Entered a crucial week on trial against Donald Trump by and payments to porn star Stormy Danielsto hide compromising information during the 2016 elections. When the hearings resumed, the tycoon was immediately seen slap a $9,000 fine on his head to have repeatedly violated the gag order in rallies and postsand the warning that the next infringement risks going to prison. But it was also the day of testimonies of two key characters: Daniels’ lawyer and of Playboy bunny Karen McDougal and the banker who helped the tycoon’s fixer make the payments.
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The fine of $9,000
“I am acutely aware of and vouch for the rights that the First Amendment affords the defendant,” the judge said Juan Merchan. However, “I will no longer tolerate violations of my orders», he specified, warning that he was ready to “impose a prison sentence” if Trump does not stop commenting inappropriately on the trial. The judge also complained that he could not, by law, establish a fine “more in line with the finances” of the former president, and therefore higher, thus limiting himself to establishing a figure of $1,000 for each major violationalthough there is no doubt that in recent months Trump has violated his silence more than nine times. Merchan has but granted the tycoon permission to participate in his son Barron’s graduation ceremony, next May 17th.
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Removing posts
Trump has so removed all social media posts with which, according to Judge Merchan, had violated the gag order, the obligation not to make public statements about witnesses, jurors and other people connected to the trial underway in New York.
And witness
As for the testimonies, if last week was dominated by the former editor of the National Enquirer David Pecker, this time the scene is all for Gary Farroformer director of the now defunct First Republic Bank of New York, who in October 2016 opened an account in Cohen’s name to pay the hardcore actress two weeks before Election Day. “If the bank had known that Cohen was acting for someone else, there would have been more paperwork to do,” Farro said. «If a customer had told me that it was a shell company, I would never have authorized the opening of the account», he added, revealing that Trump’s fixer «he was a difficult customer because he was always in a hurry». “Ninety percent of the time he came he told us it was an urgent matter,” she emphasized.
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The other key witness on the stand was Keith Davidsonl’attorney for Daniels and McDougalwhich helped both of them manage relations with the media and in 2018 revealed he had several conversations with Cohen. The lawyer began by saying that the Playboy bunny had confessed to him that she had had a «romantic relationship» with Trump and then confirmed Pecker’s testimony that the National Enquirer paid to buy and “kill” the story of the affair. It was Davidson himself, with a message on June 7, 2016, who contacted the then editor of the tabloid, Dylan Howard. «I have a blockbuster story about Trump», wrote McDougal’s lawyer who had also contacted ABC. And the director replied: «I can pay you more than anyone else for it. Do you know why…”.