Trump trial live updates: David Pecker testifies regarding the arrangement with Karen McDougal.

NEW YORK — The The seventh day of the criminal hush money trial that Donald Trump is facing in New York continued with the continuation of the evidence of the prosecution’s first witness, David Pecker. Pecker is the former chief executive of American Media Inc., which is the parent company of National Enquirer.

For the purpose of “catch and kill” stories that could be detrimental to Trump in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election, Pecker is providing testimony regarding an alleged plot that involved Pecker, Trump, and Michael Cohen, who had previously worked as a lawyer for Trump. 34 accusations have been brought against Trump for allegedly fabricating business documents in order to conceal hush money payments that were meant to bolster his campaign in 2016.

It is also possible that a decision regarding whether or not Trump would be charged in criminal contempt for allegedly violating a gag order may be made on Thursday. In a statement released on Tuesday, Judge Juan Merchan stated that he would make a decision later on whether or not Trump has breached Merchan’s gag order and should be punished or threatened with jail time. The court proceeding did not take place on Wednesday.
Stay up to current with the latest live reports from USA TODAY, available both inside and outside the courthouse in Manhattan:

Judge Merchan addressing legal issues outside jury’s presence

In the time that remains before the jury returns to the courtroom, Judge Juan Merchan is currently discussing legal matters with the attorneys. Arguments are being made by the attorneys over the admissibility of particular pieces of evidence that were prepared by the prosecutors for the trial. One of the pieces of evidence is a record that pertains to the release of Dino Sajudin from an exclusivity deal with American Media Inc., which is the parent company of The National Enquirer, following the election in 2016. Sajudin recounted a narrative about Trump fathering a kid with a housekeeper, which Trump has denied occurring and which has been widely questioned as a result of investigations conducted by the media.

Trump re-enters courtroom

Trump re-entered the courtroom at 11:22 a.m. ET, taking a look at reporters in the audience as he walked in between them to the defense table.

‘The boss is going to be very angry’: Cohen to Pecker

Before the judge declared a short break in proceedings, Pecker said he told Michael Cohen he didn’t want to be reimbursed for money American Media Inc. put out to acquire the rights to Karen McDougal’s story. Pecker said he told Cohen that after having a conversation with a lawyer, although Pecker didn’t disclose the contents of that conversation. “The boss is going to be very angry,” Cohen allegedly told Pecker. “I can’t believe it. I’m a lawyer. I’m your friend. I don’t understand why you’re so concerned,” Cohen added, according to Pecker.

Court takes short break

The court is staking a short break. Trump exited the courtroom at 11:14 a.m. ET.

Unlawful election interference? Pecker says McDougal hush money wasn’t reported

David Pecker was questioned by the prosecutor Joshua Steinglass over whether or not the hush money that was given to Karen McDougal was recorded as a contribution to campaign finance. It wasn’t, according to Pecker.

The fact that the lone payment of $130,000 to Stormy Daniels is directly connected to the charges of records falsification that Trump is facing does not change the fact that this testimony may still be significant. The fact that the payment made to Daniels was in violation of federal campaign finance rules is an essential component of the prosecution’s narrative. According to them, this constitutes unlawful interference in the election that took place in 2016, and the alleged manipulation of records by Trump is a cover-up for any unlawful interference that may have occurred.

In order for the prosecution to prove that Trump committed a criminal, they must not only demonstrate that he fabricated company records, but they must also demonstrate that he did so in order to commit or conceal another crime. One idea that prosecutors have pushed to argue that Trump committed a felony is the connection between the federal government and campaign money.

Pecker says he never planned to publish McDougal story

In spite of the fact that American Media Inc., which David Pecker was heading at the time, had purchased the rights to Karen McDougal’s narrative, David Pecker stated that he had no intention of ever publishing it. According to him, the primary reason he purchased McDougal’s narrative was to prevent it from having an impact on the presidential election that took place in 2016.

Pecker says he believed Trump knew about McDougal hush money contract

According to Pecker’s testimony, Michael Cohen was aware of the hush money arrangement that was made to keep Karen McDougal quiet, and he believed that Donald Trump was also aware of the agreement.

Pecker explaining contract with Karen McDougal

David Pecker is being guided through the terms of a contract with Karen McDougal, who was paid $150,000 to remain silent about an alleged romance with Donald Trump. The document is being walked through by the prosecutor, Joshua Steinglass. Trump asserts that they did not have an affair. In addition to the sum of one hundred fifty thousand dollars, Pecker added that McDougal would also receive a monthly column in two distinct magazines.

Who is Stormy Daniels and what is her real name?

Originally known as Stephanie Clifford, Stormy Daniels is a well-known adult film star.

A number of months after Melania Trump gave birth to Barron Trump, Daniels asserts that she had an affair with Donald Trump in the year 2006. Michael Cohen offered her a sum of $130,000 in exchange for her silence over the alleged affair in the run-up to the presidential election in 2016.

‘The boss will take care of it’

Pecker said that he had a conversation with Michael Cohen regarding who would ultimately pay the hush money of $150,000 to Karen McDougal in order to keep her account of having an affair with Trump a secret before to the presidential election in 2016. Cohen is said to have informed Pecker that he should not be concerned since “the boss will take care of it.” During his testimony, Pecker stated that he was aware of the fact that he would be compensated by either the Trump Organization or specifically by Donald Trump.

Trump Media stock price

Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. shares increased to $37 at the opening of trading on April 25, representing a 3.73% increase from the previous close.

The need that Trump Media issue 36 million more shares to Trump as part of an earnout bonus, which was valued $1.17 billion at the time, was satisfied by the time Tuesday’s business day came to a conclusion.

‘Karen is a nice girl,’ Trump allegedly said about woman who claims they had affair

During his testimony, David Pecker is discussing Karen McDougal’s allegations that she had an affair with Donald Trump, as well as his conversations with both Trump and Michael Cohen over the matter. McDougal has asserted that they were involved in an affair that occurred during the time that Melania Trump was pregnant. It is a claim that Trump refutes.

A phone call between Trump and Pecker revealed that Trump told Pecker, “I spoke to Michael. Karen is a nice girl,” according to Pecker’s testimony. That response, according to Pecker, led him to conclude that Trump was aware of who McDougal was. Pecker was asked by Trump what decisions he believed he ought to make, according to Pecker. In order to remove the narrative from circulation, Pecker suggested that Trump purchase McDougal’s work.

Pecker testified that he believed her allegation to be genuine, and that he believed it would have been highly embarrassing for Trump personally as well as for Trump’s campaign. This was in response to the question posed by prosecutor Joshua Steinglass regarding why Pecker believed Trump should buy the tale.

Prosecution argues Trump has violated gag order another four times

In light of the allegations that Trump violated a gag order, Judge Juan Merchan has not yet made a decision regarding whether or not to hold Trump in criminal contempt. However, prosecutor Christopher Conroy stated this morning, just prior to prosecution witness David Pecker re-taking the stand, that Trump had once again been in violation of the order.

A number of statements made by Trump to the press were cited by Conroy. One of these statements was that Trump referred to Michael Cohen, a prospective key witness, as a “convicted liar” who “did some pretty bad things, I guess.”

It was just this morning, according to Conroy, when Trump made a comment related to Pecker. “David’s been very nice,” Trump reportedly said, as reported by Conroy. “This is a message to Pecker: Be nice,” According to the allegations, Trump said. There is a message for other people. According to the allegations, Trump continued by saying, “I have a platform and I can talk about you,” and that he remarked, “I can say things like this or the kind of things I said about Cohen.”

Judge Juan Merchan arrives in courtroom

The courtroom was entered by Judge Juan Merchan at 9:35 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. As is customary, Merchan greeted president Trump with a generic “Good morning” as well as a specific “Good morning, Mr. Trump.” This occurred after an attorney for each side presented their respective legal teams and Trump’s counsel introduced him.

Trump arrives in courtroom for Day 7 of trial

At 9:29 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, Trump made his entrance into the courtroom. The arrival of Judge Merchan has not yet been confirmed.

Prosecution team arrives in courtroom

Around 9:17 a.m. Eastern Time, the team representing the prosecution entered the courtroom. As of right now, we are still waiting for former President Trump and his legal team, as well as for Judge Juan Merchan.

Could Supreme Court presidential immunity arguments impact Trump’s New York case?

At the beginning of this month, Judge Juan Merchan dismissed an argument that Trump had made to postpone the criminal trial in New York until after the Supreme Court has made a decision regarding the extent of presidential immunity in the federal election meddling case that Trump is currently facing. Trump, according to Merchan, brought up the immunity defense in his New York case at an inappropriate time.

In the event that Trump is found guilty in the criminal trial that is taking place in New York, he has the ability to appeal Merchan’s immunity order and raise the possibility of citing a Supreme Court immunity ruling as a reason for re-trying the New York case.

Why isn’t Trump at Supreme Court arguments?

A trial in New York Last week, the legal team for former President Donald Trump made a motion to the Supreme Court with the intention of allowing Trump to hear today’s arguments regarding whether or not he is immune from prosecution in his federal election interference case. However, Judge Juan Merchan denied the request. The question of whether or not a former president can be prosecuted for official presidential acts is currently being considered by the Supreme Court.

In his words, “Arguing before the Supreme Court is a big deal,” Merchan added. He went on to say that he sympathized with Trump’s wish to be present at such arguments, but that he would not change the preparations for the criminal trial to accommodate them.

How old is Donald Trump?

At the age of 77, Donald Trump is a man. On June 14, 2024, he will reach the age of 78.

Trump’s age at the time of his inauguration into office in 2017 was seventy years young.

81 years old, Joe Biden is the first president to reach the age of octogenarian. In the history of the United States, Biden and Trump are the two oldest people to ever be elected to the presidency.

What is Trump on trial for?

Donald Trump is being prosecuted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on 34 counts of felony crimes related to the falsification of business records. With the intention of concealing his illegal interference in the presidential election of 2016, Trump allegedly concealed the purpose of checks that were written to Michael Cohen. The hush money payment that was made to porn star Stormy Daniels was involved in this illegal interference.

No guilty plea has been entered by Trump. Furthermore, he refutes Daniels’ assertion that the two of them engaged in sexual activity within a few short months following Melania Trump’s delivery of Barron Trump.