Witness testimony to continue in Trump's hush money trial

3 weeks ago 25

1 min ago

Trump says David Pecker, a key witness in his hush money trial, is a "nice guy"

From CNN's Antoinette Radford

Former President Donald Trump speaks with reporters on April 25.

Speaking to reporters at an early morning news conference in New York City, former President Donald Trump called former tabloid publisher David Pecker, a key witness in the hush money trial against him, a "nice guy."

"He's been very nice. David's been very nice. He's a nice guy," Trump said.

As Trump spoke to reporters, fans chanted, "We want Trump" and "USA."

Pecker will return to the stand today. He has spoken now about two of the three catch-and-kill deals — but not adult film star Stormy Daniels, which is likely coming today.

On Tuesday, Pecker testified for around two-and-a-half hours, walking jurors through how he worked with Michael Cohen on Trump’s behalf to squash unflattering stories during the 2016 election.

18 min ago

Trump is speaking in New York City ahead of his hush money trial

From CNN's Kate Sullivan and Antoinette Radford

Former President Donald Trump is holding a news conference ahead of his criminal hush money trial in New York.

The stop comes as Trump’s team grapples with how to continue some semblance of campaigning as the former president remains largely tethered to New York City for the trial.

Trump has repeatedly criticized having to attend the trial, saying he should instead be campaigning rather than spending his time in court.

The early morning event Thursday allows Trump to make it to court on time before proceedings kick off at 9:30 a.m. ET.

We'll bring you the latest updates on what he says as we get them.

1 hr 4 min ago

Here's a timeline of key events in the hush money case

From CNN’s Lauren del Valle, Kara Scannell, Annette Choi and Gillian Roberts

CNN compiled a timeline of the key events leading up to the historic trial. Read up on the moments below:

September 2016: Donald Trump discusses a $150,000 hush money payment understood to be for former Playboy model Karen McDougal with Michael Cohen who secretly records the conversation. McDougal has alleged she had an extramarital affair with Trump beginning in 2006, which he has denied.
October 7, 2016: The Washington Post releases an "Access Hollywood" video from 2005 in which Trump uses vulgar language to describe his sexual approach to women with show host Billy Bush.
October 27, 2016: According to prosecutors, Cohen pays Stormy Daniels $130,000 through her attorney via a shell company in exchange for her silence about an affair she allegedly had with Trump in 2006. This $130,000 sum is separate from the $150,000 paid to McDougal. Trump has publicly denied having any affairs and has denied making the payments.
November 8, 2016: Trump secures the election to become the 45th president of the United States.
February 2017: Prosecutors say Cohen meets with Trump in the Oval Office to confirm how he would be reimbursed for the hush money payment Cohen fronted to Daniels. Under the plan, Cohen would send a series of false invoices requesting payment for legal services he performed pursuant to a retainer agreement and receive monthly checks for $35,000 for a total of $420,000 to cover the payment, his taxes and a bonus, prosecutors alleged. Prosecutors also allege there was never a retainer agreement.
January 2018: The Wall Street Journal breaks news about the hush money payment Cohen made to Daniels in 2016.

See the full timeline.

1 hr 4 min ago

2 of Trump's 4 criminal cases will see movement today. Here's what to know

From CNN’s Devan Cole, Amy O'Kruk and Curt Merrill

Former President Donald Trump, with attorney Todd Blanche, walks toward the press to speak at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City on April 23.

While Donald Trump attends his hush money criminal trial in Manhattan, the Supreme Court will hear arguments Thursday ahead of another case that the former president is facing.

The Supreme Court will decide whether Trump may claim immunity from prosecution in the federal election subversion case brought by special counsel Jack Smith separately, that charged the former president last August with four crimes over his efforts to reverse the 2020 election results.

The indictment alleges Trump and a co-conspirator "attempted to exploit the violence and chaos at the Capitol by calling lawmakers to convince them ... to delay the certification" of the election.

The Manhattan court case and the election subversion case are two of four criminal cases Trump faces while also juggling his presidential campaign.

The former president is facing at least 88 charges over the four criminal indictments in Georgia, New York, Washington, DC, and Florida. Trump has pleaded not guilty to every charge in these cases.

Here's a recap of the other two cases:

Classified documents: Trump was indicted in June 2023 by a federal grand jury in Miami for taking classified national defense documents from the White House after he left office and resisting the government’s attempts to retrieve the materials. The National Archives said in early 2022 that at least 15 boxes of White House records were recovered from the estate, including  some that were classified. The charges were brought by special counsel Jack Smith.
Fulton County: State prosecutors in Georgia brought a similar election subversion case against Trump and others. An Atlanta-based grand jury on August 14, 2023, indicted Trump and 18 others on state charges stemming from their alleged efforts to overturn the former president’s 2020 electoral defeat. A trial date has not yet been set in that case.

Read more about the four criminal cases Trump faces.

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