Alvin Bragg is seeking to prove in court that former President Donald Trump committed felonies by allegedly falsifying business records. To do so, the Manhattan district attorney must demonstrate that Trump acted with intent.
In recent weeks, prosecutors have presented witnesses and entered numerous records into evidence, but have struggled to directly link Trump to the alleged felonious payment scheme Bragg claims he orchestrated. One particularly dramatic day in court involved porn star Stormy Daniels detailing her alleged encounter with Trump in 2006, for which his former attorney Michael Cohen paid her $130,000 to keep quiet.
While this testimony provided color to the case, some critics found it lacking in substance. Defense attorneys raised objections to Daniels’s testimony, deeming it prejudicial, but the judge denied their request for a mistrial. Other trial days focused on more substantive evidence, such as a paper trail of payments to Cohen central to Bragg’s case, yet the direct links to Trump remain unclear.
Bragg’s indictment accuses Trump of knowingly falsifying business records with intent to commit another crime related to the 2016 election. Testimony from key witnesses shed light on the payments made to Cohen and their categorization as legal expenses within the Trump Organization. Despite the drama in court, the defense highlighted the chaotic transition in January 2017, when Trump took office, to suggest the president was not fully aware of the payment plan for Cohen.
Prosecutors presented an audio recording showing Trump’s awareness of Cohen arranging a payment to silence a story about former Playboy model Karen McDougal, indicating Trump’s knowledge of hush money payments. However, some legal experts, like former Manhattan DA official Karen Agnifilo, have noted that the prosecution has yet to definitively prove Trump’s knowledge of the payment plan crafted by Weisselberg.
The trial continues with the expectation that Cohen’s testimony will provide more insight into Trump’s involvement, while defense attorneys plan to challenge his credibility based on past criminal convictions.
