Trump trial: Lawyers to present opening remarks in hush money lawsuit

Attorneys will make their opening cases in former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial on Monday, providing a preview of the evidence they plan to present in court during the forthcoming weeks.

Trump’s defense team and prosecutors for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg will each take turns delivering an opening statement on the allegations that Trump hid payments to porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016 to help his presidential election.

Trump’s defense team is led by two veteran attorneys, Todd Blanche and Susan Necheles. Bragg’s team includes Matthew Colangelo, who has experience investigating Trump through his previous work for President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice and the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James. Other prosecutors include Joshua Steinglass, Christopher Conroy, and Susan Hoffinger.

Defense attorneys have already signaled that they plan to showcase credibility problems with Bragg’s star witness, former Trump attorney and fixer Michael Cohen. Cohen was prosecuted in part for arranging the Daniels’ payments years ago, and the attorneys have indicated in court papers that they plan to highlight that Cohen now has an axe to grind and books to sell, such as one he wrote about Trump called Revenge.

Meanwhile, Bragg is expected to bolster evidence from Cohen, a witness plagued by perjury crimes from his recent past, with more solid evidence, such as documentation.

“Look for Bragg’s team to have a powerful PowerPoint presentation showing the jury invoices and checks and connecting the hush money to the 2016 election,” former Virginia-based U.S. attorney John Fishwick predicted.

Trump’s team might aim to offer a “competing theory” for the motivations behind the 2016 payments made to Daniels, that have nothing to do with swaying the election, and to also put distance between Trump and the payments, according to an analysis from Just Security legal experts. Trump’s team, they noted, could argue the former president was not aware of the payments. After all, the Department of Justice declined to prosecute Trump when it charged Cohen in 2018.

Opening statements come after an hush money case“>eventful weeklong jury selection phase of the trial. The process of choosing jurors went more quickly than expected despite several dozen prospective jurors being dismissed because of impartiality concerns.

Once opening statements conclude, the spotlight will turn onto the prosecution as they begin presenting evidence and calling in witnesses.

Judge Juan Merchan has indicated that court will adjourn by 2:00 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday to accommodate Passover observers.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Amid the anticipated opening statements, Merchan also plans to announce Monday his decision resulting from the prior week’s brief Sandoval hearing. Prosecutors at the hearing argued that they should be allowed to use Trump’s other unrelated legal setbacks to help make their hush money case.

Tuesday will be consumed by a gag order hearing. Merchan plans to examine at the hearing arguments from prosecutors that Trump should be held in contempt and fined $1,000 for vocalizing concerns about witnesses in the case, which they say was a violation of a gag order the judge had imposed.