Prosecutors: Trump engaged in a conspiracy of fraud, lies and cover-up – World

D Donald Trump engaged in a multi-layered conspiracy of fraud, lies and cover-up, prosecutors said as opening arguments began in the first-ever criminal trial against a former US president.

Assistant District Attorney Matthew Colangelo said Trump falsified business documents to pay $130,000 to porn star Stormy Daniels and buy her “silence” about a 2006 sexual encounter that could have affected his candidacy. president in 2016

“This is a case of criminal conspiracy and cover-up,” Colangelo told a New York jury in a Manhattan courtroom: “This was election fraud, pure and simple.”

Start of the case against Trump “money for silence”

Trump, wearing a dark suit and blue tie, sat at the defense table and stared straight ahead as the prosecutor delivered his arguments.

In his opening statement to the 12 jurors and six alternates, Todd Blanch, one of Trump’s lawyers, said: “President Trump has not committed any crimes.”

“There’s nothing wrong with trying to influence an election,” Blanche said, “It’s called democracy.”

“The Manhattan attorney should never have brought this case,” he said, adding: “President Trump is presumed innocent.”

Before the hearing, Trump also insisted he had done nothing wrong and denounced the case as “election interference” aimed at derailing his 2024 bid for the White House.

“This is a very, very sad day in America,” the 77-year-old Republican presidential candidate told reporters.

A man set himself on fire outside the court hearing the Trump case

“I’m here instead of being in Pennsylvania, Georgia and many other places to campaign,” he said, stressing, “This is a witch hunt.”

Trump is the first former president to face criminal charges, and the case poses a significant risk to him less than seven months before his campaign rematch with President Joe Biden.

Prosecution witnesses are expected to include Daniels and former Trump middleman Michael Cohen, who arranged the “hush money” payment to the adult film actress.

The jurors’ identities are kept secret for their protection.

The alleged crime is less significant than the charges stemming from Trump’s attack on the 2020 election — which the Republican lost to Democrat Biden — and the collection of classified documents.

In the current case, Trump could be sentenced to prison, although a fine or probation is more likely, analysts say.

The somber courtroom trial will keep Trump off the campaign trail four days a week for six to eight weeks.

But Trump has tried to use the high-profile media attention to stoke his support, making regular statements outside the courtroom.

The jury has been selected for the trial against Donald Trump

Last week, potential jurors were questioned by prosecutors and defense attorneys about their media habits, political donations and education.

Many of the potential jurors were dismissed after saying they could not be impartial before lawyers and the judge selected 12 jurors with six alternates.

Trump, who has been ordered to attend every day of the trial, would need a unanimous decision to be convicted.

Trump, 77, was ordered to be present during the trial, which will largely keep him off the campaign trail for weeks.

Prosecutors must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump falsified business documents with the intent to commit or conceal another crime, but they do not need to prove that Trump committed that crime. The prosecution’s theory is that the second offense may have been a violation of federal and state election laws or state tax laws regarding the way Michael Cohen’s refunds were processed.

Trump’s lawyers are keeping their defense secret, but in court documents they say they plan to attack the credibility of Cohen and Stormy Daniels and portray them as liars who are motivated by resentment and money.

Trump’s legal team is led by Todd Blanche and Emile Beauvais, two former New York federal prosecutors, and Susan Necheles, a veteran criminal defense attorney with extensive experience in New York and before Merchan. Necheles represented Trump’s business during the 2022 tax fraud trial. The company was convicted.

Outside lawyers closely following the case say Trump is likely to argue that the “hush money” payments are legal and distance the former president from the payment scheme and the accounting that his trusted officials handled. They may also argue that the payments were made to prevent embarrassment to the Trump family, not to influence the election. Trump may also testify in his own defense.

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