigators from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are travelling to the scene to help assess what happened.
California governor Gavin Newsom has been briefed on the explosion, his press office said.
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