President Donald Trump found himself back in court this Friday, ensnared in what his team labels a “Soviet-style” legal battle over alleged ‘hush money’ payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels. The case, led by prosecutor Alvin Bragg, centers around accusations that Trump paid Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, to prevent her from publicizing an alleged affair between them in the National Enquirer.
Trump’s legal defense maintains that the payments, handled by his then-attorney Michael Cohen, did not originate from campaign funds linked to his 2016 presidential run. Joe Tacopina, Trump’s attorney, asserts that these were internal business transactions that did not require disclosure to the Federal Election Commission nor did they entail any tax deductions. Bragg, however, contends that these payments were fraudulently labeled as “legal fees.”
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In the latest courtroom developments, Bragg’s team presented their final witnesses on Friday, a move sparked by Daniels’ faltering testimony earlier in the week. The day also saw testimony from one of Bragg’s own paralegals, Jaden Jarmel-Schneider, who faced intense scrutiny over the deletion of records.
CNN reported on the courtroom exchange where defense attorney Emil Bove questioned Jarmel-Schneider regarding the elimination of certain toll records between Keith Davidson, Stormy Daniels’ lawyer, and Michael Cohen. These records were brought into question after the defense presented recordings from 2018 between Davidson and Cohen. Additionally, Jarmel-Schneider confirmed under Bove’s questioning that calls between Gina Rodriguez and Dylan Howard were also omitted from an exhibit.
