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Who is in the first historic criminal trial of a former US president?
On Monday, the criminal trial against former President Donald Trump will begin with the opening statements of the parties, followed by the beginning of the testimonies. Last week, the process of selecting the jury of 12 members, seven men and five women, as well as 6 reserve persons for any unexpected, was completed.
The former president is accused of falsifying his company's records, to hide the true reasons according to the prosecutor's office, for the reimbursement of his former lawyer Michael Cohen. The latter allegedly paid movie actress Stormy Daniels to raise her to keep quiet about a relationship she says she had with Mr. Trump, a relationship that, if made public, could damage Mr. Trump's election campaign. of 2016. The former president has denied having a relationship with Ms. Daniels.
Among the defendants who will be brought to trial will be Ms. Daniels, the former publisher of the tabloid 'National Enquirer' David Pecker and the former lawyer of Mr. Trump, Michael Cohen. The latter has previously been sentenced to prison for his role in the payment made to ensure the silence of former actress Daniels, and for other violations, including lying to Congress.
Who is in the first historic criminal trial of a former US president?
THE DEFENDANT
DONALD TRUMP – Former President of the United States and Republican candidate. The famous businessman won the presidential election in 2016, becoming the 45th president of the USA. He is accused of falsifying his company's records to hide the true nature of the payments to Mr. Cohen, who helped cover up negative stories about him during the 2016 presidential campaign. Mr. Trump himself has pleaded not guilty.
WITNESS
MICHAEL COHEN – Mr. Trump's former lawyer, once a staunch ally of his, now the prosecution's main witness against his former boss. Mr. Cohen worked for the Trump Organization from 2006 to 2017. He was later sentenced to prison on federal charges after pleading guilty to campaign finance law violations related to money paid to the movie actress to raise Ms. Daniels. as well as other violations that are not related to this issue.
STORMY DANIELS – Former pornographic film actress who received a $130,000 payment from Mr. Cohen as part of alleged efforts to keep her relationship with Mr. Trump secret. Former President Trump denies having an extramarital affair with Ms. Daniels.
KAREN MCDOUGAL – Former Playboy magazine model who also claims to have had a 10-month affair with Mr. Trump in the mid-2000s. She was paid $150,000 in 2016 by the tabloid's parent company, the National Enquirer ', for the rights to her story about her alleged relationship with Mr Trump. Mr. Trump himself has denied having sexual relations with Ms. McDougal.
DAVID PECKER – Former publisher of the tabloid 'National Enquirer' and a longtime friend of Mr. Trump. Prosecutors say that in August 2015, he met with Mr. Trump and Mr. Cohen at Trump Tower and agreed to help his presidential campaign, thanks to efforts to keep negative stories about him from being published.
HOPE HICKS – Former White House communications director during the Trump administration. Prosecutors say she had a phone conversation with Mr. Trump as efforts were made to keep allegations of Mr. Trump's alleged extramarital affairs from the press, and after the discovery of a video recording of the show "Access Hollywood" weeks before the 2016 election. is. In the 2005 tape, Mr. Trump was heard making derogatory comments about women.
PROSECUTORS
ALVIN BRAGG – A former civil rights lawyer and law professor, Mr. Bragg, a Democrat, is in his first term as Manhattan district attorney. He inherited the investigation into Mr. Trump when he took office in 2021. Mr. Bragg oversaw the prosecution of Mr. Trump's company for another tax fraud before taking the step to sue Mr. Trump in that case last year.
MATTHEW COLANGELO – Former senior Justice Department official who was hired by Mr. Bragg in 2022 to lead the investigation into Mr. Trump. They have previously worked together on matters related to Mr. Trump in the New York attorney general's office.
JOSHUA STEINGLASS – Manhattan U.S. Attorney for more than 25 years, who has worked on some of the highest profile cases, including the conviction of the Trump Organization for tax fraud in 2022 as well as cases involving violent crimes .
SUSAN HOFFINGER – Chief of the District Attorney's Investigative Division, she returned to official duty in 2022 after more than 20 years in private practice with her sister, Fran. She worked with Mr. Steinglass in the tax fraud prosecution of the Trump Organization.
MR TRUMP'S LAWYERS
TODD BLANCHE – A former federal prosecutor, Mr. Blanche was previously a lawyer for Mr. Trump's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, in connection with a financial crime, dropping the case against him. Mr. Blanche successfully argued that the case, brought by the same New York prosecutor's office that has already sued Mr. Trump, was too similar to the one that landed Mr. Manafort in federal prison and therefore his client was at risk. to be punished twice for the same crime.
SUSAN NECHELES – A former Brooklyn prosecutor, Ms. Necheles is a prominent New York City lawyer who represented Mr. Trump's company in the tax fraud trial last year.
EMIL BOVE – A former athlete, Mr. Bove has been a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York. He has been involved in many high-profile prosecutions, including a drug-trafficking case against the brother of the former Honduran president, a man who mailed dozens of explosive devices to prominent figures in the US.
CASE JUDGE
JUAN M. MERCHAN – He is the judge presiding over the case. He was also a judge in the 2022 tax fraud trial against the Trump Organization and is overseeing another border wall fraud case against longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon. Mr. Merchan has twice rejected requests from Mr. Trump's lawyers for him to withdraw from the case. They accuse him of bias because his daughter, according to lawyers, runs a political consulting firm that has worked for Democrats, including President Joe Biden. Mr. Merchan has said that he is sure that he will be able to be "fair and impartial" in his judgment./Voa
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