First week of testimony in Trump hush money criminal trial - What's Your Point?
HOUSTON - Testimony is underway in the historic "hush money" trial of Donald Trump.
'Historic" in the fact that no other American president has faced criminal charges and a jury verdict rendered by the citizens he once served. Trump is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records as part of a scheme to bury stories that he feared could hurt his 2016 campaign.
On the witness stand, former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker confirmed his "catch and kill" collaboration with Trump regarding accounts of his sexual liaisons with porn star Stormy Daniels and former playmate Karen McDougal.
Of critical note, Pecker conceded he agreed to suppress the stories to help Trump's campaign despite the fact that publishing the claims of Trump's alleged lovers would have sold a colossal number of magazines.
The defense contends the hush money was paid to avoid family embarrassment and not, as the prosecution claims, to achieve political gain.