#TrumpTrial 🧵starts HERE. #Trump #legal 1/…Via Klasfeld:Trump entered the courtroom in his usual slow stroll and perturbed disposition. He let out a slight exhale as he reached the defense table before sitting down.Present in the gallery again today: ...
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#TrumpTrial 🧵starts HERE. #Trump #legal 1/…
Via Klasfeld:
Trump entered the courtroom in his usual slow stroll and perturbed disposition.
He let out a slight exhale as he reached the defense table before sitting down.
Present in the gallery again today:Trump advisor Boris Epshteyn.
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3/ Klasfeld:
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass addresses an issue where cross-ex left off yesterday: improper impeachment.
Trump's lawyer Emil Bove suggested that Pecker shifted his story on seeing Hope Hicks at the Trump Tower meeting in 2015.
Bove handed Pecker a doc that didn't say that.
Bove says he will address it at the start of cross ex today.
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4/ Inner City Press (aka Press):
Prosecutor Steinglass: Is the Court going to instruct jurors about what we view as yesterday's improper impeachment by omission?
Trump's lawyer Bove: I intend to begin with Mr Pecker by apologizing
Prosecutor: We want an instruction. The Court has been reasonable -
5/ Press:
Steinglass: I'd also like the jurors to be instructed about redactions... Next, whether intentional or unintentional, Mr. Bove improperly conflated the Federal and State prosecutors - when it's unclear, I'll object.
Justice Merchan: That will be fine. -
6/ NOTE: If reporters typo, I copy/paste regardless
Press:
[Pecker takes stand; jurors file in]
Merchan: Jurors, yesterday you heard testimony about the prosecution speaking with the witness before testimony. That's permitted by law. Mr. Bove?Trump's lawyer Bove: Yesterday we spoke about a meeting with prosecutors, about Hope Hicks - but it was the Federal prosecutors. If I'm unclear, I'm sure Mr. Steinglass will raise it. But you may to. Now on Hope Hicks, I asked if she was in the meeting
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7/ More from Klasfeld on that:
Justice Merchan instructs the jury that the law "permits" prosecutors to speak to witnesses before trial.
It's a "normal part" of preparing for trial, "as long as it's not suggested that the witness depart" from saying the truth.
Bove begins cross-ex.
As promised before the proceedings began, Bove apologizes to Pecker for the "confusion" in his question about seeing Hope Hicks.
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10/ Press:
Trump's lawyer Bove: Before the August 2015 meeting, the National Enquirer was already running negative articles about Bill and Hillary Clinton, right?
Pecker: Yes.
Bove: So it was mutually beneficial?
Prosecutor: Objection!
Justice Merchan: Sustained -
11/ Klasfeld:
Pecker agrees w Bove's suggestions that running the stories was beneficial to AMI — & standard op procedure.
Bove: You ran stories against Ben Carson, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, without much new content, right?
Pecker: I'd have to look at them.
Bove: The National Enquirer repackage information already out there - it's efficient, right?
Pecker: Yes.
Klasfeld:Q: There's already negative public info in public domain about Ben Carson & you ran it in Nat Enquirer.
A: Yes
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12/ They’re showing visuals of NatEnq covers.
Press:
Trump's lawyer Bove: Because it was cost efficient, you would have run those articles whether or not you discussed it with President Trump, right?
Pecker: Correct.
Bove: This malpractice allegations against Dr. CarsonKlasfeld:
Bove shows all of the negative headlines about Ben Carson. The defense attorney notes that The Guardian reported on malpractice claims about Carson.
Pecker agrees.
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14/ (exhibits are being shown of other covers)
Press:
Trump's lawyer Bove: That photo on the top, of the child, is actually recycled, right?
Pecker: Correct.
Bove: And the Carson West Point scholarship story, also recycled?
Pecker: Yes.
Bove: Same with these Marco Rubio stories? -
15/ Klasfeld:
Bove shows Pecker this passage from a WSJ article:
"Since last year, the Enquirer has supported Mr. Trump's presidential bid, endorsing him and publishing negative articles about some of his opponents.'
He appears to suggest the public knew about the tabloid's support.
Pecker confirms that neither Trump nor Cohen ever paid him any money for either the Sajudin or McDougal stories.
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17/ Press:
Trump's lawyer Bove: You had a source agreement with Dino Sajudic, right?
Pecker: Yes.
Bove: This is a standard AMI document, correct?
Pecker: It is.
Bove: You compared the doorman's story [of a Trump love-child] to the death of Elvin Presley, you sold 6.5 million -
18/ Klasfeld:
Trump's attorney pivots to Sajudin's story.
Q: If this story was true, it was worth a lot of money, right?
A: Yes.Pecker agrees with Bove's characterization that it would have been the "biggest National Enquirer story ever."
Context:
Pecker also testified during direct examination that, even if it was verified, the Enquirer would have sat on the story until after the election.
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19/ Klasfeld:
Pecker agrees that Sajudin threatened to sell the story elsewhere, and that affected the sky-high price tag on the story.
Trump's lawyer suggests that Pecker signed the deal because he believed there was a small possibility that it was true.
Q: You could not walk away from that possibility, however small that might be?
Pecker agrees.