NewsWorldAmericasUS politicsFormer president’s estranged ex-attorney spoke as prosecution’s final witness, with MAGA representatives Lauren Boebert and Matt Gaetz present to support the defendant
Trump says his Republican ‘surrogates’ are ‘speaking beautifully’ at his hush money trial
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Donald Trump will be in Florida on Friday for the high school graduation of his teenage son Barron Trump before jetting out for a fundraising dinner in Minnesota.
The Republican presidential candidate’s hush money trial wrapped up for the week on Thursday after a day of heated cross-examination in which key witness Michael Cohen was grilled by defense attorney Todd Blanche.
The former “fixer” for the defendant spent the entire day on the stand in Judge Juan Merchan’s Manhattan courtroom, with much of the questioning revolving around previous occasions in which he had lied under oath.
Mr Blanche zeroed in on whether Cohen, who received tens of thousands of calls per year, could specifically remember what was discussed in a 90-second call in 2016.
The witness remained calm and steadfast during his testimony, walking the jury through the strategy allegedly employed by Mr Trump’s inner circle to delay making the $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels in October 2016 to buy her silence about the sexual encounter she claims he had with the politician in July 2006.
Judge Merchan has now asked both sides to prepare for closing arguments on Tuesday.
Alex Woodward is covering the trial from Manhattan Criminal Court.
1715948140Trump’s dinner with oil executives sparks inquiry by House DemocratsHouse Democrats are investigating Trump’s alleged promise that he will undo certain all-important climate policies to please the fossil fuel sector if its denizens agree to bankroll his return to the White House.
Here’s Stuti Mishra’s report.
Joe Sommerlad17 May 2024 13:15
1715946300Tim Scott enlists Kellyanne Conway to boost chances of becoming Trump’s veepFormer 2024 Republican candidate and South Carolina senator Tim Scott is lobbying hard among Trump’s inner circle in the hope of becoming his pick for vice president.
Scott is leaning on Kellyanne Conway, Trump’s 2016 campaign manager, as he pushes himself as the top choice, The Daily Beast reported on Thursday.
His private lobbying effort is coupled with a very public one – Scott has hit cable news and declared in recent days that he would do “whatever it takes” for the man who worked to overturn the 2020 election and is facing 88 felony counts.
John Bowden has more.
Joe Sommerlad17 May 2024 12:45
1715944500Kamala Harris agrees to debate with Trump’s running mateThe US vice president has agreed to take part in a veep debate with Trump’s so-far-unnamed running mate just a day after the Republican candidate and President Joe Biden agreed to two showdowns.
The Biden-Harris campaign said on Thursday that it had accepted an invitation from CBS News to take part in a VP debate either on 23 July or 13 August.
Gustaf Kilander has the story.
Joe Sommerlad17 May 2024 12:15
1715942700‘Stand back and stand by’: Matt Gaetz invokes Trump’s infamous call to Proud Boys at trialMAGA Republican Matt Gaetz invoked Trump’s notorious – and widely condemned – call to the far-right group the Proud Boys as he showed up in court in Manhattan to support the former president at his hush money trial.
“Standing back and standing by, Mr President,” Gaetz wrote on X, along with an image of himself at the courthouse.
The phrase echoed Trump’s infamous comments on stage at one of the 2020 presidential debates against now-president Joe Biden.
Other fringe GOP goons present at court yesterday including representatives Lauren Boebert (who was booed and heckled with cries of “Beetlejuice!”), Andy Biggs, Anna Paulina Luna, Mike Waltz and Eli Crane.
Gustaf Kilander reports.
Joe Sommerlad17 May 2024 11:45
1715940940New York hush money trial: Key takeaways from Day 18Here’s Alex Woodward and Ariana Baio with yesterday’s wrap.
Joe Sommerlad17 May 2024 11:15
1715939100New York hush money trial: Jury hears audio of Cohen celebrating Trump’s indictmentScathing audio played to the jury yesterday revealed Cohen celebrating his former boss’s indictment on criminal charges, saying “I hope he rots” in jail “for what he did to me”.
During a tense morning of cross-examination on Thursday, Todd Blanche worked hard to undermine the witness’s credibility, painting the former lawyer as a revenge-seeking liar.
The defence played audio from an October 2023 episode of Cohen’s podcast Mea Culpa, in which he excitedly says he “truly f***ing hopes” that Trump “ends up in prison”.
“Revenge is a dish best served cold,” he is heard to say in the clip.
Alex Woodward reports from the courthouse.
Joe Sommerlad17 May 2024 10:45
1715937300New York hush money trial: Trump attorney screams at Cohen over critical phone callLet’s have a quick recap of yesterday’s events in Judge Merchan’s courtroom.
Trump’s defence attorney unleashed a furious line of questions to accuse star witness Michael Cohen of lying about his testimony that he spoke to Trump after finalising a deal to pay Stormy Daniels hush money in 2016.
Todd Blanche, after spending several hours painting the former “fixer” as a serial liar, raised his voice and screamed from inside the courtroom after grilling him about a pivotal phone call that connected the former president to a conspiracy at the centre of the case.
“That’s a lie!” he fumed.
Alex Woodward watched proceedings on Thursday.
Joe Sommerlad17 May 2024 10:15
1715935540What we know about Donald Trump’s youngest son BarronHere’s a brief introduction to the young man whose high school leavers’ ceremony Trump so desperate to attend.
Joe Sommerlad17 May 2024 09:45
1715933740Trump to headline political fundraiser after crying off court to attend son’s high school graduationSomewhat outrageously, Trump is planning to headline a political fundraiser today, the very same day he demanded a break in the hush money trial so that he could attend his youngest son Barron’s high school graduation.
The Minnesota Republican Party has announced that the former president will headline its annual Lincoln Reagan Dinner event on Friday 17 May, the same day that Barron Trump graduates from Oxbridge Academy in the Sunshine State.
“We are thrilled to welcome President Trump back to Minnesota,” state GOP chairman David Hann said in a statement. “I can think of no one more fitting to join us this year than President Trump.”
The fundraiser will be held in St Paul, Minnesota, a roughly three hour and 45 minute flight from West Palm Beach, where Barron’s graduation ceremony will take place.
Here’s more from Graig Graziosi on Trump being given an inch and taking a yard.
Joe Sommerlad17 May 2024 09:15
1715931940Truth Social: Trump bizarrely claims Manhattan DA wants to drop hush money caseThe Republican presidential candidate and criminal defendant posted no fewer than 14 quotes over night from conservative media allies, painstaking typed out, all helpfully decrying the case against him after it wrapped up for another week.
More interestingly – and bizarrely – he posed this wild claim that the “Soros backed” Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg actually never wanted to bring the hush money case against him and would rather concentrating on prosecuting violent crime in New York City, but cannot abandon it because of Judge Juan Merchan, who is in hock to “Radical Left Democrats”.
“People are thinking that Soros backed D.A., Alvin Bragg, who never wanted to bring the Witch Hunt against me in the first place, is going to drop this ridiculous and very unpatriotic ‘CASE’ in order to save lots of money, and also the self respect of his once revered Office. He would then be able to focus on Violent Crime, which is running rampant and totally out of control in New York. The dilemma is, and always has been, the Trump Hating (APPOINTED IN 2009 & STILL ACTING!) Judge, Juan Merchan, who would be confronted with the problem of how he would explain this TRUMP loss, to the Radical Left Democrats, to whom he owes so much? Bring back “Justice in America.” ELECTION INTERFERENCE!!!”
The man needs a lie down.
Joe Sommerlad17 May 2024 08:45
