(NewsSpace.com) – Former President Donald Trump is facing multiple legal challenges this year that will see him in and out of court. One of those cases involves an alleged hush money bribe where he reportedly falsified business records to pay Stephanie Clifford, known professionally as Stormy Daniels, to keep quiet about an affair. A judge recently made a ruling in the case.
On Monday, March 18, Judge Juan Merchan denied a request from Trump’s legal team that would prohibit his former attorney Michael Cohen and Daniels from testifying. The attorneys claim that Cohen is “a liar” and has previously perjured himself. The judge noted that the defense did not prove there was any such testimony.
With regards to Daniels, Merchan ruled that her testimony was “inextricably intertwined with the narrative of events and is necessary background.” The hits didn’t stop there.
The judge made a final determination that the Access Hollywood video could not be kept from being entered as evidence. In that footage, first made public ahead of the 2016 presidential election, the former president makes disparaging remarks about women and brags about groping them. The state wants this video entered into evidence to show there’s a reason why Trump paid hush money to Daniels, to prevent further harm to the female voter population that might have been swayed by the footage and its contents, which could have affected the results of the 2016 election. Merchan agreed, stating that it “helps establish [the] defendant’s intent and motive for making the payment to Daniels and then, attempting to conceal them.”
The former president did get somewhat of a win when Merchan said that Dino Sajudin, a former doorman for Trump World Tower, and Karen McDougal, a former model, would be limited as to what they could provide in respect to testimony. They claim to have been paid off as well.
Trump, for his part, has denied ever having an affair with Stormy Daniels, and he has pleaded not guilty to all 34 charges levied against him in this case. The trial was originally scheduled to begin on March 25, but has since been pushed back by 30 days.
Copyright 2024, NewsSpace.com
