TRUMP ARRIVES AT COURT AHEAD OF FURTHER STORMY DANIELS QUESTIONING

By Jack Queen, Luc Cohen and Andy Sullivan

NEW YORK (Reuters) -Donald Trump arrived at the New York courtroom where his defense lawyers are expected to pose tough questions on Thursday to porn star Stormy Daniels, as they try to dismantle the credibility of a woman whose story of their 2006 sexual encounter ultimately led to the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president.

Daniels' unflattering account of sex with Trump riveted jurors on Tuesday, and served to remind U.S. voters of the more lurid aspects of his 2017-2021 presidency as he campaigns to win back the White House this year.

A Republican, Trump has argued the case is a politically motivated attempt to interfere with his campaign.

"I think you'll see some very revealing things today," Trump told reporters in the hallway before entering the courtroom.

On Tuesday, Trump's legal team was able to punch some holes in Daniels' account.

Under questioning, Daniels admitted that she had not always told the truth about the encounter, and acknowledged that she has refused to pay Trump a judgment of more than $500,000 stemming from a failed defamation lawsuit.

Daniels, whose given name is Stephanie Clifford, did not provide a clear explanation about why she let Trump buy her silence after she decided to go public with her account. She acknowledged hating Trump and wanting to see him jailed if he is found guilty.

Trump lawyer Susan Necheles accused Daniels of trying to profit off the encounter and making up parts of her story. Daniels acknowledged that over the years she told some news outlets that she had sex with Trump and told others she had not. 

"Isn't it a fact that what you said depended on who would pay you money?" Necheles asked her. 

Daniels said that was not the case.

Trump is charged with falsifying business records to cover up a $130,000 payment to Daniels to keep quiet during his 2016 presidential bid. He has pleaded not guilty and denies ever having sex with Daniels.

Prosecutors say Trump's efforts to obscure the paper trail corrupted the 2016 election by preventing voters from learning about a story that might have informed their vote. 

In a sense, Daniels' testimony is peripheral to the case, and it may not matter much to voters who have already heard other stories of Trump's alleged sexual misbehavior. 

Trump's lawyers argued as much on Tuesday when they unsuccessfully sought a mistrial, saying that she had "inflamed" the jury with unnecessary details like claiming that Trump did not use a condom.

Daniels' testimony clearly frustrated Trump, who at one point appeared to call it "bullshit," drawing a warning about witness intimidation from Justice Juan Merchan.

Merchan has fined Trump $10,000 for talking about jurors and witnesses in the trial and warned that further violations of a gag order that is in place could land him in jail.

The case is widely seen as the least consequential of the four criminal prosecutions Trump faces. But the chances of the other three going to trial before the Nov. 5 election are growing more distant.

One federal case in Washington that accuses Trump of trying to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden has been held up for months by the Supreme Court.

Another federal case in Florida that accuses him of mishandling classified documents has been delayed indefinitely as the judge, appointed by Trump, considers legal objections by his lawyers.

A state case in Georgia that accuses Trump of election interference likewise is on hold as an appeals court considers whether the prosecutor improperly had a romantic affair with another lawyer who is no longer on the case.  

(Reporting by Jack Queen, Luc Cohen and Jody Godoy in New York and Andy Sullivan in Washington; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Bill Berkrot)

2024-05-09T13:43:50Z dg43tfdfdgfd