7:58 a.m. ET, May 6, 2024
Catch up on the important thing takeaways from Friday’s testimony
Hope Hicks is questioned by Trump legal professional Emil Bove on Friday.
Christine Cornell
Much of Hicks’ testimony centered on her function within the Trump marketing campaign in October 2016, simply earlier than Election Day. Prosecutors requested what occurred when the “Access Hollywood” tape got here out. “The tape was damaging. This was a crisis,” Hicks mentioned.
In the WSJ story, which additionally talked about Daniels, Hicks, then a Trump marketing campaign spokesperson, denied that Trump had had affairs with both girl. “What I told to the Wall Street Journal is what was told to me,” Hicks mentioned of the denial she gave concerning the Daniels allegations.
When prosecutors completed with their questions and Trump’s legal professional took the rostrum, Hicks started crying and appeared to grow to be overwhelmed. She completed her testimony after a short break.
When cross-examining Hicks, Trump’s legal professional Emil Bove elicited testimony that Trump was additionally involved about what his spouse would suppose. Trump requested for the newspapers to not be delivered to his residence the day the story was revealed, Hicks testified.
Jurors hear how Trump responded to ‘Access Hollywood’ tape: Jurors noticed a full transcript of the “Access Hollywood” faucete Friday, together with Trump’s notorious “grab ‘em by the p*ssy” remark, in addition to different vulgar language the marketing campaign tried to dismiss as “locker room talk.” They didn’t, nevertheless, hear Trump on the tape, because the choose dominated the video can be prejudicial to the jury.
Prosecutors are getting nearer to the crime: For two weeks, prosecutors have delved deeply into the negotiations that led to hush money funds made to McDougal and Daniels earlier than the 2016 election. But these funds aren’t unlawful on their very own. Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business information stemming from how he allegedly hid the way in which Cohen was reimbursed for paying $130,000 to Daniels with the intention to preserve her quiet earlier than the 2016 election. With Hicks’ testimony, prosecutors nudged nearer to the reimbursement and the alleged fees.
Attacks proceed in opposition to Michael Cohen: Trump’s authorized staff continued its trial-long assault on Michael Cohen’s credibility Friday, going after all the things from the manner he dealt with his cell telephones to how he would go “rogue” through the 2016 marketing campaign.
