Re: Stormy Weather TFG on Criminal Trial in NYC
Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2024 8:29 pm
Back at 2:15p
Trump is back in the courtroom, appearing to sharply exhale when he reached the defense table before sitting down.
The parties argue an evidentiary issue about Dylan Howard's text messages with Stormy Daniels' agent Gina Rodriguez.
ADA Steinglass: "Mr. Howard is a co-conspirator, and these are statements in furtherance of the conspiracy."
Steinglass adds that the messages go to a "core part of the conspiracy."
They are 15 pages of texts, the judge said.
"All rise."
The jury is entering.
Pecker's testimony continues:
Q: Did there come a time when you visited the White House?
A: Yes, I did.
Pecker:
Trump invited me to the White House for dinner, describing it as a "'thank you' dinner"
Pecker says Trump told him:
"Bring your friends [and] business associates. It's your dinner."
Pecker took Trump up on the invitation, bringing along Howard and Rothstein.
"Jared Kushner was there. Sean Spicer was there."
All of the people he brought were able to take a photo with Trump in the Oval Office, he says.
Photo exhibits:
* Dylan Howard in the White House
* David Pecker and Trump walking into the White House, where he said they were having a conversation about Karen McDougal
Email from Dylan Howard to Keith Davidson dated July 12, 20217:
"Surreal last night," the three-word body of the email reads, referring to the dinner.
Pecker says that Karen McDougal seemed "a little upset" during a lunch.
The articles were taking a while.
She hadn't received media training as a red carpet anchor.
"So, she was stating what she'd like to get done."
Pecker said the purpose of the meeting was to make sure they were complying to the agreement.
"I wanted her to remain within our (pause) family, I should say."
That was a pregnant pause before the "family."
According to Pecker, Trump got angry after seeing Anderson Cooper interviewing McDougal. Trump said that he thought there was an agreement forbidding her from speaking to the press.
Pecker replied: "Yes, we have an agreement but I amended it to allow her to speak to the press."
Pecker says Trump got “mad” and couldn’t understand why Pecker amended the agreement.
At some point, the FEC contacted Pecker about his activities with AMI.
Pecker said that Michael Cohen tried to reassure him: "Jeff Sessions is the attorney general and Donald Trump has him in his pocket."
But Pecker wasn't reassured: "I'm very worried."
Questioning turns to AMI's non-prosecution deal with federal prosecutors.
The prosecutor shows him the agreement.
Justice Merchan recites a curative instruction that jurors cannot use the non-prosecution agreement for any purpose, other than to assess David Pecker's credibility.
They cannot use it as evidence of Trump's guilt.
Pecker has been reciting his various agreements with law enforcement.
After reading various portions of the NPA — linked higher in the thread — Pecker recites his agreements with the Manhattan District Attorney's office.
That agreement immunizes Pecker if he fulfills the agreement to cooperate truthfully.
Here's how Pecker says he learned about the FBI raid on Michael Cohen:
"The FBI came to my home on the same day and had a search warrant on my phone."
Dylan Howard then called him to say the same happened to him, and Howard told him about Cohen, according to Pecker.
Asked if he has any ill-will toward Trump, Pecker emphatically answers in the negative.
"On the contrary, [...] I felt that Donald Trump was my mentor. He helped me out throughout my career."
After Pecker gives a post-9/11 closing anecdote about his friendship with Trump, the prosecution's direct examination ends.
Team Trump will have the opportunity to cross examine the witness next.
Trump is back in the courtroom, appearing to sharply exhale when he reached the defense table before sitting down.
The parties argue an evidentiary issue about Dylan Howard's text messages with Stormy Daniels' agent Gina Rodriguez.
ADA Steinglass: "Mr. Howard is a co-conspirator, and these are statements in furtherance of the conspiracy."
Steinglass adds that the messages go to a "core part of the conspiracy."
They are 15 pages of texts, the judge said.
"All rise."
The jury is entering.
Pecker's testimony continues:
Q: Did there come a time when you visited the White House?
A: Yes, I did.
Pecker:
Trump invited me to the White House for dinner, describing it as a "'thank you' dinner"
Pecker says Trump told him:
"Bring your friends [and] business associates. It's your dinner."
Pecker took Trump up on the invitation, bringing along Howard and Rothstein.
"Jared Kushner was there. Sean Spicer was there."
All of the people he brought were able to take a photo with Trump in the Oval Office, he says.
Photo exhibits:
* Dylan Howard in the White House
* David Pecker and Trump walking into the White House, where he said they were having a conversation about Karen McDougal
Email from Dylan Howard to Keith Davidson dated July 12, 20217:
"Surreal last night," the three-word body of the email reads, referring to the dinner.
Pecker says that Karen McDougal seemed "a little upset" during a lunch.
The articles were taking a while.
She hadn't received media training as a red carpet anchor.
"So, she was stating what she'd like to get done."
Pecker said the purpose of the meeting was to make sure they were complying to the agreement.
"I wanted her to remain within our (pause) family, I should say."
That was a pregnant pause before the "family."
According to Pecker, Trump got angry after seeing Anderson Cooper interviewing McDougal. Trump said that he thought there was an agreement forbidding her from speaking to the press.
Pecker replied: "Yes, we have an agreement but I amended it to allow her to speak to the press."
Pecker says Trump got “mad” and couldn’t understand why Pecker amended the agreement.
At some point, the FEC contacted Pecker about his activities with AMI.
Pecker said that Michael Cohen tried to reassure him: "Jeff Sessions is the attorney general and Donald Trump has him in his pocket."
But Pecker wasn't reassured: "I'm very worried."
Questioning turns to AMI's non-prosecution deal with federal prosecutors.
The prosecutor shows him the agreement.
Justice Merchan recites a curative instruction that jurors cannot use the non-prosecution agreement for any purpose, other than to assess David Pecker's credibility.
They cannot use it as evidence of Trump's guilt.
Pecker has been reciting his various agreements with law enforcement.
After reading various portions of the NPA — linked higher in the thread — Pecker recites his agreements with the Manhattan District Attorney's office.
That agreement immunizes Pecker if he fulfills the agreement to cooperate truthfully.
Here's how Pecker says he learned about the FBI raid on Michael Cohen:
"The FBI came to my home on the same day and had a search warrant on my phone."
Dylan Howard then called him to say the same happened to him, and Howard told him about Cohen, according to Pecker.
Asked if he has any ill-will toward Trump, Pecker emphatically answers in the negative.
"On the contrary, [...] I felt that Donald Trump was my mentor. He helped me out throughout my career."
After Pecker gives a post-9/11 closing anecdote about his friendship with Trump, the prosecution's direct examination ends.
Team Trump will have the opportunity to cross examine the witness next.