Porn star Stormy Daniels is expected to testify in the New York criminal hush money trial of former President Donald Trump, where he is charged with falsifying business records related to a payment made to keep Daniels from speaking about an alleged affair with Trump in 2006. Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, paid Daniels $130,000 less than two weeks before the 2016 presidential election, which Trump went on to win. Trump, who reimbursed Cohen while he was president, is accused of attempting to unlawfully influence the election. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is leading the case.
The news of Daniels’ expected appearance in Manhattan Supreme Court comes after Trump posted and then quickly deleted a statement criticizing the witness schedule and the judge in his trial. The former president’s rant on Truth Social, a social media platform he endorses, followed a threat from Judge Juan Merchan to impose jail time on Trump for repeatedly violating the gag order prohibiting him from speaking about likely witnesses in the trial. The prosecutor, Joshua Steinglass, revealed that the witness schedule is kept hidden to prevent Trump from targeting witnesses before they testify. Trump’s attorneys have had access to the witness list and exhibits for months.
Merchan held Trump in contempt of court for the 10th time and imposed a $1,000 fine, bringing the total of fines to $10,000. Despite being a multibillionaire, Trump was warned by the judge that jail time could be a possibility if he continues to violate the gag order. In his now-deleted social media post, Trump accused Merchan of political bias and claimed he was being denied his First Amendment rights. Trump’s legal team has been unsuccessful in persuading Merchan to recuse himself from the case due to what they allege is a conflict of interest involving his daughter’s work for a Democratic political firm.
The gag order prohibits Trump from discussing likely witnesses in the case and making certain statements about other related individuals, including lawyers, court staff, and their family members. Merchan expanded the order after Trump targeted the family members of the judge and the District Attorney. The defense team has criticized the trial proceedings, alleging unfair treatment and bias on the part of the judge. Trump’s continued defiance of the gag order has resulted in fines and the possibility of jail time, despite his attempts to argue against the restrictions imposed on his communication regarding the trial. The legal battle continues to unfold as Daniels prepares to take the stand in court.
