FLASH
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Donald Trump tried to illegally influence the 2016 presidential election by stopping the publication of damaging stories about his personal life, prosecutors told jurors Monday during the first criminal trial of a former US president.
"This was a planned and protracted conspiracy to influence the 2016 election, to help Donald Trump get elected through illegal payments to silence people who would have something bad to say about his behavior." , said prosecutor Matthew Colangelo. "It was election manipulation, nothing more."
The defense attorney hit back by blasting the lawsuit as baseless and attacking the integrity of the one-time Trump confidant who now serves as the prosecution's star witness.
"President Trump is innocent. President Trump has committed no wrongdoing. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office should not have filed this lawsuit at all," said attorney Todd Blanche.
The opening statements presented to the 12-person jury and to the general public, two very different perspectives on how this court case will play out, while the election race for the White House continues in the background. Mr. Trump is not only the expected candidate for president of the Republican Party, but also accused in a criminal trial, which could end with a prison sentence if found guilty.
This is the first criminal trial against a former US president, and it is the first of the four investigative cases brought against him to go to trial. In this context, the prosecutors tried from the beginning of the case to raise its importance, saying that it had mainly to do with election interference, reflected in the payments made to win the silence of a pornographic film actress about a sexual relationship that she claims to have had with Mr. Trump.
"The defendant, Donald Trump, orchestrated a criminal scheme to corrupt the 2016 presidential election. He then covered up this conspiracy by lying on his New York business records, multiple times and repeatedly," it said. prosecutor Colangelo.
During the trial, which could last up to two months, Mr. Trump will have to spend his days in the courtroom instead of on the campaign trail. He complained about it on Monday after leaving the courtroom, telling reporters: “I'm the leading candidate... and they're trying to derail me for this. For check payments to a lawyer".
However, former President Trump has tried to turn his status as a criminal defendant into an asset for his campaign, raising funds for his legal challenges and repeatedly attacking a court system that he has for years claimed was used as a tool against him. In the coming weeks, this court case will test the jury's ability to judge Mr. Trump impartially, as well as his ability to follow courtroom rules, or orders not to assault witnesses, jurors, prosecutors etc.
Mr Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, which could carry up to four years in prison, although it is not clear whether the judge would seek such a sentence. The conviction would not disqualify Mr. Trump from running for the presidency again, but since it is a state court case, he would not be able to pardon himself by decree if found guilty. He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
The lawsuit filed by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg revisits an old chapter in Mr. Trump's biography, when his past as a stage person collided with his political ambitions, and when prosecutors say he tried to keep quiet. stories that could damage his campaign.
The initial statements made Monday serve as introductions to a colorful array of characters who will play important roles, including Stormy Daniels, the porn actress who says she was paid to remain silent; Michael Cohen, the lawyer who prosecutors say made the payment; as well as David Pecker, the publicist who agreed to serve as the "eyes and ears" of Mr. Trump's election campaign and who took the witness stand as the first person called by the prosecution on Monday.
Mr. Pecker will return to the witness stand on Tuesday, when the court is also expected to hear arguments on whether Mr. Trump violated a court order last week with posts on the Truth Social network about the witnesses.
During his opening statement, prosecutor Colangelo laid out an all-out effort by Mr. Trump and his allies to stop the release during the 2016 election campaign of three separate stories, two of which were by women alleging sexual relations. The prosecutor said the effort became even more urgent after the release of a recording in which Mr. Trump was heard bragging about having sex with women without their permission.
Prosecutor Colangelo read Mr. Trump's comments into the tape at the time as Mr. Trump followed him out of the courtroom unresponsive.
"The impact of this tape on the campaign was immediate and shocking," said prosecutor Colangelo.
Pak ditë pasi kaseta u bë publike, prokurori Colangelo u tha anëtarëve të jurisë se tabloidi “National Enquirer” paralajmëroi avokatin Cohen se Stormy Daniels po planifikonte të dilte publikisht me pretendimin e saj për një marrëdhënie seksuale me zotin Trump në vitin 2006.
“Me udhëzimin e Trump-it, Cohen negocioi një marrëveshje për të blerë historinë e zonjës Daniels, për t’ua ndaluar votuesve amerikanë që ta dëgjonin këtë histori përpara ditës së votimeve”, i tha jurisë prokurori.
Por, shtoi prokurori, “as Trump-i dhe as Organizata Trump nuk mund të lëshonin një çek ku shkruhej ‘rimbursim për pagesën për një pornostare’, kështu që ata ranë dakord të manipulonin regjistrat dhe ta bënin të dukej sikur shumat ishin të ardhura, pagesa për shërbimet e bëra”.
Këto të dhëna të falsifikuara shërbejnë si shtylla kryesore e 34 akuzave ndaj zotit Trump. Vetë ai e ka mohuar të ketë patur një marrëdhënie seksuale me zonjën Daniels.
Avokati mbrojtës Blanche u përpoq të godiste besueshmërinë e zotit Cohen, i cili pranoi fajësinë për akuzat federale për rolin e tij në skemën e pagesave. Avokati e paraqiti atë si “të fiksuar” pas zotit Trump dhe që të cilit nuk mund t’i zihet besë. Avokati Blanche tha se zoti Trump nuk ka bërë asgjë të paligjshme, kur kompania e tij i regjistroi çeqet për zotin Cohen si shpenzime ligjore.
“Nuk ka asgjë të gabuar nëse përpiqesh të influencosh zgjedhjet. Quhet demokraci”, dhe jo krim, tha avokati Blanche.
Ai kundërshtoi parimin se zoti Trump ra dakort ta paguajë zonjën Daniels për të mbrojtur fushatën e tij dhe tha se transaksioni synonte të neutralizonte një përpjekje “dashakeqe” për ta turpëruar zotin Trump dhe njerëzit e tij të dashur.
“Presidenti Trump u kundërpërgjigj, siç ka bërë gjithnjë, dhe siç ka të drejtën ta bëjë, për të mbrojtur familjen e tij, reputacionin e tij dhe emrin e tij, dhe ky nuk është krim”, i tha jurisë avokati Blanche.
Në sektorin e revistave tabloide, përpjekjet për të heshtur historitë e dëmshme njihen si përpjekje për të identifikuar dhe neutralizuar një histori, duke blerë të drejtat për botimin e saj dhe duke ia ndaluar kështu personit rrëfimin e kësaj historie tek palë të tjera.
Krahas pagesës për zonjën Daniels, prokurori Colangelo përshkroi edhe marrëveshje të tjera, ndër to një pagesë 150 mijë dollarëshe për një ish-modele të revistës Playboy për të heshtur pretendimet për një marrëdhënie gati njëvjeçare me zotin Trump, ndërsa ai ishte i martuar. Prokurori Colangelo tha se zoti Trump “nuk dëshironte absolutisht që ky informacion për Karen McDougal të bëhej publik, pasi shqetësohej për ndikimin që mund të kishte tek zgjedhjet”.
Prokurori i tha jurisë se ata do të dëgjonin një regjistrim që zoti Cohen bëri në shtator 2016, ndërsa informonte zotin Trump për planin për të blerë historinë e zonjës McDougal. Regjistrimi u bë publik në korrik 2018. Prokurori Colangelo u tha anëtarëve të jurisë se do ta dëgjonin vetë zërin e zotit Trump ndërsa thotë: “Sa do të duhet të paguajmë për këtë? 150?”.
Former President Trump denies Ms McDougal's claims of a relationship between them.
Monday's first and only witness was Mr. Pecker, then publisher of the tabloid magazine National Enquirer and an early friend of Mr. Trump. Prosecutors say he met with Mr. Trump and Mr. Cohen at Trump Tower in August 2015 and agreed to help the campaign team identify negative stories about Mr. Trump.
Mr. Pecker described the practice followed by the tabloid as "cheque journalism," a practice that provides for payments to people who serve as sources of information.
"I told the editors not to spend more than $10,000" on a story without first getting approval from me, Mr. Pecker said.
The New York court case has taken on added importance as it may be the only case to reach the trial stage before the November election. The other three cases have been delayed by appeals and various legal challenges. /VOA
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