Donald Trump – Broke the muzzle

NEW YORK (Dagbladet): Trump is indicted on 34 counts of falsifying business documents to cover up the payment of hush money to porn actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.

According to the indictment, Stormy Daniels claims that she had a sexual affair with Trump in 2006. The hush money of $130,000 (about NOK 1.4 million) is said to have been paid to prevent Daniels from speaking publicly about the affair before the presidential election.

Trump himself, who is also charged in three other criminal cases, claims that he has done nothing wrong and that it is all a political witch hunt against him.

The judge in the case, Juan Merchan, has now concluded that Trump has repeatedly broken the gag imposed on him. He is fined $1,000 per violation. In total, this entails a fine of 9,000 dollars (just under 100,000 kroner).

According to CNN, Trump showed no reaction when he was fined.

Disdain for politics

Threatens with prison

The gag means he is not allowed to talk about the witnesses in the trial, the jurors, the lawyers or any of their family members. In total, Merchan believes that Trump broke his mouth nine times. This means that he has been fined 9,000 dollars (just under 100,000 kroner).

Merchan points out in his written decision that Trump is allowed to respond to political attacks, but that criticism of key witnesses is not permitted.

Trump is also required to remove his posts on Truth Social, which the judge believes violated the muzzle.

These posts were removed around 1:45 p.m. local time (7:45 p.m. Norwegian time) – half an hour before Trump’s deadline. He must also pay the fine by Friday 3 May.

Merchan says in the ruling that he is concerned that the defendant has a constitutional right to express himself, but that he will not tolerate violations of the curfew. If Trump continues to attack other actors in the case, the judge writes that he will “impose a prison sentence”. Merchan has the opportunity to imprison Trump for up to 30 days for violating the muzzle.

Trump is already trying to cash in on the fine. Shortly after the judge’s ruling became clear, his campaign organization sent out an email to supporters. Here they are asking people to donate money.

– A democratic judge just concluded that I have shown contempt for the court. I was fined $9,000 for nine broken muzzles. THEY WANT TO GAG ME! writes Trump in the email.

Planner for prison

– Asleep

The trial against Trump continues today in New York.

Like last week, Trump appears to be falling asleep while witnesses are explaining themselves. He has closed his eyes for long periods.

– Trump seems to have fallen asleep while listening to testimony. His eyes were closed for long periods of time, and his head jerked several times in a way that can happen when you fall asleep, writes NBC News.

New York Times journalist Maggie Haberman also reacts to Trump’s behavior in the courtroom.

– Trump has sat with his eyes closed for significant parts of the testimonies this morning. It is unclear what the jurors, who have to sit through the same testimony, think of a defendant who closes his eyes so much, writes Haberman.

Also last week, many observers believed that Trump appeared to fall asleep several times in the courtroom. At the weekend, President Joe Biden made fun of this during the annual Correspondents’ Dinner. There he described Trump as “Sleepy Don”.

“Grab them by the pussy”

The court then gets to see video clips from C-SPAN’s recording of Trump’s election campaign meetings in North Carolina before the 2016 election and in the wake of the scandal surrounding the “Access Hollywood” recording where Trump boasted that he could “grab them by the pussy”. In the footage from C-SPAN, Trump denies accusations from two women of sexual assault after

– As you have seen, I am viciously attacked with lies and a smear campaign. I have no idea who these women are, says Trump in the clip from October 2016.

Next, Stormy Daniels’ lawyer when she received the alleged hush money, Keith Davidson, is called as the next witness. He explains how a non-disclosure agreement works.

Daniels received the money via the supermarket tabloid National Enquirer where they bought the exclusive rights to her story and then stopped publishing it.

Davidson was also the lawyer for playboy model Karen McDougal, who also entered into a similar agreement with Trump via the National Enquirer. However, her alleged kickback payment is not a direct part of what Trump is indicted for.

– Fucked

– McDougal claimed she had a romantic affair with Donald Trump a few years earlier, says Davidson in court.

He also talks about Stormy Daniels as his client and tells how interest in the stories of both Daniels and McDougal exploded after the famous “Access Hollywood” video.

“Furious” after this

The video was seen as so damaging to Trump’s campaign that they reportedly became far more concerned with putting out other potential fires, according to Davidson’s testimony.

– As far as I know, it had enormous significance, says Davidson from the witness box.

In the wake of the video, which was published shortly before the 2016 election, Davidson exchanged text messages with National Enquirer editor Dylan Howard. The two negotiated the purchase of the stories of the two women.

– Trump is fucked, Davidson wrote to Howard when the “Access Hollywood” video appeared.

– Raise the white flag. It’s over guys, Howard replied.

Davidson also explains in detail the deal he negotiated for Stormy Daniels and how he and Michael Cohen use code names to keep Trump’s identity hidden.

Trump was named “David Dennison” while Stormy Daniels was called “Peggy Peterson”.

Fortunes can skyrocket

More witnesses

The first witness on Tuesday was bank employee Gary Farro, who is said to have helped Trump’s former fixer and lawyer, Michael Cohen, to obtain the money, which is said to have gone to porn actress Stormy Daniels.

He claims there were no indications that the money Cohen received was to be used to help a political candidate. Cohen allegedly told him that the $130,000 would go to real estate investments.

– It would have led to an extra thorough review, if the bank had known, says Farro in the witness box.

He says that the warning lights in the bank would also have gone off if they heard that the money was going to a person in the porn industry.

– It’s an industry we don’t work with, says Farro.

Outside the court building in lower Manhattan, where Dagbladet is located, a few dozen Trump supporters have gathered on Tuesday. There are more days than before in the trial.

– We want Trump! they shout tactfully.

After Farro finishes his testimony, Robert Browning is asked to testify. He is the director of the public television channel C-SPAN.

Trump appears in court

The case will be updated.