Donald Trump calls hush money case an ‘assault on America’ ahead of historic trial
Donald Trump described the hush money case against him as an “assault on America” as he arrived at court in New York ahead of his historic trial.
The former US president is accused of criminally altering business records to cover up a $130,000 (£104,200) payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, real name Stephanie Clifford, during his 2016 election campaign.
Ms Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who was paid $150,000 (£120,000), both claim to have had affairs with Trump.
His lawyers say the payment was meant to spare himself and his family embarrassment, not to help him win the election.
Speaking as he arrived at the Manhattan court, Trump said: “Nothing like this has ever happened before. It should never been brought.
Donald Trump sits in Manhattan Criminal Court in New York.
Pic: Reuters
“It’s an assault on America. An assault on our country. A country that’s failing.
“It’s an attack on a political opponent, that’s all it is. So I’m very proud to be here.”
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The key figures in the Donald Trump hush money case
Pic: AP
Trump then continued to attack US President Joe Biden and repeated claims that the trial is political persecution, saying: “It’s a country that’s run by an incompetent man who is very much involved in this case.”
Before proceedings began Judge Juan M Merchan denied a request by the defence to recuse himself from the case.
Defence lawyers had renewed a motion from last summer arguing that an interview Mr Merchan gave to the media, his daughter’s work at a political consultancy firm and his daughter’s social media activity created a conflict of interest that merited recusal.
Pic: Reuters
But Mr Merchan said Trump had “failed to provide” evidence of a conflict and instead relied on a “series of inferences [and] innuendos”.
“Defendant’s second motion for recusal is denied,” the judge ruled in court.
He added that he will not yet rule on Trump’s request to skip the trial on 17 May in order to attend his son’s high school graduation.
“It really depends on if we are on time and where we are in the trial,” Mr Merchan said.
People hold placards against Trump. Pic: Reuters
The trial begins with the selection of the jury, which Sky News’ US partner network, NBC, said could take up to two weeks because of the large pool of prospective jurors.
Both the defence and prosecution agreed to a “hybrid” approach to the selection process, involving jurors being asked separate questions – one about conflicts with the trial, and another on whether jurors identify as impartial or unbiased.
Mr Merchan said the process – first requested by Trump’s lawyers – would not delay anything.
Around 200 Trump supporters gathered outside the courthouse as well as roughly 40 other individuals who were protesting against the former president.
Trump with his legal team ahead of the start of jury selection. Pic: Reuters
One group of demonstrators carried a banner that read, “no one is above the law”.
Monday’s proceedings mark the first of four indictments against the former president to go to trial, and is the first to be held ahead of this year’s presidential election.
Trump faces two other criminal trials accusing him of trying to subvert his 2020 election loss to Mr Biden, and another that accuses him of mishandling classified information after he left the White House in 2021.
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He has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him. No other former US president has ever faced criminal charges.
Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal lawyer, said he co-ordinated with Trump on payments to Ms Daniels and to Ms McDougal.
Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations in 2018 in relation to the payments and was sentenced to three years in prison. He was released into house arrest after one year.
Joe Biden and Donald Trump have agreed to two head-to-head live televised debates in June and September.
After months of speculation about whether the traditional presidential debates would go ahead, the US broadcaster CNN has announced that a primetime debate will take place at its global headquarters in Atlanta on 27 June at 9pm.
ABC will host a second debate, scheduled for 10 September, just under two months before the election on 5 November.
For weeks, former President Trump has been using social media and rallies to goad President Biden into taking part in a debate.
“Anytime. Anywhere. Anyplace,” Mr Trump has repeatedly said.
Amid speculation over whether President Biden would be prepared to expose himself to the pressure and jeopardy of a live debate, the president used a radio interview in late April to confirm he would be “happy” to.
“I am happy to debate him,” he said. “I am, somewhere. I don’t know when,” he told SiriusFM radio host Howard Stern.
That revelation prompted back-channel conversations between staff from the two campaigns to agree a format.
The debates will bypass the presidential debate commission that traditionally coordinates the process.
Biden and Trump during a presidential debate in Nashville in 2020. Pic: Reuters
Mr Biden’s team have insisted that the two debates do not include a live audience, a move the Trump team are understood to have agreed to.
An hour before CNN announced that it would host the first debate, President Biden released a clip on X confirming his willingness to take part.
“Donald Trump lost two debates to me in 2020. Since then, he hasn’t shown up for a debate,” President Biden said.
“Now he’s acting like he wants to debate me again. Well, make my day, pal. I’ll even do it twice. So let’s pick the dates, Donald.”
In a jibe at Mr Trump’s court case in New York, which doesn’t sit on Wednesdays, Mr Biden added: “I hear you’re free on Wednesdays.”
‘He can’t put two sentences together’
Donald Trump responded with a lengthy statement on his own social media platform, Truth Social.
“Crooked Joe Biden is the WORST debater I have ever faced – He can’t put two sentences together! Crooked is also the WORST President in the history of the United States, by far,” he said.
“It’s time for a debate so that he can explain to the American People his highly destructive Open Border Policy, new and ridiculous EV Mandates, the allowance of Crushing Inflation, High Taxes, and his really WEAK Foreign Policy which is allowing the World to ‘Catch on Fire.'”
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
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The former president continued: “I am Ready and Willing to Debate Crooked Joe at the two proposed times in June and September.
“I would strongly recommend more than two debates and, for excitement purposes, a very large venue, although Biden is supposedly afraid of crowds – That’s only because he doesn’t get them. Just tell me when, I’ll be there. ‘Let’s get ready to Rumble!!!'”
The summer and autumn clashes, to be moderated by as-yet unannounced star anchors, promise to be box office occasions with huge jeopardy for both candidates.
US
Rust weapons supervisor Hannah Gutierrez appeals against conviction over fatal shooting on Alec Baldwin film set
The weapons supervisor for the Western film Rust is appealing against her conviction for involuntary manslaughter over the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on set, according to court documents.
Hannah Gutierrez was jailed in April after being found guilty by jurors following a trial in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in the US.
She was in charge of weapons during the production of the film in October 2021, when a Colt 45 revolver fired by actor and co-producer Alec Baldwin went off during a rehearsal.
Alec Baldwin, pictured on the Rust set, faces a separate trial
Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins died, while director Joel Souza was injured.
A defence lawyer for Gutierrez, who is serving an 18-month sentence at a prison for women in New Mexico, filed a shortly worded appeal notice on Monday.
Her legal team has 30 days to submit detailed arguments. They previously requested a new trial following the verdict.
Hannah Gutierrez, pictured during her trial, is appealing against her conviction
Gutierrez’s trial was told she unwittingly brought live ammunition to the set, where it was expressly prohibited, and failed to follow basic gun safety protocols.
During her sentencing hearing, she told the court she had tried to do her best while working on the production, despite not having “proper time, resources and staffing”.
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Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins died after the gun went off. Pic: Shutterstock
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Baldwin, who was a producer for the film as well as its star, has also pleaded not guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter.
He maintains he pulled back the gun’s hammer – but not the trigger – before it fired, and is set to face trial in July. He denies any wrongdoing.
The 66-year-old was originally charged in January 2023, more than a year after the shooting, but those charges were dropped a few months later. He was charged again in January this year.
His legal team has filed a motion calling for the charges to be dropped. Prosecutors responded with a 32-page document claiming that footage of the star on set shows he had “absolutely no control of his own emotions” and “no concern for how his conduct” affected those around him.
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Assistant director David Halls, who also faced charges, entered a plea bargain for negligent use of a deadly weapon last year, receiving a six-month suspended sentence.
Filming of Rust resumed last year in Montana – with Baldwin reprising his role as the main character – after an agreement made Ms Hutchins’s widower an executive producer.
A man who scooped a $1.35bn lottery win is said to be embroiled in a legal battle – with his own family.
The Mega Millions winner, who has not been named but is believed to hail from the US state of Maine, won the fourth-largest jackpot in US history last year (worth around £1.07bn).
But the story has only grown more complex since then, and the man is now involved in legal proceedings with two members of his family, US media outlet The Daily Beast reports.
He is said to have sued his daughter’s mother for allegedly revealing his newfound wealth to other members of his family in what he claimed was a violation of a non-disclosure agreement.
The lottery winner has also reportedly demanded hundreds of thousands of dollars in penalties, claiming that his child’s mother told his father, sister and stepmother about his big windfall.
But in recent court filings, the woman alleged that the man himself told his father and stepmother about the win, The Daily Beast reported.
Her lawyers said this “shatters the remaining shards” of the lawsuit.
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The unnamed lottery winner’s father has also now apparently become involved in the legal proceedings, alleging that his son misled him about a number of things since the win.
“I understand that my son has stated that he told me nothing about his money ‘other than the simple fact that I had won.’ That is not true,” he is quoted as saying in a declaration.
His dad adds that his son “told me a number of things he planned on doing with his money,” even though he never asked him for anything, The Daily Beast also reported.
These allegedly included building a new garage for his father as well as buying old cars to fix up.
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